About Privacy and Security Warnings on iOS

Ever since iOS 14 updates, Apple users started seeing “Privacy Warning” and “Weak Security” under their WiFi connection. Apple is big on privacy, and to improve privacy, Apple device uses a different MAC address with each Wi-Fi network, which is called a Media Access Control (MAC) address (Apple Introduction).

 

In this article, we’ll explain what both notifications mean and what you can do to fix them on your devices.

 

Weak Security 

 

 

Why does it happen?
The following security modes have been considered insecure by Apple. So when iOS devices detect any of them was used by your router, the "Weak Security" will pop out.

(https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202068)

• WPA/WPA2 mixed modes
• WPA Personal
• WEP, including WEP Open, WEP Shared, WEP Transitional Security Network, or Dynamic WEP (WEP with 802.1X)
• TKIP, including any security setting with TKIP in the name

 

What you can do?

Change your router security to be one of the following:
WPA3 Personal, WPA2/WPA3 Transitional or WPA2 Personal (AES)
Currently, all TP-Link routers supported changing wireless security, and please update to the latest firmware to improve your security. You can follow this guide to change the wireless security.

 

 

Privacy Warning about Private WLAN address being turned off

 

 

Why does it happen?
To improve privacy, Apple suggested keeping private addresses enabled all the time so that your device would use a different MAC address with each Wi-Fi network. You can find Apple's explanation here.

What you can do?

To get rid of this warning, you can enable the Private Address on your iOS.

This will stop someone from tracking your network activity, however, some users reported that their iOS devices were identified as “unknown” by routers since the random MAC address could not be recognized by the router manufacturer anymore. The related issue has been discussed already, you can find it here and here.

 

 

 

Privacy Warning about not supporting encrypted DNS

 

 

Why does it happen?

Also starting from iOS 14, Apple started supporting encrypted DNS. This iOS privacy feature is meant to be used where the router and the router's handling of DNS cannot be trusted, so it is designed to circumvent whatever the router is doing. Even though the TP-Link Archer routers and Deco don't support encrypted DNS now, they can forward the traffic to the DNS servers without an issue.

 

What you can do?
Try figuring this out, you can try the following:
1. Go to the Wi-Fi Settings of your iOS devices, forget/delete the network, make sure the private address is enabled first then reconnect to this network. Check and confirm if the Privacy Warning will disappear.
2. If that doesn't help, try changing the DNS servers on the router/Deco to 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 manually (For Archer Routers: you can find it under Advanced > Network > Internet; For Deco: Deco App > More > Advanced > IPv4), then go to the Wi-Fi Settings of your iOS devices, forget/delete the network, then reconnect to it again.

This had been discussed also, you can find the discussion below:

For Archer Routers: https://community.tp-link.com/us/home/forum/topic/228716

Fro Deco: https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/504276

 

Welcome to comment below if you have more concerns.