iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia have a killer new feature to thwart tracking

All of Apple's operating systems saw a number of big upgrades during the recent WWDC 2024. One small but quality feature you may have missed is the new Wi-Fi privacy feature that Apple is releasing for iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.

Currently, in iPhones, iPads and Macs, there is a Private Wi-Fi option to help minimize Wi-fi tracking. That feature assigns a different MAC address to a device for every Wi-Fi network that it connects to.

However, with the new update, that is being replaced with Rotate Wi-Fi Address. Apple says that the feature will be available when accessing the settings of any Wi-Fi network. 

As reported by MacRumors, Apple says, "A rotating Wi-Fi address helps reduce tracking by changing your Wi-Fi address at various times. Tracking can happen when your address always appears the same to other devices and people using the same network as you."

With Rotate Wi-Fi Address, the tool randomly changes the Wi-Fi address while it's connected to the network.

This will remain a separate feature from Limit IP Address Tracking that can be used in Mail and Safari.

If you're curious to try the new update you'll have to wait until the fall, unless you download the developer beta. For the slightly more patient, a more public beta is launching in July for iOS 18. And you will need at least an iPhone 15, possibly the newest iPad Pros or iPad Airs and Macs with at a minimum an M1 chip, anything older than 2020 won't work.

Otherwise, most of these OS updates will hit the wider public likely in September.

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