Apple’s iPhone Private Relay is designed to enhance your online privacy by hiding your IP address and encrypting your browsing data. This feature, available with an iCloud+ subscription, helps ensure that websites and others can’t track your online movements and here is everything you need to know about it.
What is iPhone Private Relay?
iPhone Private Relay is a feature that comes with an iCloud+ subscription. It helps protect your privacy when you browse the web using Safari on your iPhone. Essentially, it makes it harder for websites and others to track what you do online by keeping your browsing details private.
When you visit a website in Safari, your request is first sent to the first relay, operated by Apple. Here, your IP address is visible, but the specific site you are trying to access is not. Your DNS records, which are used to translate website names into IP addresses, are encrypted, preventing Apple from knowing which website you are requesting.
The second relay, managed by a third-party provider, receives the request from the first relay. This relay generates a temporary IP address, ensuring that the website you visit does not see your real IP address. It then decrypts the website’s address and forwards your request to the destination site.
The website receives the temporary IP address and interacts with you as if you were connecting from that address. Meanwhile, both relays work together to keep your browsing information private and secure.
Shortly, iPhone Private Relay hides your real IP address, so websites can’t track your location or what you’re doing online. This makes it harder for them to create a profile of your browsing habits. Your web traffic is encrypted and sent through secure servers, making it harder for anyone to snoop on your online activity.
How to use iPhone Private Relay
To use Private Relay, you need an iCloud+ subscription. If you’re already subscribed, you can proceed with the setup:
- In your iPhone, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay.
- Turn on the feature by toggling the switch.
You can adjust settings for specific websites or networks if needed. For example, you might choose to turn off Private Relay for certain sites where you need your real IP address.
Why is Private Relay unavailable?
iPhone Private Relay is not available in all countries. If it’s not supported where you are, some websites might ask for extra steps to log in or access content.
Besides this, iCloud Private Relay might be unavailable due to a variety of factors, including regional restrictions and local network policies, technical issues like outages or maintenance, device compatibility requirements, and the need for an active iCloud+ subscription. Additionally, certain websites may have compatibility issues with the service, and stringent data privacy regulations in some regions may prevent its availability.
Also, using the Apple Private Relay feature might affect the results of speed tests, as it uses a single secure connection. However, your actual browsing speed should remain good.
While Private Relay protects your cybersecurity, it doesn’t guarantee that all websites will work perfectly. Apple doesn’t control or test third-party websites, so there might be some issues accessing certain sites.
