Users in Oman miss free calls on Snapchat

Muscat: Popular video and photo-sharing app Snapchat created a lot of excitement among its users when it announced free call feature for its users in the last week of March.
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This excitement, however, was short-lived as users could not make or receive calls a few days after the launch.
Many have been left wondering if the feature will ever become functional in Oman, where several free calling apps are blocked.
Until now, there has been no official word in this regard.
Snapchat users in Oman shared their frustration with the Times of Oman, with many of them saying they wanted to use the free calling feature to talk to friends in other countries.
Snapchat introduced its 2.0 version, where users can voice and video chat with the touch of screen.
Al Shaima Al Abri, a college student said she has been using the calling feature to talk to her family. “After WhatsApp calling, the authorities have also blocked this. This is frustrating,” she said.
Haneen Al Lawati, who lives in Muscat, is sceptical if this feature would at all work in Oman.
“I was aware that the calling feature on Snapchat had been activated, and I tried using it, but, I failed to reach my friends,” he said.
An official from Ooredoo said he could not confirm a ban on Snapchat call features. “It’s not in our hands. We’ll follow all the directives set out by the regulator,” he said.