What Is My IP Address on iPhone?
Your iPhone has two IP addresses at any given time: a public IP assigned by your ISP or mobile carrier, visible to the wider internet, and a private IP assigned by your router on your local Wi-Fi network. Knowing how to find both is useful for troubleshooting connectivity issues, configuring apps, and understanding your privacy exposure.
Finding Your Public IP Address on iPhone
Your public IP is the address websites and servers see when you connect. The fastest way to find it is to open Safari and visit whatsmyipnow.com - Your public IPv4 and IPv6 are displayed instantly. This works on both Wi-Fi and cellular. On cellular, your public IP is assigned by your mobile carrier and may change each session.
Finding Your Private IP Address on iPhone
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open the Settings app |
| 2 | Tap Wi-Fi |
| 3 | Tap the ⓘ info icon next to your connected network name |
| 4 | Scroll to the IPv4 Address section - The IP Address field shows your private IP (e.g. 192.168.1.42) |
| 5 | The IPv6 Address section below shows your link-local and global IPv6 addresses if your router supports IPv6 |
IPv6 on iPhone
Modern iPhones fully support IPv6. If your router and ISP both support IPv6, your iPhone will use it preferentially (via Happy Eyeballs). You can see your IPv6 address in the same Wi-Fi info screen. iCloud Private Relay, available to iCloud+ subscribers, masks your IP from websites you visit in Safari by routing traffic through two separate relay servers - Apple sees your IP but not your destination, and the destination sees a relay IP but not your real IP.
What Affects Your iPhone's IP Address
- Switching from Wi-Fi to cellular changes your public IP to one assigned by your mobile carrier.
- Reconnecting to Wi-Fi may give you a new private IP if your router uses DHCP with short lease times.
- Using a VPN replaces your public IP with the VPN server's IP - Visible to all websites and apps.
- iCloud Private Relay only masks your IP in Safari and Apple-native apps, not in third-party apps.
- Your private IP (192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x) is never visible to external websites - Only your public IP is.
How to Renew or Change Your iPhone's IP
Renew the Wi-Fi lease (new private IP)
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open Settings → Wi-Fi and tap the ⓘ next to your network |
| 2 | Scroll down and tap Renew Lease |
| 3 | Confirm - Your iPhone requests a fresh DHCP assignment from the router |
Set a manual (static) private IP
In the same ⓘ screen, tap Configure IP → Manual, then enter an IP address outside your router's DHCP pool, the subnet mask, and your router's address as the gateway. This is useful for port forwarding or device-specific firewall rules; for everything else, leave it on Automatic.
Get a new public IP
On cellular, toggling Airplane Mode on for a few seconds and off again usually drops your carrier session and assigns a new address. On Wi-Fi, your public IP belongs to the router, not the phone - Restart the router or use a VPN. Verify the change on the homepage before and after.
iPhone Privacy Settings That Involve Your IP
- Limit IP Address Tracking (Settings → Wi-Fi → ⓘ) routes Safari and Mail traffic through Apple's relay to hide your IP from known trackers on that network.
- Private Wi-Fi Address (same screen) randomises your MAC address per network - It does not change your IP, but stops networks recognising your hardware across visits.
- iCloud Private Relay (Settings → your name → iCloud → Private Relay) masks your IP in Safari for iCloud+ subscribers.
- A VPN app remains the only option that hides your IP in all apps, not just Safari - Confirm it works with a leak test.
What This Means for You
For day-to-day troubleshooting, the ⓘ screen in Wi-Fi settings is the only place you need: it shows your private IP, lets you renew the lease, and hosts the per-network privacy toggles. Keep the distinction straight - The address shown there is your local network identity, while the address websites see is your router's or carrier's public IP, which only changes via Airplane Mode (cellular), a router restart, or a VPN. If apps or sites behave as if you are in the wrong city, that is your public IP's geolocation, and no iPhone setting will fix it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my iPhone show an IP starting with 169.254?
That is a self-assigned link-local address, which means your iPhone joined the Wi-Fi network but never received a DHCP lease from the router. Renew the lease, forget and rejoin the network, or restart the router - The problem is the network, not the phone.
Does my iPhone have a different IP on Wi-Fi and cellular?
Yes, completely different ones. On Wi-Fi you use a private IP from your router and share the router's public IP; on cellular your carrier assigns the public-facing address, usually shared with many other customers through carrier-grade NAT. Switching networks always changes how websites see you.
Can someone track my iPhone with its IP address?
Only loosely. Your public IP reveals your carrier or ISP and an approximate area, and it changes whenever you move between networks. Precise tracking uses GPS and advertising identifiers, which is why the meaningful controls are in Location Services and tracking permissions rather than network settings.