Learn how to use iCloud Private Relay on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac to encrypt the traffic leaving your device and make your web browsing more private.
How iCloud Private Relay works
Normally, when you browse the web, basic information related to your web traffic, like IP addresses and DNS records, can be seen by network providers and the websites you visit. You soon become targeted with unwanted ads and marketing campaigns. Worse, your data (combined with additional data) is sold to data brokers and similar companies.
iCloud Private Relay protects you from these unwanted tracking by hiding your IP address and browsing activity in Safari. It protects unencrypted internet traffic so that no one — not even Apple or your network provider — can see who you are and monitor which websites you’re visiting.
All the user’s requests are sent through two separate internet relays, such as Cloudflare, Akamai and others, according to Apple’s description.
The first assigns the user an anonymous IP address that maps to their region but not their actual location. The second decrypts the web address they want to visit and forwards them to their destination. This separation of information protects the user’s privacy because no single entity can identify both who a user is and which sites they visit.
This clever technique is intended to prevent network providers from building a detailed profile about you based on your IP, location, and other data.
How to use iCloud Private Relay
You can use iCloud Private Relay on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, provided they’re powered by the iOS 15.0 software or later. On Mac computers, iCloud Private Relay requires macOS Monterey 12.0 or later.
Importantly, you need to be on a paid iCloud+ plan or have an Apple One subscription to use Private Relay. Alternatively, you can use Private Relay if you are part of the Apple Family Sharing and one of the members has an iCloud+ or Apple One subscription.
- Open the Settings app or System Settings and go to your Apple Account from the top.
- Choose iCloud from the list.
- Hit Private Relay.
- Enable Private Relay, which will turn on iCloud Private Relay for all networks you join.
Don’t worry; you can manually turn the feature off for any Wi-Fi, cellular, or Ethernet network. “If you disable iCloud Private Relay for a network, it’s disabled on all your devices with Private Relay turned on,” Apple clarifies.
Turn off Private Relay for a specific network
If you do not want to use iCloud Private Relay for a particular Wi-Fi, cellular, or Ethernet network, you can turn it off from settings.
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
- Go to Wi-Fi, tap the info icon ⓘ next to the joined or previously joined Wi-Fi network, and turn off Limit IP Address Tracking.
- If you want to turn it off for your mobile data, tap Cellular > Cellular Data Options or select a line if you use more than one SIM, and turn off Limit IP Address Tracking.
Similarly, if you’re on a Mac, go to System Settings > Wi-Fi or Network > Ethernet, click the Details button next to a Wi-Fi network or Ethernet connection, and turn off Limit IP address tracking.
Services and features iCloud Private Relay doesn’t cover
Apple has clarified the services that iCloud Private Relay won’t work with:
- Cellular services such as MMS and traffic tethering
- Switching network connections
- Enterprise settings
- VPN services and some proxy configurations
Read on if you’d like to learn why those services are unsupported.
Cellular services
If you set up iCloud Private Relay for your cellular connection, the following services aren’t privacy-protected by iCloud Private Relay and are always accessed directly:
- Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
- Telephony services (XCAP)
- Entitlement Server access
- Tethering traffic
- Visual Voicemail
These services will work as they’re supposed to, even with iCloud Private Relay turned on, but they won’t enjoy additional protections afforded by iCloud Private Relay.
Moving between Wi-Fi and cellular
You may have wondered why the device throws an iCloud Private Relay warning when moving between cellular and Wi-Fi connections. That’s because iCloud Private Relay can be activated separately for Wi-Fi and cellular. So you’re seeing this warning because you’ve probably set up iCloud Private Relay for your cellular connection but forgot to turn it on for that Wi-Fi hotspot you just joined.
Enterprise settings
Apple acknowledges that most managed network settings that are used by enterprises take precedence over iCloud Private Relay.
VPN services and certain proxy configurations
If you use a VPN or proxy configuration to mask your IP address, iCloud Private Relay won’t work. Your company’s IT administrator can also block access to iCloud Private Relay via the corporate network. Doing so will produce an alert telling the user they need to either disable iCloud Private Relay for the network or choose another network.
Note: iCloud Private Relay is not available in all countries and regions.
Check Apple’s server status
There have been several instances when Private Relay failed to work because of an outage on Apple’s end. So, if you get a notification saying iCloud Private Relay is unavailable or not working, head over to Apple’s System Status page and make sure iCloud Private Relay is not experiencing downtime.
Problems when visiting specific websites
Don’t expect everything to work without a hiccup when iCloud Private Relay is turned on. As we cautioned you earlier, prepare to encounter issues with certain websites when using this feature. Apple has also provided a dedicated explainer on its website [PDF document] for those who would like to learn more about how the iCloud Private Relay feature works.
On a related note: How to hide your IP address and prevent tracking in Safari