If you want to change the MAC address of your physical device for security purposes then learn here how to change android MAC address temporarily Without Rooting.
Media Access Control is also known as MAC. Any hardware that is connected has a MAC address which is made up of 12 characters; it can be numeric or alphabets. So your computer or printer or your phone all will have a unique MAC address.
Why would you want to change MAC address on android? Ordinarily it is not in your best interest to change the MAC address. But, there are some instances where you might want to change it. For example if you are near a WiFi hotspot then for reasons of security and privacy it will be in your best interest to temporarily change the MAC address on android. Another example would be if you wanted to change your network card or new router, again it will be better to change the MAC address. This is because your network service provider binds their service to a particular address and when you change the network card conflict arises. The service might stop working unless you change the address. Sometimes you might be asked to change the MAC address on android by a service for their purposes.
How To Change Android MAC Address Temporarily Without Rooting
The MAC address on android of course can be changed permanently but it is not a good idea to do that. Temporary changes can be reverted if it is not working properly but permanent changes might land you in trouble of all kinds. Most techniques for temporary change of MAC address require a rooted device but here you will see how to do it without rooting.
The first step is to find the current MAC address of your device. There are many ways to go about it.
- Go to Menu and then Settings. Scroll down till you reach About Tablet. Tap on Status and then scroll down again till you see the address. The same technique can be used on an Android phone except you will be looking at About Phone.
- Another way to check the address on an android phone is to go to Settings and then from there to About Phone. Tap on Hardware information and you can see the address.
- You can also tap on the Wireless Network button on Settings. There tap on WiFi settings and go to Advanced settings where you will find the address of the device.
The next step is to get an app called the Android Terminal Emulator. It is free. Install it on your phone or tablet. To make changes to your address you will need to know the name of your card. Now start the app and key in ‘ip link show’. The interfaces on your device will be listed out. Look for the address that matches the device address in the list. Once you find it, it is easy to change it. For example if the device address is ‘yy:yy:yy:yy:yy:yy’ then to change it ‘yy:yy:yy:xx:xx:xx’ key in following.
ip link set aaaa address yy:yy:yy:xx:xx:xx
ip link set aaaa broadcast yy:yy:yy:xx:xx:xx
Here ‘aaaa’ is the name of the interface. To confirm whether the address has changed or not just key in the following.
ip link show aaaa
Note, that in the new address on the last 3 sets of characters can be changed. The first three sets should not be tampered with. Changing them will cause problems in authentication.
If this set of instructions do not work out satisfactorily you can also download apps from PlayStore which will do all the work for you. You have to only follow their instruction. One such app is the MAC changer app.
Remember that the address change is temporary so whenever your device is rebooted then you will lose the changes. You will have to repeat the whole thing each time.
