An Android phone can have several IP addresses at once: a local IP on the Wi-Fi network, a separate address on mobile data, and a public IP that websites see. Which one you need depends on the job — connecting to a printer or your router needs the Wi-Fi address, while checking a VPN or a geolocation needs the public one. Here is how to find each in under a minute, plus fixes for an IP that will not load or keeps changing.
Which IP do you need?
| IP | Where it comes from | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
Wi-Fi (local) IP, e.g. 192.168.1.40 | Your router, over Wi-Fi | Opening the router page, printers, casting, file transfer apps |
| Mobile-data IP | Your carrier | Rarely useful; often private or IPv6 |
Public IP, e.g. 203.0.113.42 | The router's ISP, or the carrier on mobile data | Checking a VPN, seeing what sites see, geolocation questions |
Find your public IP
Open Chrome (or any browser) and go to Show-IP.ir. Your public IP address, country, city, carrier and approximate map position appear instantly, with a security check. Your public IP changes depending on how you are connected: on home Wi-Fi it is your home connection's address, while on mobile data it is a carrier address that is shared with other customers and changes often. For that reason the city on the map can be wrong on mobile data — see why IP location is sometimes off and what CGNAT is.
Find your local Wi-Fi IP
Menu names differ between Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi and others, but the path is similar:
- Open Settings → Network & internet (Samsung: Connections) → Wi-Fi.
- Tap the gear icon (or the network name) of the network you are connected to.
- Expand Advanced or View more if you see it.
- Read IP address; Gateway is your router.
Another place that works on many phones: Settings → About phone → Status information (sometimes Status). It lists the IP address of the connection currently in use — on mobile data that is the carrier-assigned address.
Developers can also use adb shell ip addr show wlan0 from a computer, or curl show-ip.ir inside Termux for the public address.
Use the gateway to reach the router
The Gateway line is the router's address. Type it into the phone's browser to open the router's admin page, as explained in the router login guide. Turn off any VPN first, or the page will not load.
Troubleshooting
"Obtaining IP address…" never finishes, or the IP is 0.0.0.0 / 169.254.x.x
The phone is not getting a reply from the router's DHCP server. Toggle Wi-Fi off and on, or switch airplane mode on for ten seconds. If it persists, tap the network, choose Forget and join again, then restart the router. A 169.254 address is a self-assigned fallback that has no internet. If only one phone fails, check whether the router has a MAC filter or a full DHCP pool.
The IP keeps changing
Two common causes. First, the router hands out leases and may give a new address after a while. Second, many phones use a randomized MAC address per Wi-Fi network, and some rotate it, so the router sees a new device. To keep one address, open the network's settings and pick Use device MAC (wording varies), then create a DHCP reservation in the router. Background: IP vs MAC address. You can also set IP settings → Static on the phone, but that only works if the address is outside the router's DHCP range, so a reservation is safer.
The public IP changes all the time on mobile data
That is normal: carriers assign addresses from large shared pools and change them when the connection resets. Toggling airplane mode often gives a new one, which is also a trick from how to change your IP address. For why home and mobile addresses differ, read static vs dynamic IP.
Frequently asked
Why is the IP in Settings different from the one on Show-IP.ir?
Settings shows your local address on Wi-Fi or the carrier's internal address on mobile data. Show-IP.ir shows the public address that the whole internet sees. Both are correct; see Private vs Public IP.
Does a VPN app change the IP shown in Settings?
The public IP changes to the VPN server's. Settings may also list a separate address for the VPN tunnel. To make sure a VPN is working without leaks, follow this leak test.
Can someone find my home address from my phone's IP?
No. An IP reveals a rough area and the provider, not a street address; see what your IP can and cannot reveal.
Key takeaways
- Public IP: open Show-IP.ir in your phone's browser — it differs between Wi-Fi and mobile data.
- Local Wi-Fi IP: Settings → Wi-Fi → gear icon of your network → Advanced; Gateway is the router.
- About phone → Status information shows the address of the active connection.
- Stuck on "Obtaining IP address" or 169.254.x.x: toggle Wi-Fi, forget and rejoin, restart the router.
- Randomized MAC addresses are a common reason a phone's local IP keeps changing.