Apple is going to make you more anonymous online: this is how Private Relay works
During the presentation of iOS 15, Apple also unveiled the new Private Relay. This will allow you to surf the internet more anonymously because your online activities will be encrypted. We explain how it works.
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How Apple’s Private Relay works
During the unveiling of iOS 15, Apple announced its plans for iCloud. The storage service will be known as iCloud Plus from later this year. The improvements mainly focus on protecting your privacy.
One of the interesting features is Private Relay. If you use Apple’s own browser Safari, your internet traffic is encrypted and redirected through so-called proxies. As a result, others cannot see which websites you visit. Your IP address (the ‘home address’ of your internet connection), browsing history and exact location will remain private.
Why does Apple care so much? With an unencrypted connection, companies can see exactly what you are up to online. Many websites contain codes, so-called ‘pixels’, that indicate your presence. For example, marketers build a profile to serve you personal advertisements. Private Relay automatically blocks these pixels, making their job a lot harder.
Earlier this year, Apple already released the infamous tracker warning. Apps now need to request permission if they want to track you online in order to serve targeted ads. With Private Relay, the company continues in the same way, but in the browser.
Private Relay is not a (full) VPN
Although Apple did not mention the word VPN, many people compare Private Relay to such a Virtual Private Network. That is only partly correct. A VPN anonymizes all your internet traffic. Private Relay doesn’t do that. It only works if you use Safari. When you browse the web in another browser, your activity is just visible. In addition, your IP address and internet traffic are not hidden when you are in an app.
According to Apple, Private Relay users also cannot hide their geographic location. That means, for example, that it is impossible to fool Netflix. Some people use a VPN to pretend they live in the United States. Netflix offers a much larger collection of films and series there. With Private Relay, companies don’t get to see your exact location, but what city you live in. So you can write those extra films and series on your stomach.
More about Apple’s new software
In addition to the iPhone 13, Apple will release many new software versions this fall. iOS 15 is of course the most important and available for all iPhone running on iOS 14 now. This update lets you FaceTime with Android users, improve your notification shade, and help you focus on what really matters. We’ve listed the most important new features of iOS 15.
Thanks to iPadOS 15, iPad enthusiasts can get started with improved widgets, among other things. macOS Monterey (12) makes it possible to stream images from your iPhone to your Mac via AirPlay. On your Apple Watch, health becomes even more prominent with watchOS 8. New is the Mindfulness app, which helps you to breathe calmly.
