Turn on Personal Hotspot
Personal Hotspot turns your iPhone into a small wi-fi router that shares its mobile data with a laptop, tablet or another phone.
- Make sure Cellular Data is on in Settings › Cellular (Mobile Data or Mobile Service in some regions). The hotspot can only share a connection the phone has.
- Open Settings › Personal Hotspot. On some iOS versions it sits under Settings › Cellular › Personal Hotspot.
- Turn on Allow Others to Join.
- Note the Wi-Fi Password on the same screen. Tap it to change it to something easier to type.
- On the other device, open its wi-fi list, choose the network named after your iPhone (for example “Sam’s iPhone”) and enter the password.
When something connects, a green or blue indicator appears in the status bar or behind the time on recent iPhones.
The Allow Others to Join toggle
This switch is what makes the hotspot visible. With it off, only devices signed in to your own Apple Account, or members of your Family Sharing group if you’ve allowed them under Family Sharing on the same screen, can use the hotspot (Apple calls this Instant Hotspot). They find it in their own wi-fi menu without a password.
With it on, anyone with the password can join. Turn it off again when you’re done, so a neighbour on the train can’t keep trying your password.
On newer iPhones you’ll also see Maximize Compatibility. Turning it on makes the hotspot use a slower wi-fi band that older laptops, consoles and car systems can see. Try it if one device can’t find the network but others can.
Connecting over wi-fi, USB or Bluetooth
| Method | How | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-fi | Join the iPhone’s network with the password | Most devices, and several at once |
| USB | Plug the iPhone into the computer and tap Trust on the phone if asked | A laptop that also needs charging; often the steadiest connection |
| Bluetooth | Pair the devices first, then choose the iPhone as a network on the other device | Light use, such as messaging on a tablet; slower than wi-fi |
On a Windows PC, USB tethering may need Apple’s device software installed before the iPhone shows up as a network.
Hotspot not showing up
Work through these in order:
- Keep the Personal Hotspot screen open on the iPhone while the other device searches. If nothing connects for a while, the phone may stop advertising the network.
- Check cellular data is on and set to the line you expect, with signal. No data, no hotspot.
- Toggle Allow Others to Join off and on, then toggle wi-fi off and on on the other device.
- Try Maximize Compatibilityif only one device can’t see the network.
- Restart both devices, and install any carrier settings update offered under Settings › General › About.
- Reset network settings as a last resort: on recent iOS versions, Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone › Reset › Reset Network Settings. It forgets saved wi-fi networks.
If Personal Hotspot is missing from Settings entirely, or greyed out, the line you’re using for data may not allow it. Some plans don’t include tethering. Ask the provider before spending an hour on settings.
How much data a hotspot uses
Everything a connected device does comes out of your iPhone’s allowance. A laptop is the hungry one: it loads full desktop sites, syncs cloud folders, and may start downloading a system update the moment it sees a connection.
A few habits keep that under control:
- Pause cloud sync and automatic updates on the laptop before you connect.
- Look for a low-data or metered-connection option for the hotspot network on the laptop, so it holds back background downloads.
- Lower video quality in streaming apps and on video calls.
- Turn the hotspot off when you’re not using it.
Our data calculator turns your habits into a plan size. Add a margin for anything you tether.
Using a hotspot abroad
Abroad, a hotspot shares whichever line is set for Cellular Data. If that’s your home line, every megabyte the laptop uses is roaming data, which is how a short trip turns into a big bill. Point cellular data at a travel eSIM instead. The guide to switching lines on iPhone shows where.
Whether a travel plan allows tethering depends on the plan: the network behind it sets the rule. On our site, plans that allow it say “Hotspot / tethering included”at checkout, so check there before paying if you’ll be working from a laptop.
From the live catalogue, for a few common destinations:
| Destination | Plans | Allow hotspot | Hotspot plans from |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 37 | 37 | €1.83 |
| United Kingdom | 36 | 36 | €1.24 |
| France | 36 | 36 | €1.05 |
| Japan | 116 | 116 | €1.11 |
One travel eSIM with tethering can also cover two people. If a companion’s phone can’t take an eSIM, they can join your hotspot.
Turning it off
Go back to Settings › Personal Hotspot and switch off Allow Others to Join. Devices already connected are dropped, and the network stops being visible to anyone outside your Apple Account and Family Sharing group.
Planning to work on the road? Browse eSIM plans by country, the Europe regional plans or unlimited plans, and check each plan’s details for tethering before you buy.