Wi-Fi Privacy Warning on an iPhone: What It Means & What To Do (2023)

How serious is a Wi-Fi privacy warning and what should you do when you get one?

By Leanne Hays Updated 02/22/2023

What To Know

When your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch shows a weak security or privacy warning, it means that joining that Wi-Fi network could lead to user tracking/profiling.
To turn a Privacy Warning off, open Settings > Wi-Fi > tap the info icon > toggle on Private Wi-Fi Address.
When you use a Private Wi-Fi address, your device uses a different Media Access Control (MAC) address for each Wi-Fi network.

You try to connect your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch to a Wi-Fi network, only to have a Wi-Fi privacy warning pop up. Apple is helpful to give us these security alerts, but what does this privacy warning mean? Here's what a Wi-Fi privacy warning means, and what to do about it.

Wi-Fi Privacy Warning on an iPhone, iPad & Apple Watch: What It Means & What To Do

You won't have to turn on Private Wi-Fi Address if your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch are updated to iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7, because it's automatically enabled! You may need to turn Private Wi-Fi address off, however, if your iPhone is not connecting to Wi-Fi or won't allow network or internet access after joining. This is because some Wi-Fi networks will not allow your Apple device to join with Private Wi-Fi Address enabled. You'll know this is the case if you see a warning that says, "This network is blocking encrypted DNS traffic" or "Your network settings prevent content from loading privately." You'll have to decide on a case-by-case basis if you feel safe toggling off Private Wi-Fi Address. For more iPhone tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

Tap the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Wi-Fi.
Tap the info icon next to the Wi-Fi network you've joined.
Toggle on Private Wi-Fi address to have your iPhone or iPad join the Wi-Fi network with a unique MAC address. Your iPhone will use a different private address if you haven't joined the Wi-Fi network in six weeks, made your iPhone forget the network, or if you reset network settings or erase all contents and settings on your device.

How To Turn Private Wi-Fi Address On & Off on Apple Watch

Responding to a Wi-Fi privacy warning is just as easy on your Apple Watch as it is on your iPhone and iPad. To do this:

Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch by pressing the Side Crown, then tapping the Settings icon.
Tap Wi-Fi.
Now, swipe left on the name of the Wi-Fi network you want to join and tap the More icon (three dots). If you've already joined the Wi-Fi network, just tap the name.
Now toggle Private Address on (right and green) or off (left and gray).

Now that you know how to turn Private Wi-Fi Address off and on, you know what to do when you get the "This network is blocking encrypted DNS traffic" warning. Just remember, turning off Private Wi-Fi Address will open you up to user tracking and profiling.

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Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, and has written hundreds of in-depth how-to and troubleshooting articles. She's a former Associate Editor for iPhone Life magazine, and has written for the Iowa Source, as well as web content for education marketing. Leanne has an associate's degree in education, with a focus on curriculum development, as well as a bachelor's degree in science. She has over nine years of experience with SEO, social media management, and web development and writing. Despite years of web work, Leanne is by no means an early adapter; she's only owned a smartphone for five years, which makes her highly sympathetic to the learning curve of new iPhone owners. She enjoys making reader's lives easier and putting her education experience to work by walking them through the most practical ways to use Apple devices, step-by-step.

In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.

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