Do you want to know how to change MAC address in Android Phone? If yes then you are at right place. Here we will share a guide to change MAC address in Android.
This is one of the tricks which is used for spoofing MAC address in Android. We will share the trick for both Rooted phone and also Non-Rooted phones. But before that I would like to share some information about MAC address and why do we need to change MAC address in Android. Let’s begin with the actual definition of MAC Address.
What is MAC Address
MAC address stands for ‘Media Access Control address‘. Like an actual address, it is also used to specify the location of each device on a network. It is also known as Ethernet Hardware Address. MAC address is assigned to Network interface card (NIC). If there is more than one NIC then each NICs will have a different MAC address.
How to Check MAC Address in Android
MAC address is provided in every device which has the capability to connect with any network. Checking MAC address is different for different devices like Android, computer etc. In android phone, we can easily find MAC address, follow the steps to find out the MAC address of your phone.
- Open settings on your phone.
- Then go to System > About Phone.
- In about phone, you will find MAC address just below IP address.
So this is how to check MAC address in Android phone. The 12 digit MAC address can be changed with root status or without root status. Check both the method below in the guide.
Also check: How to Change MAC Address on Windows 10
How to Change MAC Address in Android
If you think that changing MAC address is illegal then that’s not true. You can change the MAC address of your device legally. But if you are using it for an illegal work then this is illegal. But if you know that you are going to do only legal things then you can change the MAC address without any doubt.
Change MAC Address in Android [Without Root]
Root permission is not necessary to change MAC address in Android. So if you don’t have a rooted phone then you can follow this method. As this is easy and doesn’t require root and also doesn’t write the changed MAC address into the root directory. So it does also have some limitations.
The first limitation is that when you reboot your phone the MAC address will automatically change into the original MAC address.
The second limitation is that it only works within the devices which have MediaTek chipset.
Steps:
- Download & Install Terminal Emulator for Android from play store.
- Check the MAC address of your device.
- Open the Terminal App and type ‘ip link show‘ and press enter.
- In last you will find the Interface Name commonly wlan0. And also you will see the MAC address of your device written after link/ether.
- Now type the command – ‘ip link set wlan0 xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx‘ and press enter. Here wlan0 is the name of the interface and xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx denotes the new MAC address.
- That’s it! this will change MAC address in Android. You can check it from settings.
As you already know that this method is temporary and have some limitations, that’s why I prefer Root method. Let’s now see how it’s done on Rooted phones.
Change MAC Address in Android [Root]
If you have rooted phone then MAC address can be changed permanently but it is a complex process, so make sure to follow steps carefully. But if you don’t have a rooted phone and want to follow this method then check out how to root Android phones.
Note: Make sure that device is fully rooted. Download the Root Checker and check the root status in the App.
This method also requires Terminal Emulator for Android so download the app from play store. And apart from Emulator BusyBox App is also required or this method.
Install BusyBox App from Playstore and open it. Grant root access to BusyBox. And wait for sometime for smart install, when the loading finishes click on Install. After installation, it will give a successful message.
Steps:
- Open the Terminal Emulator App on your phone.
- Type the command ‘su‘ and press enter. If you are entering this command for the first time then it will ask for Root permission. Provide the access by clicking on Grant.
- Type ‘ip link show‘ and press enter to check interface name and current MAC address. Check the image to know where to find Interface name and MAC address.
- Now type ‘busybox ip link show wlan0‘ and press enter. Here wlan0 is the Interface name so if your device show different interface name then enter that in place of wlan0. This command is just for information, you can also skip it if you want.
- Type the following command to chage MAC address in Android ‘busybox ifconfig wlan0 hw ether XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX‘ and press enter.
- If you want to check changed MAC address then type ‘ip link show wlan0‘ and press enter.
So this is how to change MAC address in Android with root access. This method will change MAC address permanently until you change it with the same procedure. We can also use the MAC address ghost APP to change MAC address or spoof the MAC address in Android.
Change MAC address using MAC Address Ghost App
This App requires Root access so it is only applicable to the devices with Root. This is just an alternative for the above method, so if the above method doesn’t work then try to change MAC address in Android using this method.
This method is just for spoofing MAC address in android and this method is temporary. So it will be revert back when you restart the phone or turn wifi off.
Requirement: Busy Box, Rooted Phone, and MAC address ghost App.
Download and install both the apps on your phone and follow the steps. BusyBox requires system installation so open the BusyBox and grant root permission then click on install.
Steps:
- Open the MAC address ghost app and click on settings (from settings icon on right).
- Now click on Add and then fill the details.
- Profile name could be anything. Fill interface name in interface section (to check interface name follow the above method). And also fill the new MAC address that you want to change to. You can also click on random for a random MAC address.
- Then to save click on OK and close the App.
- Now go to WiFi and forget the wifi to which you want to connect to.
- Again open the MAC address ghost app and now click on profile and select the profile that you have created last time.
- Now click on classic. If it asks for root permission, then provide it.
- Then the app will open wifi settings from there you can connect to the wifi network.
This method is just to connect to a particular WiFi which you are unable to connect to. So this method is only for the user who is facing connectivity problem.
Also read:
- How to Install Android Pie on Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1
- How to Install Android 9 on Redmi Note 4 (Stable Version)
- Download Android Pie Custom ROM for your Device [33 ROMs]
- How to Install Android Pie on OnePlus 6 Phone
So these were few methods to change MAC address in Android. If you want to get trick and guide like this then subscribe to the newsletter or follow our site.
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