How to set up a mobile hotspot

A mobile hotspot lets your phone share its mobile data with a laptop, tablet or another phone, which is handy when home Wi-Fi is down or you are traveling. Steps are given for Android phones and iPhones.

What you need

• A phone with working mobile data. If data is not working on the phone itself, start with mobile data not working.
• A mobile plan that allows hotspot use. Some plans block it or limit it. If you cannot find or turn on the setting, Apple advises checking that your carrier has enabled it. Check your plan with your carrier's website or app.
• The other device, with its Wi-Fi switched on.

Turn on the hotspot

On an iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Personal Hotspot. It may also appear under Cellular.
3. Turn on Allow Others to Join.
4. Note the Wi-Fi password shown on this screen. Stay on this screen until the other device has connected.

On Android

Menu names vary by phone maker and Android version. On a Google Pixel phone:

1. Open Settings then Network & internet then Hotspot & tethering.
2. Tap Wi-Fi hotspot. If the phone has never used a hotspot, you may first need to tap Set up Wi-Fi hotspot.
3. Turn on Wi-Fi hotspot.
4. Tap the hotspot entry to see or change its name and password. Keep a password set.

On Samsung and other phones, search Settings for hotspot. A quicker route is to swipe down from the top of the screen and touch and hold the Hotspot tile. If you cannot find the tile, tap the edit option and drag it in.

Connect your other device

1. On the laptop, tablet or second phone, open its Wi-Fi list. If the list does not show the hotspot, turn that device's Wi-Fi off and on.
2. Choose the network whose name matches your phone. On an iPhone, the name is usually the phone's name.
3. Enter the hotspot password shown on your phone.
4. Open a web page to test it. An iPhone hotspot may show a Personal Hotspot symbol beside the network name on the connected device.

Google says an Android hotspot can share with up to 10 other devices by Wi-Fi, though a plan or phone may limit this. Android also supports Bluetooth and USB tethering, and an iPhone can share over USB with a Mac. A Mac cannot use USB tethering with an Android phone.

Keep it secure

• Use a password only you know. Do not choose the setting that removes the password, because anyone nearby could join and use your data.
• Only share the password with people you trust.
• Turn the hotspot off when you are done, so nothing keeps using your data.

Check that it worked

On the phone, a hotspot symbol or a notification shows it is on. On the other device, the Wi-Fi shows connected and a web page loads. Websites that load on the phone but not on the laptop point to a laptop setting. See Wi-Fi connected but no internet.

If something goes wrong

iPhone

Apple suggests these steps in order:

1. Check that Personal Hotspot and Allow Others to Join are both on.
2. Restart the iPhone and the device that needs to connect.
3. Update to the latest iOS in Settings then General then Software Update.
4. On iPhone 12 or later, open Settings then Personal Hotspot and turn on Maximize Compatibility, then reconnect. Apple notes this may reduce internet speed and Wi-Fi security for connected devices.
5. If nothing else works, use Reset Network Settings. This deletes saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, so see how to reset network settings on a phone first.

Android

• Restart the phone and check mobile data works on it.
• Turn off Data Saver, as noted above.
• Forget the hotspot on the other device and join again with the password.
• If the hotspot option is missing or greyed out, your plan may not include it. Check with your carrier.

Frequently asked questions