Does airplane mode change your IP address?

Yes, in most cases. Turning on airplane mode on your phone cuts all network connections (mobile data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth). When you turn it back off, your phone reconnects to your carrier's mobile network. At that point, the carrier assigns you a new dynamic IP address from its pool of available addresses. Your old address was released during the disconnection and has likely been reassigned to another subscriber.

It is a well-known trick and it works, but not in 100% of situations. Several factors determine whether you actually get a new IP address or end up with the same one.

Why it works

Mobile carriers assign dynamic IP addresses to their subscribers. Unlike a home fibre connection where your IP address can remain stable for weeks, mobile networks reassign addresses frequently. Every time your phone establishes a new data session (a connection to the mobile network), the carrier pulls an address from its pool via DHCP or a similar mechanism.

Airplane mode forces a complete network disconnection. When you turn it back off, the phone negotiates a new data session with the nearest cell tower. The carrier then assigns it an IP address from the pool available at that moment. If the address you had before was taken by another subscriber in the meantime, you receive a different one. This is the most common outcome.

How long to leave airplane mode on

A few seconds sometimes suffice, but it is not guaranteed. The IP address you just used is not immediately recycled by the carrier. There is often a retention period (lease time) during which the address remains "reserved" even after disconnection. If you turn airplane mode off too quickly, the carrier may reassign you the same address.

To maximise your chances of getting a new IP, wait between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. In practice, 1 minute is enough in the vast majority of cases. The larger your carrier's address pool and the more active subscribers at that moment, the higher the probability of receiving a different address.

When it does not work

Static IP address. Some business plans or certain carriers assign static (fixed) IP addresses. In that case, airplane mode will change nothing: you will always get the same IP address back, regardless of how long the disconnection lasts. This is rare on consumer plans, but it exists.

CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT). More and more carriers use CGNAT, which makes hundreds or even thousands of subscribers share a single public IPv4 address. When you toggle airplane mode, your private IP address (the one assigned to your phone on the carrier's internal network) probably changes, but the public IP address (the one websites see) may stay the same, because it is shared with other users through the same CGNAT node. You can have a "new" connection on the carrier side while keeping the same public IP as seen from the outside.

Wi-Fi reconnection. If your phone automatically reconnects to Wi-Fi after turning airplane mode off, your IP address will be the one assigned by the Wi-Fi router, not by the mobile carrier. And that public IP address depends on your home router, not your phone. Airplane mode will have no effect on the public IP in this case.

IPv6. If your carrier assigns you an IPv6 address, the behaviour may differ. Some carriers generate a new IPv6 address with each session, others use a stable prefix tied to your SIM card. With a stable prefix, airplane mode will not fundamentally change your network identifier.

Airplane mode vs restarting the phone

Restarting the phone produces the same effect as the airplane mode on/off cycle, but more slowly. The restart also cuts all network connections and forces a new data session at boot. The advantage of airplane mode is that it is faster: 30 seconds instead of 2 to 3 minutes for a full restart.

Some people believe that restarting "cleans" the connection more thoroughly than airplane mode. As far as IP address assignment is concerned, there is no difference. Both methods force a new data session with the carrier.

What changing your IP does not do

Changing your IP address via airplane mode does not make you anonymous. Websites and online services use many other mechanisms to identify you:

Cookies remain stored in your browser after the IP change. If you are logged into a Google, Facebook or any other account, the IP change does not affect that identification. The site still knows it is you.

Browser fingerprinting identifies your device through a combination of technical characteristics: screen resolution, installed fonts, browser version, language, time zone. This fingerprint does not change when your IP changes.

Your carrier keeps connection logs. It knows which IP address was assigned to you at what time. In the event of a legal request, both the old and the new IP address are traceable back to your subscription.

Airplane mode is useful for getting a new IP address in practical situations (bypassing a temporary IP-based block, fixing a connection issue, accessing a service that rate-limits by IP), but it is not a privacy tool. For real online privacy protection, a VPN or the Tor network are far better suited.

On a Wi-Fi connection, it changes nothing

Airplane mode may also cut Wi-Fi (depending on your phone's settings), but when you turn it off and reconnect to the same Wi-Fi network, you get the same local IP address or one in the same range. More importantly, the public IP address (the one websites see) belongs to your home router, not your phone. To change the public IP of a Wi-Fi connection, you need to restart the router, not the phone.

And even restarting the router is no guarantee. Fibre ISPs often assign IP addresses that remain stable for weeks or even months. Some assign near-static IPs that only change after a technical intervention.

Quick summary

Airplane mode is the fastest way to change your IP address on a mobile connection. Turn it on, wait a minute, turn it off. In most cases, you will get a new IP. But keep in mind that it does not work on Wi-Fi, CGNAT can limit the effect, and an IP change does not make you invisible online.