Guides · Your public IP address
IPv4 vs IPv6: Why You See Only One IP Address
Compare IPv4 and IPv6, understand dual stack and NAT, learn why this connection shows one address, and find both versions safely.
IPv4 and IPv6 are two versions of the Internet Protocol. A modern phone or computer often supports both, yet a website normally sees only the address selected for that specific connection. Seeing IPv4 in your report does not prove that your device lacks IPv6—and seeing IPv6 does not mean IPv4 has disappeared.
Address format and capacity
IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses, conventionally written as four decimal octets such as 203.0.113.24. Its roughly 4.3 billion possible addresses are insufficient for every device, so reuse through NAT is widespread.
IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses written in hexadecimal, for example 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334. The vastly larger space supports abundant addressing and simpler network planning. Both examples are documentation ranges, not live addresses to query.
Why dual-stack devices show only one address
A dual-stack device can use either protocol. DNS may return both A (IPv4) and AAAA (IPv6) records, and the browser or operating system chooses a working route, often using Happy Eyeballs to avoid a slow connection.
The result can vary by Wi-Fi network, mobile operator, VPN, destination and temporary outages. MyIP Info reports the protocol of this request rather than claiming it is your only IP. To test both after deployment, use the same API with forced protocol selection.
# IPv4 connection
curl -4 https://my-ip-info.com/api/ip
# IPv6 connection (requires working IPv6)
curl -6 https://my-ip-info.com/api/ipNAT, firewalls and privacy are separate topics
IPv4 commonly uses NAT to share a scarce public address. IPv6 can assign globally routable addresses without NAT, but a network firewall can and should still block unsolicited inbound traffic. A global IPv6 address is not automatically an open port.
IPv6 privacy extensions can rotate temporary interface identifiers, while a network prefix may remain stable. IPv4 can also change. Neither version guarantees anonymity, and neither is inherently always faster or more secure; routing, configuration and implementation quality matter.
How to find both versions on your device
Windows ipconfig, macOS and Linux network settings, and Wi-Fi details on phones can list local and global addresses. Your router may show the public WAN addresses as well. Remember that a private or link-local address is not the public IP a website sees.
If IPv6 is missing, check whether the operator and router support it and whether your VPN carries IPv6 traffic. Do not enable random tunnel services just to force a result. A reliable native dual-stack configuration is preferable.
Summary
IPv4 and IPv6 can coexist on the same device and website. The address in your report identifies the route used now, not a permanent limitation. Check both protocols deliberately and evaluate NAT, firewalling and privacy as separate layers.