MagicCarpet
6th Feb 2012, 12:56
So I bought a Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone the other day. Great piece of gear. Big problem with applications though.
Turns out paid Android applications are somehow blocked or unavailable in Dubai. There are a lot of free apps that are OK but either don’t have full functionality or have an advertising banner that I’d gladly pay a few fils to get rid of. Almost anywhere else on Earth you pay a few bucks and upgrade to the full version. Not in the UAE.
I tried connecting the phone to a PC with a VPN running to make it look like it was in the US, with an old US sim card in the phone, but still it somehow knew I had a piece of $#!* UAE phone and wouldn’t let me. Same thing downroute in countries listed as unblocked on the Android website.
Unless someone knows how to get around this, I would have to say don’t buy any Android based phone in the UAE if you think you might want to use paid applications. Stick with the iPhone. Even someone like me who’s not into Apple has to concede this. Any Android guys out there who know a workaround?
By the way, don’t expect the salesgirl at any of the electronics superstores in Dubai to tell you about this before you buy. Sure, you’ll always get a friendly Hi Sirrrr! when you walk in the door, but don’t expect them to mention the bit about paid apps not being available for Android in the UAE.
Turns out paid Android applications are somehow blocked or unavailable in Dubai. There are a lot of free apps that are OK but either don’t have full functionality or have an advertising banner that I’d gladly pay a few fils to get rid of. Almost anywhere else on Earth you pay a few bucks and upgrade to the full version. Not in the UAE.
I tried connecting the phone to a PC with a VPN running to make it look like it was in the US, with an old US sim card in the phone, but still it somehow knew I had a piece of $#!* UAE phone and wouldn’t let me. Same thing downroute in countries listed as unblocked on the Android website.
Unless someone knows how to get around this, I would have to say don’t buy any Android based phone in the UAE if you think you might want to use paid applications. Stick with the iPhone. Even someone like me who’s not into Apple has to concede this. Any Android guys out there who know a workaround?
By the way, don’t expect the salesgirl at any of the electronics superstores in Dubai to tell you about this before you buy. Sure, you’ll always get a friendly Hi Sirrrr! when you walk in the door, but don’t expect them to mention the bit about paid apps not being available for Android in the UAE.