One of the coolest new features available with iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey is iCloud Plus, Apple's upgraded iCloud subscription service that adds some key privacy features . Chief among 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 subscribe to one of Apple's iCloud plans. Any paid iCloud plans — including the $0.99 per month 50GB plan — are eligible, as are shared iCloud family plans or those purchased through a shared Apple One subscription.
Activating Private Relay is extremely simple.
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 broader IP address somewhere in your country and time zone ( which provides greater anonymity at the expense of more accurate online content).
Notably, however, Private Relay still only allows you to browse the web through your existing (rough) geo location, so you can't use it for more popular VPN activities, like streaming Netflix content from another country or circumventing local sports ban rules.
Apple says Private Relay is actually more secure than a traditional VPN, noting that traffic is masked twice. When you access a URL in Safari, it's first sent to Apple, which strips identifying information from your IP address, then sends it to a second server — operated by an as yet 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 track 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 those countries.
Additionally, Private Relay only works with Safari – no other web browsers or apps – making it a much more limited option than other VPN services, especially when it's combined with the fact that it cannot 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 cares more about the perks privacy 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 over rivals like Chrome or Firefox.
