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randomized-mac

Private WiFi Address: why your phone hides its MAC

Updated July 13, 2026 2 min read
TL;DRiPhones and Android phones use a private, randomized WiFi address by default. What that means, why it exists, and how it changes what you see on your network.

Short answer: phones now invent a random MAC address for each WiFi network instead of using their real hardware one. It stops networks and trackers from recognizing your device across places. On your own network it mostly means the vendor lookup stops working.

What “private address” actually does

Your phone has one permanent hardware MAC. Left as-is, every WiFi network you join could recognize it and link your visits over time. To prevent that, iOS and Android generate a locally administered address — random, per-network — and present that instead. This has been the default since iOS 14 / iPadOS 14 / watchOS 7 (2020) and Android 10, so on a typical home network most of the phones are already doing it.

You can tell a randomized address at a glance: look at the second hex digit. If it’s 2, 6, A, or E, the locally-administered bit is set, the device made the address up, and a vendor lookup returns nothing — the OUI isn’t real. The bit-level detail is in randomized MAC addresses, explained.

Why it matters on your home network

Randomization is a privacy win in public and a small friction at home:

  • Device lists get harder to read — no manufacturer name to recognize.
  • Reserved IPs and allow-lists can break if the address rotates.
  • Per-device controls (parental limits, QoS, time schedules) need the current random address, not the hardware one.

How to turn it off for one network

You only want to do this on a network you control and trust — it re-exposes the real hardware address to that network.

  • iPhone / iPad: Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the ⓘ next to your network → turn off Private Wi-Fi Address. On newer iOS this setting reads “Rotating” / “Fixed” / “Off” — choose Off (or Fixed) for your home network.
  • Android: long-press your network → Privacy (or the gear → Privacy) → choose Use device MAC.

Do this per network. Leave it on everywhere else — public WiFi is exactly where it protects you.

Identifying someone else’s randomized device

If the device isn’t yours to reconfigure, you can’t get a vendor from a private address. Fall back to hostname and elimination — the full method is in identifying an unknown device, and the “no vendor” case is covered in why a MAC shows blank or unknown.

Frequently asked questions

Should I turn off Private WiFi Address?

On your home network, turning it off makes device identification and per-device rules (parental controls, reserved IPs) reliable. On public networks, leave it on — that's where it protects you from being tracked across locations.

Does a private WiFi address change every time?

By default a phone uses one stable randomized address per network, so it stays consistent on your home WiFi. Some settings rotate it periodically, which is what breaks reserved IPs and allow-lists.

Can I still identify a device using a private address?

Not by vendor — the OUI is fake. Use the hostname, the connection schedule, and elimination (toggle WiFi on a known device and see which entry disappears).

Since when do phones use private WiFi addresses?

It became the default with iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 in 2020, and Android has randomized per network by default since Android 10. So most phones on a typical network today present a private address.