How to change my iPhone IP address to US

Most devices on the internet use IPv4 addresses to communicate, and the world is slowly adopting IPv4’s replacement, IPv6. Every device connected to the internet needs a unique IP address in order to connect and communicate with other devices online.

An IPv4 address looks like this:

123.45.67.89

And an IPv6 address looks like this:

2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

If you’re connected to wifi right now, you probably share a public IP address with everyone else connected to the same wifi network, but each device has its own local IP address. However, if you’re on a smartphone and using a mobile data connection, you might well have your very own public IP address.

When most people talk about changing their IP address, they’re referring to their public IPv4 address. This is the address seen and used by most websites, servers, online games, and other devices on the internet.

This article, however, will cover changing your IP address whether it be IPv4 or IPv6, public or private.

Why would I need to change my IP address?

Many online services are geo-restricted, which means they are not available outside of their country of origin. The only way to access those services from abroad is to connect to a VPN server in that location. This gives you a valid IP address and causes the website or online service to become available again.

If you travel abroad on vacation, services from back home, such as internet banking or streaming services, will be geo-restricted. As a result, you will need to use a VPN to get an IP address in your home county.

Finally, a VPN can help you get around government, ISP, or local network restrictions. By connecting to a VPN, you can get an IP address in a country where locally censored content is still available. Thanks to the privacy provided by the VPN, you can access those usually censored services without being tracked.

What are the best VPNs to change your IP address?

1. NordVPN: The best VPN to change your IP address. Fast servers in 59 countries. Apps for all popular devices. Many advanced features. No-logging policy. Works with Netflix US, iPlayer, and many more.
2. Surfshark: Best budget VPN to change your IP. Allows an unlimited number of connections. Great for families. Apps for all popular devices. Built-in adblocking and malware filtering. 30-day money back guarantee.
3. ExpressVPN: A superb all-rounder. Fast speeds thanks to its Lightway protocol. Servers in 94 countries. Works with around two-dozen Netflix regions.
4. CyberGhost: Best way to change your IP for beginners. Over 7000 fast servers in 89+ countries. Fast Wireguard connections. Apps for all devices. Easy to use apps with fewer advanced settings.
5. IPVanish: A fast US VPN with a proprietary network. Lots of advanced security features. No logs policy. Works with Netflix US. Apps for all platforms.
6. PrivateVPN: Perfect for torrenting. Kill-switch and obfuscation features. Robust AES encryption. Great speeds. Servers in 63+ countries.
7. AtlasVPN: Excellent option for streaming. Works with iPlayer, Hulu, Netflix, and more. Servers in 30+ countries. Includes malware filtering.

NordVPN is offering a fully-featured risk-free 30-day trial if you sign up at this page. You can use the VPN rated #1 for changing your IP address without limits or restrictions for a month—great if you want to bypass censorship or geo-restrictions.

There are no hidden terms—just contact support within 30 days if you decide NordVPN isn't right for you and you'll get a full refund. Start your NordVPN trial here.

How to change your public IP address

Here are a few ways to change your public IP address(es):

1. Connect to a VPN to change your IP address

Short for Virtual Private Network, a VPN encrypts your internet connection and routes it through a server in a location of your choosing. Websites, online services, and other devices on the web will only see the VPN server’s IP address and not your real IP address.

VPNs are useful for torrenting, unblocking region-locked content like that from Netflix and BBC iPlayer, and bypassing censorship at schools, in offices, and in countries like China.

Most VPNs can easily hide your IPv4 address, but many VPNs can leak your IP address through various security vulnerabilities. Furthermore, not all VPNs hide your IPv6 address. Choose a VPN that either disables IPv6 or can prevent IPv6 leaks by default.

If you’re not sure how to set up a VPN just follow the simple steps below.

Here’s how to change your IP address with a VPN:

1. Sign up for a suitable VPN provider (we recommend NordVPN).
2. Download the appropriate VPN app for your device.
3. Open the VPN app and select a server, within your own country is fine although if you want to access a specific service make sure to choose a server in a country where it’s unblocked.
4. That’s it! You should now have a different IP address.

2. Use a proxy to change your IP address

Proxies work similarly to VPNs but with far less versatility and security. Your internet connection goes through a middleman server so that websites and other online resources see the proxy server’s IP address and not your own. Unlike VPNs, proxies often lack encryption, only affect certain apps, and can leak your IP address through other means.

A few different types of proxies can be used to change your IP address:

• HTTP/S proxies – Usually either browser extensions or special websites that work like a browser within your browser. They only change the IP address on data sent to and from your browser, but do not affect other apps or even DNS traffic. If encryption is included, these are sometimes called SSL proxies.
• SOCKS proxies – General purpose proxy servers that can be configured for specific apps including most web browsers. SOCKS5, the latest version, includes support for encryption.
• SSH proxies – SSH proxies forward internet traffic from apps like your web browser through a Secure Shell (SSH) connection to a server, so your IP address is changed to that of the server. Although encryption is included, SSH is not a particularly fast protocol, and many websites and apps might not function properly when connected.

3. Use Tor to change your IP address for free

Tor, short for The Onion Router, is a volunteer-run anonymity network. The easiest way to get started with Tor is to download and install the Tor Browser, a barebones web browser that routes all web traffic through the Tor network. Tor encrypts your connection several times and then sends data through multiple nodes—servers operated by volunteer Tor supporters. Each node strips away one layer of encryption, and the sequence of nodes used changes every time you access a different website. This makes it nearly impossible to trace Tor traffic back to the source.

Websites will see the IP address of the last node in the chain, called the Exit Node.

Tor is free, but has its drawbacks. It’s relatively slow and only really suited for basic web browsing. Tor’s anonymity means it is often associated with illicit activity and the dark web, so even though it’s not illegal, using it might draw unwanted attention from your ISP and possibly even law enforcement. Those entities can’t see what you do while connected to Tor, but they can see that you are connected to Tor nodes.

4. Change IP addresses by unplugging your modem

You might be able to get a new IP address by unplugging your internet modem, waiting a few minutes, and then plugging it back in again. When this happens, you release your existing IP address so that your ISP can recycle it. When you reconnect, your ISP assigns you a new IP address.

This method isn’t guaranteed to work because your ISP might just give you the same IP address again. The longer you leave your modem unplugged, however, the higher the chance your IP address changes. If unplugging for a few minutes doesn’t get the job done, consider leaving it unplugged overnight.

Your ISP must use dynamic IP addresses in order for this to work. Most do.

5. Ask your ISP to change your IP address

Another option is to ask your ISP for a new IP address. Every ISP has different policies about how they handle such requests, so responses may vary. At minimum, you’ll need your account information and current IP address on hand.

Most ISPs use dynamic IP address systems, meaning IP addresses occasionally change and get recycled as devices connect and disconnect from the internet. With that in mind, note that your new IP address might not stay the same forever.

In some cases, you can request a static IP address from your ISP, though this might require paying an extra fee and/or going through an application process. Once provided with a static IP address, you can enter it into your device’s network settings. Static IP addresses never change unless you manually change them.

6. Change networks to get a different IP address

This might seem obvious, but you can get a different IP address by disconnecting from whatever network you’re currently connected to and connecting to a different one. You can switch to a different wifi network, for example, or switch from wifi to a mobile data connection if you’re on a smartphone.

Remember that public and open wifi hotspots are often prime hunting grounds for hackers. Try to stick with a wifi network that requires a password and is encrypted with WPA2.

How to change your private IP address

If you’re connected to a wifi router, then you probably share a public IP address with all the other devices connected to the same network. Each device, however, has its own private, or local IP address.

Changing your local IP address won’t really affect how your device communicates with other devices and servers over the internet, but there might be instances in which you need a different private IP address. These include troubleshooting a malfunctioning router or configuring how local devices, such as printers and IoT devices, function on your home network.

Renew your local IP address

If you’re connected to wifi or some other type of local network, you can change your private IP address from the router admin panel or from the device itself. I’ll show you how to do it on Windows and MacOS.

Here’s how to renew your IP address on Windows:

1. Search for the Command Prompt and right click it to Run as administrator
2. Enter ipconfig /release
3. Enter ipconfig /renew

You should now see a new local IP address.

Here’s how to renew your IP address on Mac:

1. Click the Apple menu and open System Preferences
2. Select Network
3. Highlight the network that you’re connected to in the left pane
4. Click Advanced…
5. Select the TCP/IP tab
6. Click Renew DHCP Lease

You Mac should now be assigned a new local IP address.

The process for changing local IP addresses on the router varies depending on your router manufacturer and firmware. You can usually access your router’s admin dashboard by opening a web browser and entering 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 in the address bar.

How do I change my IP address on my mobile device?

Changing your IP address is easy on a mobile phone or tablet device. All you need is a VPN. In this guide, we have recommended the best VPNs for changing your IP address. Our recommendations have servers located globally, to let you get an IP address wherever you need it. To change your IP address on a mobile device, follow the steps below:

1. Sign up for the VPN by following the link in this guide (we recommend NordVPN)
2. Install the VPN app for Android or iOS onto your device. You can find it in your regular app store.
3. Launch the VPN app and login using your credentials.
4. Choose a VPN server from the list and click connect.
5. Your IP address will change as soon as the VPN connection is established.

Your ISP always knows your IP address

No matter what methods you use to change or hide an IP address, public IP addresses are always known by the internet service provider. This is inevitable because in order to connect to the internet at all, your ISP must assign you an IP address, and it must know what that IP address is in order to transmit communication and data from the internet to your device.

So even if you used one of the above methods to mask your IP address from websites, services, and other devices on the internet, your ISP is an exception that can see behind the mask.

Even if your ISP can identify you by your IP address, however, you can hide your online activity through encryption. A VPN or Tor will encrypt all data before it ever leaves your device, so even though your ISP can see that you are communicating, it cannot see the contents of those communications.

If you need an easy way to change your IP address to that of a different ISP, try switching between wifi and your smartphone’s mobile data connection. Chances are, your phone carrier and home internet use different ISPs.

Changing IP address: FAQs

Changing your IP address may result in you catching CAPTCHA requests. The reason for this is because the IP address in question is likely shared with many other users. From the perspective of an online service such as Google, it sees an unusually high number of requests from the same IP address. It then attempts to verify you're human (as opposed to a bot!) by presenting you with CAPTCHAs.

Technically yes, you can change your IP address with a free VPN. There are, however, a few things about these services that make them less than ideal. For instance, free providers usually have very low monthly bandwidth limits and more users than their networks can support. This means that you may not be able to use the VPN as much as you like, and you'll have to put up with slow speeds when you do get connected.

One of the main functions of a VPN is to keep you safe online. Unfortunately, free providers tend to forget this, with plenty falsely claiming to follow no-logs policies or overhyping the effectiveness of their security features. Why take a chance when your privacy is at stake? We'd recommend choosing a reputable no-logs provider instead of just using whatever is free.

No, it's not illegal to change your IP address. Indeed, you can legally use a VPN in almost any country in the world without having to worry about breaking any laws. However, some online activities are still illegal regardless of whether you've used a VPN to change your IP. This includes torrenting copyrighted material or, in some countries, accessing betting websites.