Turn off Apple devices’ Private Wi-Fi Address setting for CU Boulder networks

Submitted by stauffeg

on Thu, 08/28/2025 - 8:55 AM

Apple’s Private Wi-Fi Address feature, introduced in macOS Sequoia and updated for iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, could cause connectivity issues for CU Boulder Wi-Fi networks if not set to “off.” The same could be true of the latest versions of watchOS and visionOS.

Since the CU Boulder Wi-Fi networks, UCB Wireless and UCB Guest, require users to register their device, rotating or changing your MAC address will force the device to go through the network registration process each time the MAC address changes. This could result in your devices frequently dropping their network connection. This issue may be most apparent when using the CU Boulder’s iClicker service on your iPhone. This is why for UCB Wireless and UCB Guest, and even eduroam, OIT strongly recommends turning the Private Wi-Fi Address setting to “off” on these networks.

Here is how to turn off the Private Wi-Fi Address setting on a Mac and here’s how to turn it off on an iPhone and iPad.

Because Private Wi-Fi Address is a per-network setting, OIT's recommendations are only for CU Boulder networks. For all campus Wi-Fi users with an IdentiKey, we continue to recommend that you connect to UCB Wireless rather than UCB Guest since the two networks provide the same network speeds, but UCB Guest restricts access to certain campus resources.

The Private Wi-Fi Address feature provides users a higher level of privacy by periodically changing a device’s locally administered hardware address, known as a MAC address. Frequently changing your MAC address on a network makes it harder to track your device and its activity over time. This is why it is advisable to set your Private Wi-Fi Address to “rotating” for public networks like coffee shops or airports.

Visit Apple's website for more information about Private Wi-Fi Address.

If you still have issues connecting to the campus networks after turning off Private Wi-Fi Address, you may need to "forget" the network on your device and the UCB Wireless Troubleshooting guide shows how to do this. The IT Service Center, reached at oithelp@colorado.edu or 303-735-4357, can also help troubleshoot campus Wi-Fi connectivity problems.