Telegram and WhatsApp calls not working: what's going on and what to do
A Telegram or WhatsApp call won't connect, hangs on "Connecting" or drops after a few seconds. Why this happens in Russia and how to get voice and video calls back.
Messages arrive but calls don't: the call hangs on "Connecting…", the other person hears you in fragments, or it drops after a couple of seconds. If this happens in Russia, you're not alone.
Why calls fail
Since August 2025 voice and video calls in Telegram and WhatsApp have been restricted in Russia. Messaging still works, so it looks like an app or phone problem. In reality calls are cut at the network level: carriers recognise messenger voice traffic and don't let it through.
So these don't help: reinstalling the app, switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data, or Telegram's peer-to-peer setting.
What helps: a VPN
Inside an encrypted tunnel the carrier just sees an HTTPS connection to a server abroad, and the traffic-type restriction stops working. But calls use UDP, and many VPNs in Russia are either blocked or don't carry UDP. For calls you need:
- A disguised protocol — VLESS with Reality or XHTTP, unlike OpenVPN and WireGuard.
- UDP support inside the tunnel — otherwise messages work but calls don't.
- A nearby server — latency matters more than speed; a European exit gives 40–70 ms.
Setting it up with Surok
- Install Surok from the download page and connect.
- Messengers go through the tunnel by default along with other foreign services.
- If both people are in Russia, both need the VPN on: the restriction applies on each side.
- If a Telegram call still won't connect, set peer-to-peer to "Never" in Settings → Privacy → Calls, so the call goes via Telegram's servers.
In short
Telegram and WhatsApp calls in Russia are restricted at the network level. The fix is a VPN that disguises traffic and carries UDP, turned on at both ends. More in VPN for Telegram.