Disable random MAC addresses in Android: In newer versions of Android, the MAC address is selected at random by default; But sometimes we need a static MAC address, which we need to disable the random MAC address feature to access. In this article, we will learn how to disable random MAC addresses in Android.
A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned by a manufacturer to a piece of network hardware, such as a wireless card or Ethernet card. Each specific device has its own unique identifier. Devices with Android 10 or higher use random Wi-Fi MAC addresses by default for better privacy. In some cases, you may want to disable this feature and use a static MAC address. In this tutorial from Wironal, we will teach you how to disable a random MAC address in Android.
Disable random MAC addresses in Android
For most people, having a random MAC address enabled is not a big deal. This helps protect the privacy and security of users and makes them more difficult to track; But if you enable the Mac filter on the router, only devices with a fixed MAC address defined for the router will be able to connect to WiFi; In this case, if the device uses a random MAC address, the router can not detect it and you can not use the specific MAC settings for the device. Also, if you have configured the router to always assign a static IP address to a device on the LAN, you must link that IP to the MAC address of a specific device.
It’s easy to turn random Macs on and off, and you can do it whenever you want; But before doing this, you should know that different models and versions of Android use different names for the same settings. For example, OnePlus assigns the title Wi-Fi & Network to a specific option, and Samsung names the same option Connections; But eventually, both of these options take you to the WiFi settings menu.
Go to settings to disable random MAC addresses on Android devices. Depending on the phone and Android version, log in to Wi-Fi & Network, Connections, or Network & Internet.
Touch Wi-Fi to view Wi-Fi networks.
When you see the name of the network in the list, click on the gear icon to the right of it.
Now go to the Advanced section and then select the Privacy option.
On OnePlus and Pixel phones, you must select the Use device MAC option. On Samsung phones, after selecting the MAC address type, touch the Phone MAC option. If the device brand is something else, look for an option that mentions MAC and then enable it.
After doing this, you can exit the settings. If you want to use a real MAC address on a new Wi-Fi network, you must use the same method to disable a random MAC addresses.
If you are using an iPhone or iPad, your device will change the fixed MAC address to a random MAC address. You can turn this option off on Apple devices when needed.
