What’s new in networking in iOS?

In iOS 18, there are several new features and improvements related to networking:

1. Private Wi-Fi Controls: iOS 18 introduces private Wi-Fi controls for MAC address rotation. This feature helps protect user privacy by rotating the MAC address used by the device, making it harder to track users based on their MAC address. This protection is now also available on macOS Sequoia (What’s new in privacy).

2. Local Network Privacy: iOS 18 improves transparency and control over access to the local network. Apps that require access to the local network must include a local network usage description, or access will be blocked. This applies to apps using Bonjour browsing or advertising, custom multicast, custom broadcast, or unicast connections (What’s new in privacy).

3. Bluetooth Access: The updated Bluetooth prompt in iOS 18 now shows a map indicating the current location of the device and a sample of associated devices. This helps users make more informed choices about granting Bluetooth access (What’s new in privacy).

4. Contacts Access: iOS 18 provides more transparency and control over access to contacts. When an app requests access to contacts, the prompt now allows users to select specific contacts to share, rather than granting access to all contacts (What’s new in privacy).

These updates enhance user privacy and give users more control over their data and network interactions on iOS 18.