Apple refutes T-Mobile's claim that an iOS bug disabled Private Relay [Update]
What you need to know
- Apple says that there is no bug in iOS 15.2 that turns off iCloud Private Relay.
- It also says that no carrier is preventing the feature.
Update, January 12 (6:30 pm ET): T-Mobile backs down from its claim that iOS 15.2 bug caused iCloud Private Relay to be turned off
Apple is saying that basically, no one knows what they're talking about with iCloud Private Relay.
Earlier this week, some T-Mobile customers reported iCloud Private Relay being turned off on their iPhones. T-Mobile said it was due to a bug with iOS 15.2. Now, Apple is clapping back.
In a statement to MacRumors, Apple says that no supported carriers have turned off access to the feature. The company also refutes T-Mobile's claim that a bug exists in iOS 15.2 that would cause the feature to be turned off by default.
Apple has also changed the wording it uses when iCloud Private Relay is turned off. Instead of just saying that it is turned off because of lack of carrier support, the message in the iOS 15.3 developer beta now also says it could be due to it being turned off in Cellular Settings.
iCloud Private Relay is still in beta but allows users to hide their browsing history from carriers and internet providers.
Update, January (6:30 pm ET) — T-Mobile backs down from its claim that iOS 15.2 bug caused iCloud Private Relay to be turned off
In a statement to 9to5Mac, T-Mobile has backed down from its claim that a bug in iOS 15.2 caused iCloud Private Relay to be turned off by default for its customers. Instead, the company says that Cellular Setting may be the reason some customers are seeing an error when trying to use the feature.
Master your iPhone in minutes
iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!
Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.