why will my iphone connect to wifi with private Private WiFi Address turned off but will not when it is turned on?

Hello Moonshinegulch.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. According to the following resource here:

Use private Wi-Fi addresses on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch - Apple Support

It states the following information:

A private address doesn't affect how you join or use most Wi-Fi networks, but if a network doesn’t allow your device to join, or doesn’t allow it further network or internet access after joining, you can turn off Private Address for that network.

Is this issue only occurring with this specific Wi-Fi network only or with all Wi-Fi networks you try to join? If it's specific to one Wi-Fi network, you can try reset that specific Wi-Fi router and apply the recommended settings to make sure it works with your device:

Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points - Apple Support

Under "Router settings", it lists the troubleshooting steps you can try. If you confirm this issue is occurring on all Wi-Fi networks you try to join, you can attempt to restart your iPhone, and install any pending updates that might be available for your device.

Restart your iPhone - Apple Support

Steps for iPhone X, 11, or 13

1. Press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power off slider appears.
2. Drag the slider, then wait 30 seconds for your device to turn off. If your device is frozen or unresponsive, force restart your device.
3. To turn your device back on, press and hold the side button (on the right side of your iPhone) until you see the Apple logo.

Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

1. Back up your device using iCloud or your computer.
2. Plug your device into power and connect to the internet with Wi-Fi.
3. Go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update.
4. If you see two software update options available, choose the one that you want to install.
5. Tap Install Now. If you see Download and Install instead, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, then tap Install Now. If you don't know your passcode, learn what to do.

We hope this information is helpful.

Hello there Moonshinegulch,

You're looking for assistance with Wi-Fi not connecting after disabling private Wi-Fi address, right?

This would be expected to occur as your MAC address registered with the Wi-Fi network would be different than what it is at the time of establishing the connection. Check out the following information found via this resource: Use private Wi-Fi addresses on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch

In some cases, your device will change its private Wi-Fi address:

• If you erase all content and settings or reset network settings on the device, your device uses a different private address the next time it connects to that network.

• Starting with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8, if your device hasn’t joined the network in 6 weeks, it uses a different private address the next time it connects to that network. And if you make your device forget the network, it will also forget the private address it used with that network, unless it has been less than 2 weeks since the last time it was made to forget that network. 

We hope that information is able to help with addressing what you're noticing.

Have a great day!

Hello Brandon_J_321. If I read your answer right, it is doing the opposite, it won’t connect with Private WiFi turned on. I can believe that it now has a new MAC address as in my frustration I did a total reset, not realizing that I could have done a settings reset and maybe saved the old MAC address. It is still turned off and still connected. In my phone my Private WiFi address is the same as my WiFi address. Anyway, I believe it is beyond my capabilities as I am not that digitally inclined. Thanks for your response! Cheers 👍

Hello Vilas_S. My phone is connected to WiFi but my Private WiFi is still turned off. I have all the updates, have turned my phone completely off a couple of times, reset my WiFi modem and all is the same. I had done a total reset not realizing I could have reset the settings and maybe saved my MAC address. I don’t know at this time if I could join another WiFi but will try that. I really believe this may be beyond my abilities.