There are a lot of other differences between Apple’s “private relay” and a VPN, as outlined in the next section of this article.įirst, though, let’s summarize what Apple is offering with iCloud Private Relay.

However, note that Apple specifies that you’re only protected if you “browse with Safari,” Apple’s browser. It’s designed so that no one - including Apple - can use your IP address, location, and browsing activity to create a detailed profile about you.Īt first reading, it may sound like Apple is offering a VPN service of sorts-and some in the media have mistakenly referred to iCloud Private Relay as a VPN. Then all your requests are sent through two separate internet relays. It ensures that the traffic leaving your device is encrypted so no one can intercept and read it. ICloud Private Relay is a service that lets you connect to virtually any network and browse with Safari in an even more secure and private way. One of the most notable features is called “iCloud Private Relay,” which Apple describes as follows: those paying for extra iCloud storage) would get iCloud+, which includes some new features. On June 7, 2021, Apple announced that paid subscribers to its iCloud service (i.e.

While iCloud Private Relay is a step in the right direction for Apple, it is far from offering the complete protection that a trusted VPN service offers. We’ll specifically compare iCloud Private Relay with Intego Privacy Protection, a full-featured VPN that works on your Mac to protect all your traffic, with every app you use. However, iCloud Private Relay is nothing like a VPN in this article, we’ll take a look at the key differences, and why VPN users won’t be canceling their service any time soon. If you’ve used a VPN (virtual private network) before, you might assume that this is what Apple is offering, and even some news reports have made that assumption.

One of the new features of iCloud+ is “iCloud Private Relay,” which offers added security in the Safari web browser, by encrypting traffic and masking IP addresses. Intego Is Apple’s iCloud Private Relay a VPN? Not Even Close-Here’s WhyĪt Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June, 2021, the company announced a new iCloud+ service, available to Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users who have paid iCloud subscription plans.

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