“Why do I care about Randomized MAC addresses on my phone?”

Written By Leslie Schneider

Every now and then a regular member suddenly has problems getting on our network. What!!! Jason explained that this happens to some people because one of their devices—usually the phone—is creating a unique MAC address every time they connect to the Wi-Fi and after a while our member management system stops allowing the connections. It's an issue that he hopes our member management system will fix, but there is a work around if it happens to you.

First, someone with admin privileges (Jason, Leslie, or an ambassador) needs to go in and delete the long list of previous MAC addresses. Then, to prevent it from being a problem in the future, you can check your phone to see if the device is secretly creating the MAC addresses.

How to Disable Randomized MAC Addresses on your phone (for this network only)

⚠️ Note: Disabling this may trigger a “Privacy Warning” in Wi-Fi settings. This is expected and safe on trusted networks.

On macOS and iOS (applies to iOS 14 and later)

  • Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi

  • Tap the ⓘ (info icon) next to your connected network

  • Toggle Private Address to Off

  • Reconnect to the network if prompted

 On Android

  • Open the "Settings" app on your Android phone. On most phones, pull down from the top of your screen and tap the gear icon to open Settings. You can also open your apps list and tap "Settings."

  • In Settings, tap "Wi-Fi & Network" (or "Connections" or "Network & Internet" depending on your device).

  • Tap "Wi-Fi" to view your Wi-Fi networks.

  • When you see the OfficeXpats Coworking Wi-Fi network name in the list, tap the gear icon beside it.

  • Tap "Advanced" or expand the Settings to see more. On OnePlus and Pixel phones, select "Use device MAC." If you use a Samsung device, tap "MAC address type" and choose "Phone MAC." If your device is different than both of these, look for a similar option that says "MAC" and enable it.

  • Exit Settings, and you're done.

Admin cheat sheet: Settings (cogwheel) / Users and Security / Users (find member) / Access / Network (delete all MAC addresses)

Leslie Schneider
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