PSA: Apple’s Private Relay can leak your real IP address
News Source
•Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:52:29 +0000
📰 What Happened
Researchers found that Apple’s Private Relay, a feature meant to hide your IP address, can be tricked into revealing it. Private Relay is a privacy tool for Safari users with an iCloud+ plan. The team even built a website that can check if your address leaks.
TechCrunch tested the site and confirmed the leak works. The problem comes from three features in Apple’s WebKit engine. Apple did not respond when asked about the issue, and the researchers chose not to report it to the company first.
🔍 The Backstory
An IP address is like a digital address that can reveal roughly where you are and who your internet provider is. Private Relay was built to hide that when you browse with Safari.
But it only works in Safari and is not as strong as a full VPN. Researchers say fixing it may be slow because Apple takes a long time to respond to such reports. People who think they are fully protected may not actually be as safe as they believe.
🎯 Why It Matters
This leak can expose where you are to websites and trackers without you knowing. If you use Private Relay to hide your location, you may not be as private as you think.
Researchers found that Apple’s Private Relay, a feature meant to hide your IP address, can be tricked into revealing it. Private Relay is a privacy tool for Safari users with an iCloud+ plan. The team even built a website that can check if your address leaks.
TechCrunch tested the site and confirmed the leak works. The problem comes from three features in Apple’s WebKit engine. Apple did not respond when asked about the issue, and the researchers chose not to report it to the company first.
An IP address is like a digital address that can reveal roughly where you are and who your internet provider is. Private Relay was built to hide that when you browse with Safari.
But it only works in Safari and is not as strong as a full VPN. Researchers say fixing it may be slow because Apple takes a long time to respond to such reports. People who think they are fully protected may not actually be as safe as they believe.
This leak can expose where you are to websites and trackers without you knowing. If you use Private Relay to hide your location, you may not be as private as you think.