An IP address is your digital location flare of sorts, revealing your current location whenever you connect to the internet.
Imagine trying to find a tower in the dark, and then someone lights up a beacon. That’s essentially what your IP address acts as- a beacon that gives out your current location!
As long as you’re hooked up to the interwebs, your IP address can theoretically be tracked (or spied on) regardless of the device you’re using.
So, can an IP address be traced on an iPhone?
(Hint: Yes, yes it can.)
And how do you protect your IP address?
Learn everything you need to know by reading the rest of this article!
How To Find Your IP Address: A Quick Primer
The internet knows more about your iPhone than you might imagine!
One quick way to confirm this is by typing into Google, “What is my IP address?”
The search engine will then display your IP address boldly at the top of the result page.
However, do keep in mind that your IP address will change whenever you connect to a different Wi-Fi network or router.
While leaving your IP address exposed might not be much of an issue to most online users, it’s important to note that the majority of websites do keep track of this information.
What Information Is Your iPhone’s IP Address Revealing?
Your iPhone’s IP address can reveal your current or actual location.
It’s possible for other people to find out your exact city, ZIP code, and to some extent even your specific physical location by using this information!
However, your IP address will never reveal your name, phone number, and other personal information.
How Can Others Find Your IP Address?
The internet is a gigantic meeting ground and marketplace, with people from all around the globe coming together to interact.
When carrying out activities on the internet, it’s important to remember that you’re constantly leaving a few bits and pieces of revealing information about yourself wherever you go.
Despite this, tracking your IP address isn’t as easy as it might sound.
Consider your IP address as your digital footprint. When you connect to the internet, you leave your impression behind. Websites can then use these footprints to track and monitor your activities.
These digital footprints are left behind whenever you use your iPhone to comment on a forum, blog, or on social media.
For example, when you browse through the latest viral clips on TikTok using your home connection, you share traces of that digital footprint with the company.
As a result, TikTok can then use this information to monitor your location and activities.
A more straightforward and brute-force method of finding out a person’s IP address involves doing so on the device itself (though this seems like it would somewhat be pointless, seeing as they already have the phone).
For example, a friend can easily take your iPhone and use IP lookup services to pinpoint the location of the device.
More nefariously, hackers can find out personal IP addresses by hacking into your home network or sending an email infected with a virus. Clicking on such an email is akin to opening your front door and telling them to walk right in!
Finally, government officials have been known to use subpoenas to contact ISPs and obtain IP addresses when the need warrants such an action.
Why Would People Want To Find Your IP Address?
Aside from massive multimedia companies, be aware that government authorities, employers, advertisers, and even hackers can all be interested in finding out IP addresses for various reasons.
The risk of exposing your IP address therefore depends largely on who is trying to access it:
- Authorities may try to obtain your IP address to piece together illegal activities.
- Employers may try to find your IP address to figure out where you’re spending time during working hours.
- Advertisers can use this information to learn your interests and target you with relevant products or services.
- Finally, hackers can use this personal information to carry out elaborate scams to try to defraud you of your money.
How to Protect Your IP Address: 4 Effective Methods!
Just because someone knows your IP address doesn’t mean that they’ll end up at your front door the next day.
However, it is possible to take specific measures to ensure you remain anonymous as you surf the internet. Here are four tips on how to hide or protect your IP address:
Use a VPN
Using a VPN is a great way to become anonymous and throw someone off your digital tail!
Using a VPN, you can mask your actual IP address and reroute your internet request to a different region or country.
With this service you’ll be able to protect your connection and privacy- making it a tough job for anyone to pinpoint your exact location.
Most VPN software will ask you to subscribe to their services before allowing access to their full features.
However, the investment can be well worth the money as it is one of the best and simplest ways to stay completely anonymous.
Use Public Internet
If you want to protect your home IP address from prying eyes, your next best option is to use a public internet connection for most of your online activities.
Visit a restaurant, public library, or hotel and surf the internet there. This way, you’ll get a different IP address for your device- and you don’t have to worry about your real IP being exposed.
However, the drawback of using a public network is that the connections are not secure, and other third parties may be able to track what you’re doing.
Use A Tor Network
If you don’t buy the idea of using a VPN service, then a Tor network is a great alternative.
A Tor network is free and open-source software that allows anonymous communication.
This browser works by guiding data traffic through different servers located worldwide and allows you to conceal your location.
The drawbacks of using this network are that your connection may become slow, and that it doesn’t offer 100 percent anonymity.
Use A Proxy
Although using a proxy may seem old-fashioned, it’s still a great way to hide your iPhone’s IP address.
A proxy server acts as a firewall that shields you from all the bad stuff on the internet.
However, note that most websites will now reject your request when you try to access their site using a proxy server.
Can iPhone IP Addresses Change?
You can easily find and change your iPhone’s IP address in the Settings app.
To do this, head to Settings and tap on the Wi-Fi option.
Then, tap on the name of your connected Wi-Fi network to see your IP address. You’ll find your current address in the IPV4 address section.
You can also change your current IP address from the Settings app. Follow the steps below to change your IP address:
Request A New Automatic IP Address
- Head to Settings, tap on Wi-Fi, and tap on the (i) icon next to the connected network.
- Next, tap on “Renew lease” at the bottom and tap on this option again when prompted.
- Once this process is completed, you’ll automatically be assigned a new IP address.
Manually
- Head to Settings, tap on Wi-Fi, and then tap on the (i) icon next to the connected network
- Press Configure IP, and then Manual.
- Enter the IP address details.
- Next, tap on Save to implement the changes. That’s it!
In Conclusion
Hopefully, we’ve been able to answer the question “Can an IP address be traced on an iPhone?” for you in this article.
As long as you have an active internet connection, websites and other third parties can easily trace your IP address whether you’re on an iPhone, Android device, or Windows computer.
Third parties can use your IP address for various reasons, so it’s always advisable to be aware and protect this information as much as possible!
There are certain software or services that can be utilized to stay anonymous if this is something that you’re particularly concerned about. Both a Tor network or VPN are great ways to remain anonymous while online!
Do you know how to stay safe on your smartphone? Keep yourself protected with our Comprehensive A-Z Of Smartphone Security right HERE!