- Some apps on your iPhone and iPad may request permission to find and connect to devices on your local network.
- These apps typically need to find compatible devices on your network — smart home apps may need to connect to smart speakers and other smart devices, for example.
- Here’s how to approve or revoke access to these apps.
If you have iOS 14 or later on your iPhone (or iPadOS 14 on an iPad), you may have seen an app asking for permission to “find and connect to devices on your local network.” It’s not always clear what this vaguely worded message is asking for. Here’s everything you need to know about iPhone apps and LAN access.
Why Apps Ask for LAN Access on Your iPhone or iPad
While it’s a relatively new innovation for apps to ask permission to find and connect to devices on your local network, what’s actually happening isn’t new or different; apps have been doing it for years. The difference is that Apple now requires apps to ask for permission.
When you see this, an app usually wants to scan the network for compatible devices.
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The local network is usually your Wi-Fi network, and when an app asks for permission to search and connect to devices on the network, it usually does this to see if there’s a compatible device it can use. function. For example, music and audio apps might want to see if there’s a compatible portable speaker or smart speaker on your network that it can stream or cast to. Or a smart home app may need to scan your network to find all connected compatible devices in your home.
Not all apps tell you why they want permission to find and connect to devices, although Apple allows developers to customize the message with more details about what it’s looking for.
Should you allow apps to find and connect to devices on your local network?
In general, the authorization is safe and allows the application to work as intended. Even so, if it’s unclear why the app is asking for permission, or if you don’t need or want the extra features this kind of connectivity would provide, you can safely deny permission. security. Even if you deny permission, the app can still access the internet – it just can’t scan your network for additional information. And if you change your mind later, you can authorize the app through Settings (see the next section).
How to Grant or Revoke LAN Access on an iPhone or iPad
Whether you grant or deny permission for an app to find and connect to devices on your local network, you can change your mind at any time and grant or revoke that permission later. To do this, run the Settings app and press Privacy and Security. Faucet LAN, and you should see a list of all devices that have or want permission. You can control access using the button to the right of each app.
You can give or revoke LAN access at any time from the Settings app.
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