Every device that connects to a network—whether it is a laptop, a smart TV, or an Android smartphone—possesses a Media Access Control (MAC) address. This is a unique, 12-character alphanumeric identifier permanently assigned to your device’s network hardware by the manufacturer. Unlike your IP address, which changes depending on the network you join, your true device MAC address is permanent.
You typically only need to find your MAC address when attempting to connect to a highly secure or restricted Wi-Fi network. For example, many university campuses, corporate offices, and some high-security home routers use “MAC Filtering.” This security measure requires the network administrator to manually whitelist your specific MAC address before you are allowed to connect to the internet.
The Problem with Android 10 and Randomised MAC Addresses
Before you begin hunting for your MAC address, you must understand a critical privacy feature introduced in Android 10. To prevent retail stores and public Wi-Fi networks from tracking your physical movements across locations, Android now generates a fake, “randomised” MAC address every time you connect to a new network.
This is fantastic for privacy, but it completely breaks MAC filtering. If a network administrator whitelists your true device MAC address, but your phone attempts to connect using a fake, randomised one, the network will reject you. Therefore, you must know how to find both your true device MAC address and how to disable randomisation for specific networks.
How to Find Your True Device MAC Address
To find the permanent hardware MAC address assigned to your Android phone, you need to check the “About Phone” section in your system settings. (Note: Exact menu names may vary slightly depending on whether you are using a Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, or another manufacturer, but the general path remains the same).
- Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
- Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the list and tap on About phone.
- Depending on your manufacturer, tap on Status information or simply scroll down the “About phone” page.
- Locate the field labelled Wi-Fi MAC address (or sometimes Device MAC address).
- You will see a 12-character code formatted with colons, such as
A1:B2:C3:D4:E5:F6. This is your permanent hardware identifier.
Provide this exact alphanumeric string to the network administrator who needs to whitelist your device.
How to Disable MAC Randomisation for a Specific Network
Once the administrator has whitelisted your true device MAC address, you must instruct your Android phone to actually use it. By default, your phone will still try to use a fake address when connecting.
- Ensure you are within range of the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to.
- Open Settings and tap on Wi-Fi (or Network & internet > Internet).
- Locate the specific network in the list of available connections.
- Tap the Gear icon (Settings) next to the network name. If you have not connected yet, you may need to tap the network, enter the password, and then immediately tap the Gear icon before it gets rejected.
- Tap on Advanced to expand the hidden settings options.
- Look for a setting named Privacy or MAC address type.
- Tap on it and change the selection from Use randomised MAC (default) to Use device MAC.
Now, whenever your phone attempts to connect to this specific network, it will present the true, whitelisted MAC address. This setting is network-specific, meaning your phone will continue to protect your privacy by using randomised addresses on all other public Wi-Fi connections.
