How to Turn Off Private Wi-Fi Address on iPhone

An iPhone gives each Wi-Fi network its own random hardware (MAC) address. Some hotel and school networks register your device by that address once you sign in on their login page, so a private or rotating address can send you back to the page or lock you out after a day. Turning the feature off for that one network fixes it.

Open Wi-Fi settings

Open Settings, Wi-Fi, and join the hotel or school network if you are not already on it.

Tap the info button next to the network

Tap the (i) icon to the right of the network name.

Set Private Wi-Fi Address to Off

Tap Private Wi-Fi Address. On iOS 18 the choices are Off, Fixed, and Rotating. Choose Off so the iPhone uses its real hardware address on this network, which is what a school that registers devices in advance expects. Fixed also works on most hotel networks, because the private address stays the same every time you join, but Off is the safest choice when a login page keeps coming back.

Rejoin the network

If the iPhone asks to rejoin the network, tap Rejoin. If it does not, turn Wi-Fi off and on again from the same screen. Open Safari, complete the login page one more time, and the network should remember the device from then on.

Check your other networks

The setting is stored per network. Your home and work networks keep their own Private Wi-Fi Address setting, so there is nothing to change there. To confirm, tap the (i) next to any other network you have joined and check that its setting still reads Rotating or Fixed.

If you are on iOS 17 or earlier. The same screen shows a single Private Wi-Fi Address toggle instead of three choices. Turn it off and rejoin the network.

When you check out or leave. Turn the setting back to Rotating (or on, for older versions) for that network, or tap Forget This Network at the top of the screen. The private address makes it harder for networks to track the device between visits, so keep it on anywhere a login page is not the problem.