Mobile data in Dubai: metro, abras, heat and WhatsApp calls
Dubai is built around cars and air conditioning, and most visitors move between the two with a phone in hand: ride apps, metro times, timed tickets. A few things work differently here, starting with calls on WhatsApp.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in the United Arab Emirates?
- Yes. It connects to Du (5G).
- Price
- From 13,29 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 21,79 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: The United Arab Emirates is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in the United Arab Emirates. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
From DXB: the metro at Terminals 1 and 3
Dubai International has Red Line metro stations at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3; Terminal 2 has no station of its own. Metro, tram and bus fares are paid with a nol card, and the RTA's S'hail app plans journeys across all three. Some flights use Al Maktoum International instead, which is connected by bus to Ibn Battuta metro station.
Taxis wait outside the terminals, and Careem and Uber both operate in the city, so a ride is a few taps away once you are online. Turn on the eSIM line and its data roaming after landing, ideally before passport control, and the plan starts counting from that first connection in the UAE.
eSIM for United Arab Emirates
Data on your phone the moment you land in United Arab Emirates. No account, no app, no shop.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
WhatsApp messages yes, WhatsApp calls no
WhatsApp messages, photos and voice notes work as usual in the UAE. Voice and video calls are another matter: the UAE only allows internet calling through licensed apps, and in practice WhatsApp calls generally do not connect on local networks or hotel wifi.
This eSIM is data only and has no number, so do not plan on it for calls either. For a call you cannot miss, keep roaming on your usual line, use the hotel phone, or agree beforehand to sort it out by message. Your WhatsApp account stays on your usual number the whole time, so chats and groups carry on as at home.
Heat, the creek and the tram
In the hot months the heat matters for the phone as much as for you. Apple says an iPhone that gets too hot can weaken its cellular signal while the radios go into a low-power state, and can slow or stop charging. A phone left in a parked car or in direct sun is the usual cause, so keep it shaded and in a bag on the beach.
Old Dubai is best on foot and by abra, the wooden boats that cross Dubai Creek between the Bur Dubai side and the souks of Deira. In the newer districts, the Dubai Tram runs through Dubai Marina and JBR and connects with the Red Line, so a single day can mix metro, tram and walking with the map open.
Abu Dhabi, the desert and Hatta by the Oman border
Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the desert camps are all in the UAE, so the eSIM keeps working, though out in the dunes it depends on whether du has signal there; download the area's map before the drive. Hatta, Dubai's mountain enclave, sits right against the border with Oman, and the Hatta crossing leads into Oman.
Near that border, and on any trip across it, the phone may switch to an Omani network, and the UAE pack does not work there. For a day in Oman, add the Oman eSIM: you can install it at home alongside this one, and it only starts counting when it connects in Oman.
Which pack for Dubai
Four days in Dubai, or a stopover of a few nights, with ride apps, the metro and messages, fit the 3 GB pack, which lasts 15 days. A week with a day in Abu Dhabi and an evening in the desert is a 5 GB trip on a 30-day pack. If you stay a month, or the phone also feeds a laptop through the hotspot, look at 10 or 20 GB, or start smaller and top up the same eSIM when you need to. The data calculator gives you a figure for your own trip.
Can I make WhatsApp calls in Dubai with this eSIM?
Do not count on it. The UAE restricts internet calls to licensed apps and WhatsApp calls generally do not connect; messages, photos and voice notes work normally.
Is there a metro from Dubai airport?
Yes, the Red Line has stations at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 of Dubai International. Terminal 2 has no station, and the S'hail app plans the route from either side.
Will it work in Hatta?
Yes, Hatta is part of Dubai, so the eSIM works where du has signal. Very close to the Oman border the phone may pick up an Omani network, where the UAE pack does not work.
Why does my phone lose signal in the Dubai heat?
An iPhone that overheats can put its cellular radios into a low-power state, weakening the signal until it cools. Keep it out of direct sun and out of a parked car.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for the UAE