Tech 101: How to use your iPhone as a mobile hotspot

October 4, 2021

By Kim Komando

If you have a laptop, you can get some work done on the go. That is if you have an internet connection. The thing is, we’re not always near a trustworthy network. Tap or click here for four ways to get internet in your RV: Antenna, Wi-Fi extender, booster and hotspot.

You can either pack up your laptop and find a coffee shop or create a hotspot with your iPhone when you need internet. By enabling a couple of settings on your iPhone, you’ll be able to share your mobile data with your computer or any other device.

Setting up a mobile hotspot isn’t as daunting of a task as you might be thinking. Read on to find out how to turn your iPhone into a hotspot quickly.

Create a Wi-Fi hotspot

It only takes a few taps to create a sharable internet connection on your iOS device. Tap Settings, and in the first group of options, tap Personal Hotspot. To make it a secure connection, enter a password in the Wi-Fi Password box. When that is done, toggle the slider next to Allow Others to Join to the right to enable it.

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The hotspot is now ready to go and anybody with the password can connect to it. On the other device, the process to join is the same as any other Wi-Fi connection. On the second device, open the Settings app, and tap Wi-Fi.

Look for your created Wi-Fi hotspot and tap on it to connect. You’ll be asked to enter the password, and after that is done, it will connect.

Create a Bluetooth hotspot

The actions for creating a Bluetooth hotspot are almost the same, except that the connection method is slightly different. After following the steps in creating a hotspot with a secure password, you’ll need to pair your iPhone with the device that needs internet.

Go to the Settings app and tap Bluetooth. Enable Bluetooth by sliding the toggle next to it to the right. Now your device is discoverable. When the other device’s Bluetooth is also turned on, it will be displayed in the list of gadgets that you can connect to. Tap the name of the second device.

Usually, you will be asked to verify the passcode that is displayed on both screens. If it is the same code, you know that you are connecting to the right device. Note: For iOS-to-iOS connections, Apple suggests using Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth.

Using USB to create a hotspot

In cases where your computer or laptop doesn’t have a Bluetooth receiver, the next best option is to connect through a USB cable. Again, go through setting up a hotspot by toggling the Allow Others to Join slider.

For the next step, you’ll need the latest version of iTunes installed on your machine. If you don’t, a notification will pop up when you open it, prompting you to update.

With the created hotspot active, connect your iPhone with a Lightning-to-USB cable to your computer. On your device, you’ll see a popup asking you if you Trust This Computer. Tap the Trust button and iTunes will start to sync data.

The connected computer will automatically use your iPhone’s internet connection, and there is nothing else that you need to do. On a Windows-based computer, look on the right side of the taskbar. You’ll see your iPhone listed as a wired internet connection.

Things to keep in mind

At any point, you can close the hotspot by disabling the slider next to Allow Others to Join in the Personal Hotspot section of Settings. If you are sharing a connection through a USB cable, you can simply unplug the iPhone and the connection will be canceled.

Android fans: How to turn your Android into a mobile hotspot

If you have Family Sharing enabled, family members can join your Personal Hotspot automatically. While it is not advisable, it can be set up without a password. For Family Sharing, go to Settings, tap Personal Hotspot > Family Sharing.

A list of family members will be displayed and you have the option of them joining automatically or only with your approval. For the latter, you need to tap on Approve whenever they want to make a connection.