How to use Apple’s private relay feature with iCloud Plus

One of the more exciting new features available with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey is iCloud Plus, Apple’s upgraded iCloud subscription service that adds a few key privacy features. The main one of these features is Private Relay, a VPN-like service designed to hide your internet traffic on your devices from anyone trying to infiltrate.

Here’s how to use it:

To get started, you’ll need to be using iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or macOS Monterey and be subscribed to one of Apple’s iCloud plans. All paid iCloud plans, including the 50 GB plan at $ 0.99 per month, are eligible, as are shared iCloud family plans or those purchased through a shared Apple One subscription.

Activating Private Relay is extremely easy.

• On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings> Apple ID> iCloud> Private Relay, then turn on the “Private Relay” switch
• On a Mac, go to System Preferences> Apple ID> iCloud and check the “Private Relay” box

Unlike most VPNs, Private Relay only offers one configurable option: the ability to choose the location of your IP address. Apple gives you two choices here: you can use your “general IP address” so that websites can always provide you with approximate location data, or you can choose a larger IP address somewhere in your country and time zone ( which offers greater anonymity at the expense of more precise online content).

Notably, however, Private Relay still only lets you browse the web through your existing (rough) geographic location, so you can’t use it for more popular VPN activities, like streaming Netflix content from another. country or bypass local sports ban rules.

Apple claims that Private Relay is actually more secure than a traditional VPN, noting that the traffic is masked twice. When you access a URL in Safari, it is first sent to Apple, which removes the credentials from your IP address, and then sends it to a second server – managed by an unidentified third party – to assign a new, temporary IP address. The net result is that neither Apple, the third-party relay company, nor the website can follow you.

There are some limitations to Private Relay. For starters, it won’t be available in a number of countries: China, Belarus, Colombia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and the Philippines. Apple tells Reuters this is due to regulatory limitations in these countries.

Additionally, Private Relay only works with Safari – not other web browsers or apps – making it a much more limited option than other VPN services, especially when combined with the fact that it cannot not be used to dodge geographic location limits.

But given that Private Relay is included as a free add-on for iCloud subscribers, it’s a nice addition, especially if you’re the kind of user who is more interested in the privacy benefits of a VPN. for regular web browsing than for more specific VPN use. case. Limiting Safari only could also help users use Apple’s browser compared to competitors like Chrome or Firefox.