Cellular carriers employ a unique 10-digit Mobile Identification Number (MIN) to identify yous and your device on their networks. For wireless networks, a Media Admission Control (MAC) address is the unique metric used to identify and differentiate your device from other users.

In a previously published post, nosotros explained what MAC addresses are and how to notice the network identifier on Mac and PC. This tutorial volition focus on some of the methods to discover the MAC address of an iPhone and iPad.

A MAC address consists of an alphanumeric combination of twelve hexadecimal characters grouped into pairs past a column. Some devices separate the paired characters with a hyphen or nuance (-) while others simply exit a space between the pairs.

In that location are many reasons why you'd need your iPhone or iPad's MAC address. It could be to track data usage on your dwelling network. When setting up a Quality of Service (QoS) filter on your router, you'll e'er need the MAC address of the device you want to prioritize. Want to allow merely a specific device on your network? Your router may require the device'due south MAC address.

Let'southward await at the several means to find the MAC address of an iPhone and iPad.

ane. Bank check the iPhone or iPad Info Menu

Open the Settings app and navigate to Settings > Full general > Well-nigh and scroll to the network section of the page. You'll find your iPhone's MAC address in the Wi-Fi Accost field.

2. Bank check the Network Settings Menu

This setting is the easiest way to bank check your iPhone or iPad's MAC accost. Open the iOS or iPadOS Wi-Fi settings from Settings > Wi-Fi, and tap the active Wi-Fi network.

Yous'll detect your iPhone's MAC address in the Wi-Fi Address field.

Quick Tip: To re-create your device'south MAC address, long-press the Wi-Fi Accost field and tap Copy.

3. Check Your Router's App

If your Wi-Fi router has a dedicated app for iOS, you should be able to check your iPhone'southward MAC address via the app. The steps to finding your iPhone'due south MAC address through a router app may vary depending on your router's make, model, every bit well as the app's design, interface, or version.

Nonetheless, we're confident that you'll find the data you lot demand in the device management bill of fare of your router'south app. Bank check the list of devices connected to your Wi-Fi router and select your iPhone. Get through the device data page and check for a MAC address field—or an alphanumeric combination of twelve characters.

Can't notice your iPhone on the listing of connected devices? Disable your iPhone's Wi-Fi, rejoin the network, and check again. Closing and reopening the app could also fix the problem. Finally, and most importantly, ensure the app is updated—open the App Store and cheque if there's an update available for in the App Store and cheque if there's

4. View MAC Accost From Your Smart Habitation App

If y'all have linked the router to your smart dwelling house app, you should be able to bank check the MAC addresses of devices continued to the router. I apply Huawei's AI Life app to manage devices on my smart dwelling network. The app has a "Device data" section that displays the IP accost and MAC address of all devices connected to my Wi-Fi router.

Connect your iPhone to your home network and become through your smart abode app settings or device management bill of fare. If you're yet to jump on the smart home train, check out some of the best apps for smart dwelling automation.

5. Using a Web Browser

Your router's administrative console grants yous the ability to manage how devices interact with your network. Y'all can change your network configurations, disable internet access, check the MAC addresses of connected devices, and so on.

Go through the router'south pedagogy transmission or contact the manufacturer to learn how to access the admin panel. You lot'll need to visit a unique IP address on your web browser and enter the router's authoritative credentials (i.e., username and password).

When yous log in, head to "WLAN Settings," "Wi-Fi Settings," "Wi-Fi Condition," or the "Device Management" bill of fare to view devices connected to the network. Locate your iPhone on the list and check its MAC Address.

Again, it'south worth mentioning that we cannot accurately list the steps to access your router's admin panel. That'due south considering the process may differ based on your router's brand, admin panel gateway, internet service provider, among other factors.

iOS Private MAC Address Explained

The MAC address in your iPhone's settings card should correspond with the MAC address on your router. That'south how information technology has ever been until the introduction of iOS 14. Apple tree believes that using the aforementioned Mac address across several networks makes it uber-easy for internet service providers (ISPs) and other related parties to runway your location and monitor your activeness over fourth dimension.

To preclude that from happening, Apple introduced "Private Wi-Fi Addresses" on iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS seven. This feature is enabled by default on all devices running the aforementioned operating organisation.

This iOS feature assigns a unique MAC address for every Wi-Fi network. Meaning your iPhone or iPad will have unlike MAC addresses for network A, network B, network C, and then on.

It'southward a brilliant, privacy-focused concept, no doubt. But non all networks back up devices using a private address. If you lot're having difficulties accessing the internet on a Wi-Fi network, Apple recommends disabling the Individual Address for that network.

Go to Settings, select Wi-Fi, tap the affected network, and toggle off the Private Address option.

Obsolete Method: Third-Political party Network Apps

Before now, many iPhone and iPad users checked their device'south MAC address on network monitoring tools and Wi-Fi analyzer apps. Things changed when Apple launched iOS eleven and blocked tertiary-political party applications from reading MAC addresses.

Exercise yous know any other built-in technique or third-political party tool for checking MAC addresses on iPhone or iPad? Share with us in the comments beneath.