Printer App Local Network Permission on iPhone, Mac, Android

You install the printer maker’s app, it asks whether it may find devices on your network, you tap Don’t Allow without thinking, and now the app insists there is no printer. This is one of the most common reasons a printer app fails during setup. The printer app local network permission controls whether an app may search your home network, and both Apple and Google now ask you before granting it. This guide explains what the permission does and how to turn it back on.

What the permission is for

Printers announce themselves on the local network, and printer apps find them by listening for those announcements or by scanning the network. Phones and computers now treat that as a privacy-sensitive action, because a list of devices on your network can reveal a lot about you. Apple’s support article notes that apps with local network access can collect information about nearby devices, which could be used to build a profile of you.

So the first time a printer app tries to look around your network, the system asks:

• iPhone and iPad (iOS and iPadOS 14 or later): a prompt saying the app would like to find and connect to devices on your local network.
• Mac (macOS Sequoia 15 and later): a similar prompt, controlled in System Settings.
• Android (13 and later): apps that manage Wi-Fi connections request the Nearby devices permission, according to Android’s developer documentation. Some printer apps also ask for location or Bluetooth, which they may use during setup.

What happens if you deny it

Denying local network access does not cut the app off from the internet. Apple says the app can still use the internet and can still reach the local network through system services such as AirPrint. That means:

• Printing from Photos, Safari or Mail using the Share menu and Print still works, because AirPrint is a system service. See how to print from iPhone with AirPrint.
• The maker’s own app cannot find the printer, cannot show ink levels, and cannot run Wi-Fi setup or scanning features that depend on talking to the printer directly.

If you only need to print, you may not need the maker’s app at all. If you want scanning to your phone, ink levels or the app’s setup wizard, allow access.

Turn it back on: iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Privacy & Security.
3. Tap Local Network.
4. Find the printer app and switch it on.
5. Open the app again and search for the printer.

If the app is missing from the list, it has not asked yet. Open it and start adding a printer, which should trigger the prompt.

Turn it back on: Mac

On macOS Sequoia 15 and later, Apple’s Mac User Guide gives these steps:

1. Choose Apple menu, System Settings.
2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar (you may need to scroll).
3. Click Local Network.
4. Switch access on for the printer app.

On a Mac, you do not need a maker’s app to print to most printers. Adding the printer through Printers & Scanners uses AirPrint or the system’s own printing system; see how to add a printer on Mac. Maker apps on the Mac mostly add scanning, maintenance and firmware tools.

Turn it on: Android

Menus differ slightly between phone makers, but the usual path is:

1. Open Settings, then Apps.
2. Choose the printer app.
3. Tap Permissions.
4. Set Nearby devices to Allow. If the app also lists Location or Bluetooth and uses them for setup, allow those while you set up the printer.

Android’s developer documentation explains that the Nearby devices permission groups Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ultra-wideband access, so you approve them together. For printing itself, Android’s built-in print service is often enough; our guide to printing from Android covers the Default Print Service and Mopria.

Other permissions printer apps ask for

The local network prompt is rarely the only one. During setup, a printer app may also ask for:

• Bluetooth. Some printers use Bluetooth Low Energy during first setup so the app can hand over your Wi-Fi details before the printer is on the network. If the app asks for Bluetooth only during setup, you can usually switch it off afterwards.
• Location. On older Android versions, apps that scanned for Wi-Fi networks needed location permission. Android’s documentation explains that the Nearby devices permission was introduced in Android 13 so apps that manage Wi-Fi connections no longer need location for that. An app that still asks for location may be targeting older versions or using it for something else, so read its explanation.
• Photos and files. Needed to pick what to print. On iPhone you can give access to selected photos only.
• Camera. Used by some apps to scan documents with the phone or to read a setup code.
• Notifications. Used for ink alerts and job status. Optional.

A good rule is to allow what the setup needs, then review the list once the printer works. Anything the app needs again will prompt you again.

Which app should you use at all?

You may not need a maker’s app for everyday printing. iPhone and iPad print through AirPrint, Android has the Default Print Service and Mopria, and Macs print through AirPrint or the system’s printer drivers. The maker’s app becomes useful for Wi-Fi setup on printers without a screen, scanning to the phone, ink levels and firmware updates. Our guide to updating printer firmware explains why the last of those matters.

Still cannot find the printer?

Permission is only one piece. If the app has access and still sees nothing:

• Same network. The phone and printer must be on the same Wi-Fi network. Guest networks and some mesh or extender setups separate them; see printers on guest Wi-Fi.
• VPN and private relay. A VPN can stop the phone seeing local devices. Turn it off while you set up.
• Printer asleep or offline. Wake the printer and print a network report to check its IP address and network name. Our guide to finding a printer’s IP address shows how.
• Driverless alternative. Many printers work without any app; see driverless printing explained.

Keep permissions tidy

The Local Network list on iPhone and Mac, and the app permission pages on Android, are worth a look now and then. Switch access off for apps you no longer use with your printer, and leave it on only for the apps that need it. You can always turn it on again the next time you set up a printer.