captive.apple.com is a tiny test page Apple devices load to check whether a WiFi network needs you to log in. If the page comes back as expected, your iPhone, iPad or Mac knows it's online. If the network redirects it somewhere else, the device knows there's a login page and pops it up for you.
Need to log in to WiFi now? Open Safari and go to http://captive.apple.com. If the network has a login page, you'll be redirected to it. If you just see the word Success, Apple's check got through. Try another website to confirm you're online.
Why your iPhone checks captive.apple.com
Hotel, airport and cafe WiFi often holds new devices at a sign-in page, known as a captive portal, until you accept terms or enter details. Your device can't see that page until it asks for a website. So every time an Apple device joins a network, it quietly requests http://captive.apple.com in the background.
- The real page loads, a blank page with the word "Success". The device treats the network as online and shows no login window.
- Something else loads. The network intercepted the request, so there must be a login page. The device opens it in a small window called the Captive Network Assistant.
Android and Windows do the same thing with their own addresses: connectivitycheck.gstatic.com on Android, www.msftconnecttest.com on Windows.
"captive.apple.com" showed up in my history or logs. Is that a problem?
No. It's an Apple-owned address, and seeing it in your browser history, router logs or network monitor is normal. It means one of your Apple devices checked whether the WiFi needed a login. It doesn't mean you were hacked or redirected anywhere suspicious.
Using captive.apple.com to open a login page manually
Sometimes the automatic check fails and the login window never appears. The address works by hand too:
- Make sure you're connected to the WiFi network.
- Open Safari (or any browser) and type
http://captive.apple.com. Usehttp, nothttps. - You should be redirected to the network's login page. If you see "Success" instead, open another website. If that loads, you're online. If it doesn't, the network is letting Apple's check through while blocking everything else, which is a fault on the network's side. Try NeverSSL or ask staff for help.
It works for the same reason NeverSSL does: it's a plain HTTP page the network is able to intercept.
When the login window still won't appear
- Turn off any VPN or iCloud Private Relay until you've signed in.
- Forget the network and rejoin to clear a half-finished session.
- Change the Private Wi-Fi Address setting for that network. If you're asked to log in over and over, read why your iPhone keeps asking you to log in to WiFi.
Full device-by-device steps are in our guide on how to open the captive portal login page.
If you run the venue
If iPhones don't pop your login page by themselves, check how your portal treats captive.apple.com before login. If it's allowed straight through, iPhones get "Success", decide they're online, and never show the login page. Unauthenticated requests to it should be redirected to your portal. Hardware-specific settings are in our UniFi, Meraki and Aruba guides.