Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay on iPad
When you subscribe to iCloud+, you can use iCloud Private Relay to help prevent websites and network providers from creating a detailed profile about you. When iCloud Private Relay is on, the traffic leaving your iPad is encrypted and sent through two separate internet relays. This prevents websites from seeing your IP address and exact location while preventing network providers from collecting your browsing activity in Safari.
Turn iCloud Private Relay on or off for a Wi-Fi network
Go to Settings > Wi-Fi.
Tap , then turn Limit IP Address Tracking on or off.
If you turn off Limit IP Address Tracking for a Wi-Fi network on your iPad, iCloud Private Relay is turned off for this network across all your devices where you’re signed in with the same Apple ID.
Turn iCloud Private Relay on or off for a cellular network (Wi-Fi + Cellular models)
Go to Settings > Cellular Data, then do one of the following:
If your iPad has a single plan: Tap Cellular Data Options.
If your iPad has multiple plans: Select a plan (below Cellular Plans).
Turn Limit IP Address Tracking on or off.
The network setting is specific to a physical SIM or eSim in your iPad (eSIM not available in all countries or regions). See View or change your cellular data account.
Set the specificity of your IP address location
Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay > IP Address Location, then choose one of the following:
Maintain General Location (for example, to see local content in Safari)
Use Country and Time Zone (to make your location more obscure)
IP Addresses, Identity, and Location
Private Relay is designed to protect users’ privacy, while maintaining sufficiently accurate location information to support a personalized experience on the web. It does not provide any methods to spoof location or circumvent regional content restrictions. The Relay IP addresses issued by Private Relay are representative IP addresses that map to the actual country or region the user is connecting from. The selection of Relay IP addresses is influenced by the user’s original IP address and IP Address Location setting preference. Furthermore, since the second internet relay does not know the original IP address of the user, the Relay IP addresses rotate over time and between sessions, helping to prevent their use as a stable identifier for the user. The first internet relay uses a traditional geo-IP lookup to determine which geographic area best represents the user’s original IP address. It then sends this information back to the user’s device in the form of a geohash (truncated to four characters, representing roughly an 800 km2 area). If the user has selected “Maintain general location,” the user’s device will share the geohash information with the second internet relay. This information allows the second internet relay to select a representative Relay IP address from a pool of addresses assigned to the location. If “Use country and time zone” is selected, geohash information is not shared and the second internet relay will select a Relay IP address from the much larger region that represents the country and time zone the user is connecting from. The second internet relay has no knowledge of the user’s original IP address. This helps ensure the selection of a Relay IP address is random within the corresponding geohash or country information, and helps prevent any manipulation or spoofing of location. Websites and apps can continue to use existing location mechanisms, such as geo-IP mappings, to map the location provided by the Relay IP address. If required, Core Location APIs are available to request a precise location from the user with explicit permission.
