One of the hardest parts of moving to Dubai is not the paperwork or the heat. It is being in a different time zone from the people you love, and realising that a quick call home takes a little more planning than it did before. The good news is that staying in touch is very doable, and for most families it quickly becomes part of the weekly rhythm.
How Calling Works in the UAE
Internet calling is regulated in the UAE, so not every app or feature you used in your home country will work in the same way here. Some voice and video calling features on global messaging apps may be restricted, and availability can change. That is normal, and it is not something to try to work around. Do not look for ways to bypass restrictions. Apart from the legal and terms-of-service risks, unofficial workarounds often give poor quality, security problems and connections that fail when you need them most.
Instead, use licensed apps and services available locally in general. In practice, that usually means looking at what the UAE’s licensed telecom providers, e& and du, currently offer and which locally available apps they support. Providers have offered calling packs and app-based plans in general for residents to call family abroad, sometimes for a set monthly fee covering specific apps or destinations. Names, apps included and prices change, so check directly with your provider rather than relying on an old blog post or a friend’s outdated plan.
Choosing a Setup That Fits Your Family
Start with who you call most often, not with the technology. A parent who wants daily video with grandchildren needs something simple on their end, with no complicated logins. A family spread across three countries may do better with a regular group call on one agreed app. Consider these points before you pay for anything:
- Is the app or calling pack licensed and available locally, and does it work on both your phone and your family’s devices?
- Does a provider pack cover the app and country you need, and does it renew automatically?
- How good is your home Wi-Fi, and will the call work well in the evening when many people are online?
- Does the person back home need help installing or testing the app before you rely on it?
Test everything with a short call first. Check sound, video and speaker volume, especially for older relatives who may use a tablet or an older phone. Once you have a setup that works, write down the steps for family back home in simple language.
Scheduling Around Time Zones Without the Stress
Dubai’s time difference can work for you or against you, depending on the country. Dubai may be ahead of family in Europe and behind family in parts of Asia and Australia, so there is rarely a perfect hour for everyone. Instead of chasing spontaneous calls, agree on one or two regular windows each week. A short, predictable call is better than a long call that keeps being cancelled.
Use your phone’s world clock and add your family’s cities so you stop doing mental maths. When you propose a time, always state both times clearly, for example Dubai time and their local time, to avoid turning up an hour or a day apart, especially when other countries change their clocks for daylight saving and the UAE does not. For birthdays and celebrations, put the call in both calendars with an alert, and record a video message as a backup if a live call is not possible.
Keeping Costs and Data Under Control
Video calls use more data than voice calls, and costs depend on whether you are on home Wi-Fi, a mobile data plan or a specific calling pack. In general, use reliable home Wi-Fi for longer video calls where you can, keep an eye on your mobile data allowance, and check whether your calling pack has fair-use limits, expiry dates or auto-renewal terms. If you travel outside the UAE, roaming rules for the same apps and packs may differ, so check with your provider before you assume your home setup will work abroad.
Also think about quality, not just price. Close other heavy downloads during a call, sit near the router, and use headphones in a noisy home. Between calls, photos and voice notes remain an easy way to share daily life: a school photo, a short clip of rain in Dubai, or a voice note on the drive home.