Safari Feeling Sluggish on Your iPhone? Blame iCloud Private Relay (and Here's How to Fix It!)
We've all been there: you're trying to load a webpage on your iPhone, but Safari is moving slower than a snail on vacation. Or worse, it's just stuck completely, refusing to load anything at all. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone! It turns out that Apple's iCloud Private Relay feature is having a bit of a moment, causing widespread Safari slowdowns and loading issues for iPhone users.
What is iCloud Private Relay, and why is it causing problems?
iCloud Private Relay, a handy feature included with your iCloud+ subscription, normally works behind the scenes to keep your browsing super secure. It does this by routing your internet requests through two separate, encrypted relays, making it much harder for anyone to track your online activity.
However, it seems like these relays have gotten a little lost lately, leading to Safari performance taking a nosedive.
The good news? There's an easy fix!
Apple is aware of the issue and is busy working on a permanent solution. In the meantime, you can easily get your Safari speed back up by temporarily disabling iCloud Private Relay.
Here's how to turn off iCloud Private Relay on your iPhone:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on your name at the top of the screen to access your Apple ID settings.
- Scroll down and tap on iCloud, then look for Private Relay.
- You'll have two options for turning off Private Relay:
- Temporarily: Choose "Turn Off Until Tomorrow". This will disable Private Relay for 24 hours, after which it will automatically turn back on.
- Completely: Select "Turn Off Private Relay" to disable it indefinitely. You can manually turn it back on later.
Important Note: Disabling iCloud Private Relay means your internet traffic will no longer be routed through those secure relays. This should immediately resolve any Safari slowness or loading problems, but keep in mind that your browsing won't be as private.
Since Apple is actively working on a fix, it's best to just temporarily disable Private Relay until they sort everything out.
A few extra tips:
- Restart your iPhone after turning off Private Relay to make sure the changes take effect.
- Check for any iOS updates as Apple might include fixes for this issue in a future update.
Hopefully, this quick fix will get you back to browsing at warp speed!
