iCloud Private Relay may slow your internet speed and can interfere with features of some websites that require your exact location to function properly. If those limitations are deal breakers for you, this article explains how to turn off iCloud Private Relay.

What to Know

  • Turn off iCloud Private Relay: Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay > Private Relay slider to off > Turn Off Private Relay.Using iCloud Private Relay may slow the internet speed for devices with the feature enabled.Private Relay is available on devices running iOS 15 and higher, as part of iCloud+.

How Do I Turn Off iCloud Private Relay?

If you’ve been using iCloud Private Relay and want to turn it off—either because it’s too slow, you want to temporarily stop using it to allow features on a given website to work correctly, or if it’s just not for you for another reason—you only need to do a few things. To turn off iCloud Private Relay, follow these steps:

To use iCloud Private Relay, your device must be running iOS 15 or higher, and you must have an iCloud+ account. All paid iCloud accounts, even the lowest-cost level, are iCloud+ accounts. Only free accounts don’t include Private Relay.

  • Tap Settings.
  • Tap your name.
  • Tap iCloud.
  • Tap Private Relay.
  • Move the Private Relay slider to off/white.
  • A pop-up makes sure you understand what will happen if you turn off Private Relay and what of your data may be exposed, including your device’s IP address and your browsing activity. To continue with turning off Private Relay, tap Turn Off Private Relay.

Even if you have turned off iCloud Private Relay, you have other options for protecting your privacy and securing your iPhone or iPad. You can use a third-party VPN app, block ads on the web, reduce ad tracking, and use App Tracking Transparency to see how apps want to use your data.

Tap Settings.

Tap your name.

Tap iCloud.

Tap Private Relay.

Move the Private Relay slider to off/white.

A pop-up makes sure you understand what will happen if you turn off Private Relay and what of your data may be exposed, including your device’s IP address and your browsing activity. To continue with turning off Private Relay, tap Turn Off Private Relay.

While these screenshots show the process to turn off Private Relay on the iPhone, the steps are identical on an iPad or iPod touch.

  • Is Private Relay included with Apple One?
  • Yes. All Apple One subscription bundles include premium iCloud storage, so all Apple One users have access to Private Relay.
  • How does Private Relay work?
  • Similar to a VPN, Apple’s iCloud Private Relay masks your IP address by routing your internet traffic through two servers. This feature protects your privacy, but it doesn’t allow you to bypass regional restrictions when browsing the web.
  • Does Private Relay work with other apps besides Safari?
  • No. Private Relay only works with the Safari web browser app, so your IP address is still visible to any other web apps you use.

Yes. All Apple One subscription bundles include premium iCloud storage, so all Apple One users have access to Private Relay.

Similar to a VPN, Apple’s iCloud Private Relay masks your IP address by routing your internet traffic through two servers. This feature protects your privacy, but it doesn’t allow you to bypass regional restrictions when browsing the web.

No. Private Relay only works with the Safari web browser app, so your IP address is still visible to any other web apps you use.

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