Despite geopolitical differences, Qatar follows the lead of Middle Eastern governments in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia by continuing to block VoIP services such as Skype, WhatsApp, and FaceTime. The Qatari government maintains that only registered businesses in the country are allowed to provide telecommunications services and that internet-based voice chat applications run in contravention to these laws. Hence the instant messaging part of the app functions as normal but you’ll be barred from making or receiving any voice calls.
To overcome these restrictions, it’s necessary to connect to a VPN server first. If you’re currently in Qatar then we recommend you register for and download one of the paid providers we’ve mentioned on this list. After that’s set up, it’s a simple matter of connecting to a server outside Qatar first. Selecting one in North America or Europe is a good idea as VoIP services function as normal in these regions. Once a connection has been successfully established, proceed to use your chosen service. You should notice that all features now work as normal.