You may have seen a message pop up on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max about Private Relay being unavailable.
You may be wondering some of the following:
- What is Private Relay?
- Why is Private Relay unavailable?
- Is it a problem? Do I need to do something?
In this article, we will answer your questions regarding Private Relay and why it is sometimes not available on your iPhone 18 Pro.
What is Private Relay?
Private Relay is designed to help protect your privacy while you are browsing the web. It is important to know that Private Relay is available to iCloud+ subscribers (if you pay for iCloud storage, this is you) and it protects your browsing in Safari, your DNS resolution queries and insecure http app traffic.
What does Private Relay do?
Private Relay hides information like your DNS records (the websites you visit) and your IP address (your location). This info could be collected and used to create a profile of you which includes your location and web browsing history.
Private Relay helps by splitting up the information:
- Apple (first relay) and your ISP (internet provider) can see your IP address, but the DNS records are encrypted and can’t be viewed by either.
- Then a second relay generates a temporary IP address for you and decrypts the DNS records so you can be connected to the website you requested. The website won’t know your IP address.
Why is Private Relay unavailable on iPhone 18 Pro?
There are different reasons Private Relay may not be available.
Private Relay is not turned on
Private Relay has to be turned on separately on every device where you want to use it. If you turned it on for your Mac or iPad, that does not turn it on for your iPhone 18 Pro. To check, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay.
Private Relay is not available in all countries or regions
If you are in an area where Private Relay is not available, you won’t be able to use it until you return to an area where it is available. This is primarily due to governments not allowing the Private Relay service. Apple says iCloud Private Relay isn’t available in all countries or regions, and refers readers to its iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability website for more information. If you travel somewhere Private Relay is not available, it turns off automatically and turns back on again when you return to a country or region that supports it. Private Relay notifies you when it becomes unavailable and when it is active again.
The Private Relay service may be down
Like all services, it could be down. To check, you can go to Apple’s System Status page and look at iCloud Private Relay. A green dot means the Private Relay service is not down – but it sometimes takes time before a down service shows up as such on the System Status page.
Limit IP Address Tracking is turned off for that network
This setting is specific to each Wi-Fi network or cellular line.
- For Wi-Fi: go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the More Info button next to the network, then check Limit IP Address Tracking.
- For cellular: go to Settings > Cellular. If your iPhone has a single line, tap Cellular Data Options. If it has multiple lines, select a line below SIMs. Then check Limit IP Address Tracking.
Apple notes that if you turn off Limit IP Address Tracking for a Wi-Fi network on your iPhone, iCloud Private Relay is turned off for that network across all of your devices where you are signed in to the same Apple Account. The cellular setting is specific to a physical SIM or eSIM in your iPhone.
You are using VPN or internet filtering
This one produces a message that indicates that your system settings prevent Private Relay from working. Usually, this means a VPN is installed. If this is the case, you can either use the VPN or Private Relay, but not both.
Is it a problem? Do I need to do something?
Your browsing won’t have the additional privacy feature, that’s all. If you worry about your privacy and find Private Relay isn’t working for you, you could use a VPN instead.
Whether there is anything to do depends on which of the causes above applies to you. If Private Relay is simply switched off, if Limit IP Address Tracking is off for the network you are on, or if a VPN is installed, you can change those settings as described above. If the service is down, or you are in a country or region where Private Relay is not available, then there is nothing to do but wait — and in the travel case your iPhone will turn it back on by itself when you return somewhere it works. When it becomes available again, you should get a message saying it is active.
