diff --git a/examples/gnrc_networking/Makefile b/examples/gnrc_networking/Makefile
index aa06541d76..a59b776599 100644
--- a/examples/gnrc_networking/Makefile
+++ b/examples/gnrc_networking/Makefile
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ USEMODULE += auto_init_gnrc_rpl
 USEMODULE += gnrc_pktdump
 # Additional networking modules that can be dropped if not needed
 USEMODULE += gnrc_icmpv6_echo
+USEMODULE += netutils
 # Add also the shell, some shell commands
 USEMODULE += shell
 USEMODULE += shell_commands
diff --git a/examples/gnrc_networking/udp.c b/examples/gnrc_networking/udp.c
index f7ae44df6d..ad222e5135 100644
--- a/examples/gnrc_networking/udp.c
+++ b/examples/gnrc_networking/udp.c
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include "net/gnrc/netif/hdr.h"
 #include "net/gnrc/udp.h"
 #include "net/gnrc/pktdump.h"
+#include "net/utils.h"
 #include "timex.h"
 #include "utlist.h"
 #if IS_USED(MODULE_ZTIMER_MSEC)
@@ -43,21 +44,12 @@ static gnrc_netreg_entry_t server =
 static void send(char *addr_str, char *port_str, char *data, unsigned int num,
                  unsigned int delay)
 {
-    gnrc_netif_t *netif = NULL;
-    char *iface;
+    netif_t *netif;
     uint16_t port;
     ipv6_addr_t addr;
 
-    iface = ipv6_addr_split_iface(addr_str);
-    if ((!iface) && (gnrc_netif_numof() == 1)) {
-        netif = gnrc_netif_iter(NULL);
-    }
-    else if (iface) {
-        netif = gnrc_netif_get_by_pid(atoi(iface));
-    }
-
     /* parse destination address */
-    if (ipv6_addr_from_str(&addr, addr_str) == NULL) {
+    if (netutils_get_ipv6(&addr, &netif, addr_str) < 0) {
         puts("Error: unable to parse destination address");
         return;
     }
@@ -97,7 +89,8 @@ static void send(char *addr_str, char *port_str, char *data, unsigned int num,
         if (netif != NULL) {
             gnrc_pktsnip_t *netif_hdr = gnrc_netif_hdr_build(NULL, 0, NULL, 0);
 
-            gnrc_netif_hdr_set_netif(netif_hdr->data, netif);
+            gnrc_netif_hdr_set_netif(netif_hdr->data,
+                                     container_of(netif, gnrc_netif_t, netif));
             ip = gnrc_pkt_prepend(ip, netif_hdr);
         }
         /* send packet */