I've just got a brand new iPhone 16 Pro Max, and I'm hoping to use it completely anonymously online. I'm not going to use a SIM card, just Wi-Fi, and I'm curious about how I can turn this phone into what folks call a "ghost phone." I want to hide the phone's ID and make it super hard to trace so that no one knows who owns it. I'm thinking about jailbreaking it, but I'd love to hear any tips or experiences from anyone who's tried this.
1 Answer
Honestly, trying to make your iPhone completely anonymous is really tough. Even if you aren't using a SIM card, the network provider can still see your device's IMEI and MAC address. Those are tied to you, even if you think you’re flying under the radar. Jailbreaking the iPhone 16 isn’t really straightforward, either. You might check out r/jailbreak for any info on that, but keep in mind, the phone's still going to have some identifying markers. Just a heads up!
Yeah, it's almost impossible to go completely off the grid with modern smartphones. I'd say focus on using a VPN and encrypted apps if you really want some privacy!
If you're set on anonymity, consider using older devices with fewer tracking features, but yeah, even those can't guarantee full invisibility.