Short answer. No, the measurements show no block on WhatsApp in Tunisia. OONI, a project that measures internet censorship worldwide, logged 2,088 WhatsApp tests in the country from 1 January to 30 October 2026: 2,013 with no anomaly, or 96.4%, and no confirmed block.
What the 2,088 measurements say
Volunteers run the OONI Probe app on their own connection. The test checks whether WhatsApp's servers respond. It does not measure call quality. An "anomaly" flags an unusual result, not necessarily a block: it can come from an unstable connection. A "confirmed" block is a proven case, and there are none.
| App | Tests | No anomaly | Share | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,088 | 2,013 | 96.4% | 0 | |
| Signal | 2,084 | 2,050 | 98.4% | 0 |
| Telegram | 2,081 | 2,051 | 98.6% | 0 |
| Messenger | 2,086 | 2,076 | 99.5% | 0 |
Month by month in 2026
Two months stand out, April and June, with close to 12% anomalies. The rest of the year stays above 95%, and recent months show almost none. Nothing in the data gives the cause.
Share of WhatsApp tests with no anomaly, by month
Source: OONI, Tunisia, 1 January to 30 October 2026. October is partial.
By network
| Network | Tests | No anomaly | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Tunisie | 249 | 239 | 96.0% |
| Ooredoo | 541 | 511 | 94.5% |
| Topnet | 929 | 912 | 98.2% |
The samples are modest and come from volunteers. These gaps do not prove one network is better than another for WhatsApp. The figures also include fixed lines such as Topnet, useful for the trend but less like what you will have on a phone on holiday. The most useful result for a traveller is the overall one: over ten months of tests, on every network measured, no block was confirmed. The data is public, so you can check it yourself on the OONI site just before you leave, by picking Tunisia and the WhatsApp test.
If WhatsApp is not working in Tunisia
- Check that you have data: open a web page.
- Check that data roaming is on for the eSIM line.
- Turn airplane mode on for a few seconds, then off.
- Update WhatsApp.
- If a video call drops, switch to a voice call: it needs less speed.
An outage that hits everyone sometimes comes from WhatsApp itself, not the country. If several apps fail, the problem is your connection. On hotel Wi-Fi, also try switching to mobile data: a network shared by many guests can drop a call even when the app is working normally.
Keeping your WhatsApp number on an eSIM
Your WhatsApp account stays tied to your usual number, even when data runs through an eSIM. Contacts keep reaching you on that number. Our eSIM gives no number, no standard calls and no texts: see Tunisia eSIM, number and calls. WhatsApp calls use your data, and 512 Kbps is usually enough for voice after your daily allowance.
Our Tunisia eSIM runs on 4G LTE on the Orange Tunisie network, with 1 GB a day at full speed then 512 Kbps until the next day, hotspot included. The 7-day plan costs €21.90 and the 10-day plan €29. It starts at your first connection in Tunisia, so install it at home on Wi-Fi, after checking that your phone is eSIM compatible.