iCloud Privacy Relay Experiences Issues: Slow Speeds or Unavailability, Users Advised to Temporarily Disable

According to updates on Apple's system status page, the iCloud Privacy Relay feature is currently experiencing issues, leading to slow connection speeds or complete inability to connect for some users.

Privacy Relay is a privacy feature offered by Apple for iCloud subscribers. When enabled, it uses relay servers to proxy all network traffic of a user, effectively hiding their real IP address from ad networks and preventing tracking.

This feature is not free and is not available in all countries or regions, so the actual number of affected users is likely relatively small. Users who notice slow network connections can check their iCloud settings to see if this feature is enabled.

To check your connection status: Open iPhone Settings, go to your account, select iCloud, then iCloud+ Privacy Features, and disable the Private Relay option. After turning it off, test your network connection to see if it returns to normal.

Apple has not yet disclosed when the issue will be fixed. The problem has persisted for some time without resolution, possibly indicating it is not a high priority for immediate repair.