Your iPhone’s personal hotspot may not be working at times. The remote work scenario could make you rely more on your iPhone hotspot. So here are some simple steps you can take to fix the ‘iPhone personal hotspot not working.’
These are simple measures, and you may not need to go through all of these to fix the issue. However, we’ve listed them in the order of the most common fixes to last-resort measures. Do let us know in the comments which method helped you.
How to fix ‘iPhone Personal Hotspot Not Working’
- 1. Turn Airplane Mode On/Off
- 2. Check and Change Password
- 3. Allow Others To Join
- 4. Check Maximize Compatibility Options
- 5. Disconnect and Reconnect Devices
- 6. Restart iPhone
- 7. Reset Network Settings
- 8. Try iPhone Personal Hotspot Over USB
- 9. Bluetooth Pairing
- 10. Check if your iPhone is up to date
- 11. Contact Apple Support
1. Turn Airplane Mode On/Off
This is the simplest step you can take to fix your personal hotspot not working on the iPhone. Go to Settings and toggle Airplane mode on and off.
2. Check and Change Password
Next up, change your hotspot password and re-enter it on your connected devices. You can change your Hotspot password by going to Settings > Personal Hotspot > Wi-Fi Password.
3. Allow Others To Join
If you haven’t checked the “Allow others to join” box, you can’t use your iPhone’s personal hotspot. Go to Settings > Personal Hotspot > Allow Others To Join.
4. Check Maximize Compatibility Options
Maximize compatibility switches the Hotspot from 5Ghz to 2.4Ghz, which lets you connect to older devices. This could slow down internet speeds but ensure you get a connection. Go to Settings > Personal Hotspot > Maximize Compatibility to enable/disable this option.
5. Disconnect and Reconnect Devices
At this point, you’ve tried all the Hotspot settings from your iPhone. Try to disconnect and reconnect your connected devices from the Hotspot. This should help you get rid of any underlying troubles and let you access the internet.
6. Restart iPhone
If nothing has worked so far, try and restart your iPhone. To restart your iPhone, press and hold down either the volume buttons or the power button. Slide down the on-screen slider to shut down your iPhone. Wait for 30 seconds and turn it back on by pressing and holding down the power button.
7. Reset Network Settings
If restarting doesn’t work, you can reset the network settings on your iPhone. Avoid this step if you have an eSIM because resetting network settings will likely delete your eSIM too, which is a lot of hassle.
If you don’t have an eSIM, you can proceed with this step. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
8. Try iPhone Personal Hotspot Over USB
If the wireless hotspot doesn’t work, try connecting it over USB. While you can only connect to one device via USB, this method ensures a faster and stabler connection. It is also more secure if you don’t want others using your network.
Plug your iPhone into your computer with a USB cable and toggle the ‘Allow Others to Join’ off and on. Select ‘USB Only’ from the pop-up, and your iPhone hotspot will tether to your computer via USB.
9. Bluetooth Pairing
If you don’t have a USB cable or don’t want to use one, pair the devices you want to use with your iPhone. Paired devices are easier to share Hotspot with. Please go to Settings > Bluetooth and find and pair your devices. You can now share WiFi over Bluetooth.
10. Check if your iPhone is up to date
If you’re at this step, then nothing else has worked, and it is probably a nasty bug that won’t let you use your iPhone’s personal hotspot. Check if you’re running the latest iOS version and if not, update your iPhone.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install Update. You can also toggle on automatic updates so your iPhone can update overnight or when charging.
11. Contact Apple Support
You’ve taken all the measures above, and nothing has worked. Your last hope now is to connect with Apple Support and inform them about the issue.
Did these steps fix the ‘iPhone personal hotspot not working’ problem for you? If yes, then let us know which one did it for you.
We’ve also curated tutorials on how to clear cache on Safari, and how to use a Siri shortcut to eject water from your iPhone. Do check these out to improve your iPhone experience further.
