agarwal_vj
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: facetime icon missing iphone 6 ios 8.3

hi,

 

I have purchased an iPhone 6 from Kuwait and my facetime was working well. now I have come to india and after inserting my india sim card, the facetime icon has disappeared. my ios is 8.3.

 

I had an iPhone 5s earlier and used it in india on the same sim card and facetime was working. so its not the carrier problem.

 

please tell me how do I get the facetime  icon back.

 

thank you!

iPhone 6, iOS 8.3

Posted on Jun 16, 2015 12:49 AM

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agarwal_vj

Q: facetime icon missing iphone 6 ios 8.3

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  • Helpful answers

  • by FelipeV,

    FelipeV FelipeV Jun 16, 2015 4:04 AM in response to agarwal_vj
    Level 5 (6,803 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 16, 2015 4:04 AM in response to agarwal_vj

    You don't. FT is banned in some Middle Eastern countries. As there was a lot of gray market phones going to those ME countries where it is banned, from other ME countries where it is not banned, Apple has plugged that loophole.

  • by seventy one,

    seventy one seventy one Jun 16, 2015 4:11 AM in response to agarwal_vj
    Level 6 (15,180 points)
    Peripherals
    Jun 16, 2015 4:11 AM in response to agarwal_vj

    This is taken from a magazine, Macstories.

     

    How about FaceTime for Mac? You guess: Apple didn't include Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Egypt in the preferences, SaudiMac reports. What's interesting is that Jordan and Qatar made the list, even though they don't support FaceTime on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Heh. Still, if you change your country to United States you'll be able to use FaceTime for mac even from one of the countries not officially supported.

  • by FelipeV,

    FelipeV FelipeV Jun 16, 2015 4:12 AM in response to seventy one
    Level 5 (6,803 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 16, 2015 4:12 AM in response to seventy one

    He was talking about FT on the iPhone. Not the Mac.

  • by agarwal_vj,

    agarwal_vj agarwal_vj Jun 16, 2015 5:33 AM in response to FelipeV
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 5:33 AM in response to FelipeV

    Hi FelipeV,

     

    how is it that I was able to use facetime in Kuwait? facetime is allowed in Kuwait and I had absolutely no problem using it.

     

    its just that when I came to india, the icon disappeared.

     

    do you think erasing my iPhone completely and then setting up the country as india will work?

     

    also how do I find out which country my iPhone was made for?

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Jun 16, 2015 5:37 AM in response to agarwal_vj
    Level 9 (55,946 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 16, 2015 5:37 AM in response to agarwal_vj

    From this page: Wireless carrier support and features for iPhone in the Middle East - Apple Support

     

     

    FaceTime may be unavailable if your device originates from this region and becomes unlocked or is used in another country.

     

    That is why FaceTime disappeared when you took it to another country.

  • by agarwal_vj,

    agarwal_vj agarwal_vj Jun 16, 2015 5:41 AM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 5:41 AM in response to KiltedTim

    hi tim,

     

    I have used an iPhone 5s from one of the carriers in India and it was working.

     

    is there any workaround or any steps that I can try before accepting that FT is not going to work??

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Jun 16, 2015 5:43 AM in response to agarwal_vj
    Level 9 (55,946 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 16, 2015 5:43 AM in response to agarwal_vj

    No. There is no workaround. An iPhone originally sold in the Middle East is in one of two categories. Either FaceTime is banned completely in the country where it was sold (e.g. KSA and UAE) or it is allowed when used in the country of original sale only. In the latter case, if it is used outside of the country of original sale, FaceTime will be disabled. There is no way to "enable" it again other than to take it back to the country of origin and use it there.

     

    These are legal requirements placed on Apple by the governments in the Middle East. If you want to use an iPhone in India and use FaceTime, then buy a phone in India intended for use there.