Welcome, iPhone hotspot users! Have you ever encountered the ‘pulling-your-hair-out’ moment when your hotspot connection went from ‘stellar’ to ‘not working at all’ in a flash? Everyone’s been there, and you’ve probably landed here because you are looking for ways to troubleshoot your iPhone hotspot for a smooth experience.
The Personal Hotspot option on your iPhone allows you to use your phone’s connectivity as a link to the Internet for devices that only have the Wi-Fi option. This offers a reliable and convenient way to stay connected wherever you are as long as you have cellular data on your phone. If you are wondering how to use hotspot on iPhone, the steps are a breeze. Open the Settings app on your iPhone > tap Personal Hotspot and toggle it on. Also, toggle Allow Others to Join and note the password or create a new password.
So, if you are on the go and need to quickly finish an Internal-related task on your Mac, the personal hotspot on your iPhone can come to the rescue. But your frustration will know no bounds if the hotspot connection keeps disconnecting or you keep staring at the eternal loading wheel of annoyance.
With this guide, we are diving into the world of iPhone hotspot troubleshooting. We hope to arm you with tricks, tips, and fixes to conquer the common connectivity conundrums. Let’s go!
Troubleshooting Tips For the Common Hotspot Errors
Refuses to turn on
This is one of the most commonly encountered problems. There might be some temporary software glitches due to which the hotspot is not turning on. You can try restarting your iPhone and then turn on the hotspot again. Restarting will give your phone a fresh start and fix the temporary glitches.
Check whether the hotspot not activating on your iPhone is due to carrier restrictions. Some carriers disable or restrict hotspot functionality. You can contact your carrier to confirm your plan includes hotspot usage. Ensure this is enabled on your account.
Other devices cannot find your personal hotspot connection
This might be due to incorrect settings. You have to check whether the settings are configured correctly by going to the Settings app > Cellular > Personal Hotspot. Here, verify that both Personal Hotspot and Allow Others to Join are turned on.
However, if other devices still cannot detect your phone’s hotspot, you can try these steps:
- Verify device compatibility. Ensure the device you are trying to connect is compatible with the hotspot frequency of your iPhone.
- Ensure your iPhone is visible. To confirm this, go to the Settings app > tap General > tap AirDrop and set Discoverability to Everyone.
- Confirm that both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled because these must be active on your iPhone and the device trying to connect to your personal hotspot.
You can also try restarting your device and then turning on your personal hotspot to see if the problem is resolved.
Devices can see your hotspot but cannot connect to it
This issue might occur when you have set a specific number of devices that can join your hotspot. For instance, if you have only two devices to stay connected at the same time, a third device won’t be able to join.
If you need a third device to join your hotspot network, you have to change the number of devices that can connect to your hotspot. However, please note that the more devices connected to your hotspot, the slower the Internet connection speed will be for each individual device.
Moreover, verify whether you are entering the correct password. Sometimes, not being able to connect to a network is all about mistyping the password.
The hotspot connection is spotty
If you are experiencing frequent disconnections and slow Internet speeds, you can try the following fixes:
- Check your cellular data plan and ensure you are on the plan offering the highest speed. Also, check whether you have sufficient data remaining. If there’s not enough data remaining, the connection will be spotty.
- If your data plan is not the culprit, you might consider moving to a better location where the network is stronger.
- Disconnect some of the unused devices connected to your hotspot to improve connection speed.
Additional Troubleshooting Tips:
- Always keep your device software and iPhone updated. The updates typically include performance improvements and bug fixes. You can benefit from these enhancements.
- Be prepared that turning on the iPhone hotspot means your iPhone’s battery will be drained significantly. You must carry a power bank with you or enable the low power mode when on the go.
- Turn off the hotspot when not in use.
The Bottom Line
So, now you know the common hotspot problems encountered by iPhone users and the troubleshooting steps to implement to overcome them.
Do you have any recommendations or advice for your fellow iPhone users using personal hotspots for on-the-go connectivity? Leave a comment.
