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Best Alternatives To Skype For Making VoIP Calls In The UAE
Etisalat and du both offer Internet calling plans that cost 50 AED a month plus taxes.
The United Arab Emirates doesn’t tax resident’s personal income, but it does generate a lot of money through the two major telecommunications companies that operate in the country, Etisalat and du, both of which are majority state-owned.
Etisalat and du offer Internet calling plans (ICPs) that cost 50 AED ($14 USD) a month plus taxes. These plans make it possible to make calls over the internet using the following alternatives to Skype, WhatsApp, as well as other popular VoIP apps, which are banned in the UAE.
BOTIM
BOTIM provides a user experience that’s very close to what WhatsApp users are familiar with, and it runs on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.
The app is easy to get started with because it automatically imports your existing contacts, bringing you closer to your family and friends.
Recently, BOTIM has introduced a new feature called Prime, which lets users take advantage of discounts offered by some of the most popular restaurants & cafes in the UAE.
HiU Messenger
HiU Messenger is an easy-to-use WhatsApp alternative that you can use to initiate a video or voice call with a simple tap.
You can find the HiU Messenger app on the Google Play Store and the Apple Store. The app is somewhat less polished than BOTIM, but all important features are supported, including the ability to start a group chat with up to 500 people.
Unfortunately, the last update for HiU Messenger was released in 2019, and recent user reviews tell us that there are many things that should be updated.
C’Me
The last one of our alternatives to Skype, WhatsApp and other VoIP apps that we want to recommend is C’Me.
Just like HiU Messenger, C’Me hasn’t been updated nearly as often as it should to keep up with BOTIM — let alone the world’s most popular VoIP apps.
Still, it does let you make unlimited voice & video calls to any destination from the UAE, and that might be enough to justify giving it a try.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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