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Network Interfaces

View all network interfaces on your device, including their configuration, status, and traffic statistics.

iPhoneiPadMacApple Vision ProApple TVApple Watch

Overview​

Network Interfaces gives you a complete picture of every network connection available on your device. Whether you are connected via Wi-Fi, Ethernet, cellular, or a VPN, this tool shows the configuration details, current status, and real-time data transfer statistics for each interface. It is useful for diagnosing connectivity issues, verifying VPN configurations, or simply understanding how your device communicates with the network.

Table of Contents​

Network Status Card​

At the top of the screen, a summary card provides a quick snapshot of your device's network state:

  • Network Status -- whether the device is currently connected to a network.
  • Interface Count -- the total number of network interfaces detected on the device. This includes both active and inactive interfaces.
  • Active Count -- how many interfaces are currently up and running.
  • VPN-Like Count -- how many interfaces appear to be VPN or tunnel connections. This can help you confirm whether your VPN is active.
  • Download Traffic -- the total amount of data received across all interfaces since the last system restart.
  • Upload Traffic -- the total amount of data sent across all interfaces since the last system restart.

Controls​

Below the status card, you will find controls to filter the interface list:

  • Search Field -- type to filter interfaces by name. For example, typing "en0" or "utun" will narrow the list to matching interfaces.
  • Show Loopback toggle -- loopback interfaces (like lo0) are used by the device to talk to itself internally. They are shown by default; turn this off to hide them if they are cluttering the list, since they are rarely relevant for troubleshooting.
  • Show Inactive toggle -- inactive interfaces (those that exist on the device but are not currently in use) are shown by default. Turn this off to see only interfaces that are currently active.

Interface Cards​

Each network interface is displayed as its own card with detailed information.

Interface Name And Icon​

Each card begins with the interface name (such as en0, pdp_ip0, or utun3) and an icon indicating the type of connection:

  • Wi-Fi icon -- wireless LAN interfaces (commonly en0 on iPhone/iPad or en0/en1 on Mac).
  • Ethernet icon -- wired network connections (typically on Mac).
  • VPN/Tunnel icon -- VPN and tunnel interfaces (names often start with utun or ipsec).
  • Cellular icon -- mobile data connections (names often start with pdp_ip).
  • Generic network icon -- other interface types.

Status Indicators​

Each interface card shows status badges that tell you its current state:

  • Up -- the interface is enabled and ready to send or receive data.
  • Down -- the interface exists but is not currently enabled.
  • Running -- the interface is actively processing network traffic.
  • Loopback -- the interface is a loopback interface, used by the device to communicate with itself.
  • VPN -- the interface is associated with a VPN or tunnel connection.

Addresses​

The address section shows how the interface is identified on the network:

  • IPv4 Address -- the interface's Internet Protocol version 4 address (e.g., 192.168.1.42). This is the address most commonly used to identify your device on a local network.
  • Netmask -- determines which portion of the IP address identifies the network and which portion identifies the device. For example, a netmask of 255.255.255.0 means the first three number groups identify the network, and the last group identifies your specific device.
  • IPv6 Address -- the interface's Internet Protocol version 6 address. IPv6 addresses are longer (e.g., fe80::1) and are the newer addressing standard that supports far more devices than IPv4.
  • Gateway -- the IP address of the router or gateway that this interface uses to reach the internet or other networks.
  • MAC Address (Mac only) -- the hardware address of the network adapter, a unique identifier assigned by the manufacturer (e.g., A4:83:E7:2B:00:1F). For privacy reasons, this is only shown on Mac.
  • MTU -- Maximum Transmission Unit. This is the largest packet size (in bytes) that the interface can send in a single transmission. A typical value is 1500 bytes for Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Larger MTU values can improve efficiency for bulk data transfers, while smaller values may be needed for certain VPN connections.

Traffic Statistics​

Each interface card shows how much data has been transferred:

  • Download -- the total amount of data received through this interface.
  • Upload -- the total amount of data sent through this interface.
  • Total -- the combined download and upload traffic.

Traffic values are displayed in human-readable units (KB, MB, GB) and update in real time while the tool is open.

Additional Details​

  • Interface Flags -- a technical list of flags that describe the interface's capabilities and state (e.g., whether it supports broadcast or multicast traffic).
  • DNS Servers -- the Domain Name System servers that this interface uses to translate website names (like apple.com) into IP addresses. You may see your router's address or public DNS servers listed here.
  • Multicast Addresses -- addresses used for one-to-many network communication. Multicast allows a device to send data to a group of interested receivers simultaneously rather than to each one individually.

Toolbar​

The toolbar at the top of the screen includes a Refresh button. Tap it to reload all interface data and update traffic statistics to their latest values. While the tool does update traffic in real time, a manual refresh can be useful if you want to confirm the very latest state.

Notes And Limitations​

  • Traffic counters reset when the device restarts. The values shown represent data transferred since the last boot, not all-time totals.
  • MAC addresses are only displayed on Mac. Apple does not expose hardware MAC addresses to apps on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Apple Vision Pro for privacy reasons.
  • Some interfaces (such as inactive VPN tunnels) may appear with minimal information until they become active.
  • The number of interfaces varies significantly between devices. A Mac may show dozens of interfaces, while an iPhone typically shows fewer.
  • Interface names like en0, pdp_ip0, and utun3 are system-assigned technical names. The icon next to each name helps identify the connection type at a glance.
Last updated on by Rogerio Hirooka