IPv6 Is Creeping Up—And You Probably Didn’t Even Notice

So, guess what? We’re almost at the 50% mark for native IPv6 adoption. As of February 15, 2025, native IPv6 usage has hit 47.30% worldwide. 6to4 and Teredo? Dead in the water at 0.00% (honestly, good riddance). But let’s be real—do most people even know, or care, about what’s going on under the hood with internet protocols? Probably not.

But here’s why you should care.

The Slow, Quiet March of IPv6

If you’re reading this on your phone, laptop, or whatever smart fridge you’ve hooked up to Wi-Fi (seriously, why does a fridge need internet access?), there’s a good chance you’re using IPv6 without even realizing it. It’s just there, working in the background, making sure you can binge-watch Netflix, doomscroll social media, or argue about router configurations on Reddit.

But IPv6 adoption hasn’t exactly been a sprint. More like a slow, reluctant shuffle. And that’s kind of wild when you consider that IPv4—our old, faithful internet address system—was officially exhausted over a decade ago.

Think about it. IPv4 was designed back in the 1980s, a time when the internet was more of a science project than a necessity. The idea that we’d need more than 4.3 billion IP addresses seemed laughable. But here we are, in 2025, with smart everything—phones, TVs, thermostats, cars, even dog collars—guzzling up IP addresses like they’re going out of style. (Which, to be fair, they kind of are.)

But Let’s Be Honest… IPv6 Is Kind of Dumb

Look, we get why IPv6 exists. More addresses, better routing, no more NAT nightmares. Cool, great, love it. But can we talk about how absolutely hideous IPv6 addresses are?

With IPv4, you had something like 192.168.1.1. Simple. Clean. Easy to remember.

With IPv6? Oh boy. Have fun dealing with 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334. Yeah, because that’s something the human brain was meant to process.

Imagine telling your coworker, “Hey, just SSH into fe80::1ff:fe23:4567:890a real quick.” Good luck with that. You might as well be reciting ancient Sumerian texts.

And let’s not even start on subnetting in IPv6. You thought /24 in IPv4 was manageable? Well, now you get /64, because every device apparently needs 18 quintillion addresses.

The real reason IPv6 adoption has been so slow? Because network admins everywhere have been staring at those addresses and muttering, “Yeah… I’ll deal with that later.”

So, Why Hasn’t IPv6 Taken Over Yet?

Short answer? Because the internet is a giant, messy, complicated beast.

Longer answer? IPv4 still works. And as long as something still works, people don’t like to change it. It’s like that old router you’ve had for years that barely holds a signal in the next room. Sure, you could upgrade. But do you really want to go through the hassle of setting up a new one?

The same thing has been happening with IPv6. Most big players—Google, Facebook, Amazon, your ISP—have been slowly rolling it out. But for smaller companies, legacy hardware, and businesses that don’t see an immediate need to upgrade? They’ve been dragging their feet.

The Good News? Things Are Changing.

Here’s why:

1. More IPv6-only networks – Some companies (like T-Mobile) have gone full IPv6, ditching IPv4 entirely. And guess what? The internet didn’t break when they did. That’s a pretty good sign.
2. ISPs are (finally) getting their act together – A few years ago, getting IPv6 from your internet provider was like trying to order an off-menu item at a fast-food joint. Now? It’s becoming standard.
3. Cloud services are making the switch – AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud are pushing IPv6 adoption hard. If you host anything online, chances are you’ve already had to think about IPv6, whether you wanted to or not.
4. There’s no more room for IPv4 – Seriously. It’s done. Gone. Finished. The only way to keep using IPv4 now is by using workarounds like CGNAT (which, if you’ve ever tried hosting a game server, you know is a nightmare). IPv6 doesn’t have that problem.

What This Means for You (Yes, You)

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to do anything. IPv6 is just happening, whether you like it or not. But if you’re running a business, a website, or anything that relies on the internet (so, basically everyone), it’s a good idea to check if you’re IPv6-ready.

Test your connection (Google “IPv6 test” and run one in five seconds flat). Check if your ISP supports it. If you’re running a website, make sure it’s reachable over IPv6. The last thing you want is to be that one outdated site that users can’t access because you didn’t future-proof.

Final Thoughts: The Inevitable Future

IPv6 adoption is kind of like switching from landlines to cell phones. Some people held onto their old rotary phones for as long as they could (and let’s be honest, they do look cool). But eventually, the world moved on. And now? We don’t even think about it.

That’s where IPv6 is heading. By this time next year, we’ll probably be over 50%. Five years from now, you’ll look back and wonder why we ever made such a big deal about it in the first place.

But for now, network admins will continue to sigh dramatically every time they have to type out 2001:4860:4860::8888 instead of 8.8.8.8.