• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

AppleToolBox

Tools and Fixes for Mac, iPad, iPhone & iWatch

Search posts

  • About
  • Contact

CONNECT WITH US

CATEGORIES

  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • iPod
  • Apple Watch
  • Mac/MacBook
  • AirPods
  • Apple TV
  • News
  • Apple Services
  • HomePod
  • Reviews

SITE

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Advertise

Search posts

You are here: Home / iPhone / Personal Hotspot not working? How to troubleshoot

Personal Hotspot not working? How to troubleshoot

By SK 8 comments Last updated October 3, 2019

Personal Hotspot (Internet tethering) can be a crucial feature for many people. Several users have reported that their Personal Hotspot has disappeared or not working properly. If you are having problems, try the following troubleshooting tips:

Related:

  • How to set up and use iPhone/iPad personal hotspot
  • Wi-Fi issues after updating to iOS 13 or iPadOS? Check these 10 tips
  • No Personal Hotspot Option? Hotspot Disappeared? How To Fix

Updated 10/1/2019

Personal Hotspot issues after updating to iOS 13.1?

Several users have reported having issues when setting up a personal hotspot with iOS 13.1 and higher. A few of these users recently updated to the new iPhone 11 Pro and when setting up a personal hotspot, they found that the feature disables itself. Some users have seen interference from other local wi-fi networks making the hotspot feature unstable.

If you are having these issues with your setup, here are a couple of tips to fix this issue.

  1. First and foremost, when faced with any type of connection issues, the best thing is to reset your Network settings on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. On your iPhone, tap on Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings ( Remember to write down your wi-fi credentials since you will be required to re-enter it after the reset)iPhone reset the network settings
  3. Set-up Personal hotspot again and check if the issue is resolved.
  4. On your Mac, reset the Wi-Fi and try setting up the connection again
    1. Switch off Wi-Fi connection on your Mac
    2. Click on  > System Preferences > NetworkPersonal Hotspot not working iOS 13 Fix
    3. Click on Wi-Fi followed by ‘Advanced’ at the bottomPersonal Hotspot issues with iOS 13.1.2
    4. From the Wi-Fi Networks list, delete the one that is related to your iPhone hotspot
    5. Delete by selecting the wi-fi network and clicking on the ‘-‘ buttonDelete Personal Hotspot wi-fi from MacBook
    6. Now restart iPhone and enable Hotspot as you would do normally. Also check your carrier’s guidance.
    7. Turn on Wi-Fi again on your Mac
    8. Re-join the Hotspot connection
  5. Clearing the old connection on your MacBook using Step 4, and re-establishing the network usually fixes this issue for most users.

We hope that you were able to fix personal hotspot issues on your iPhone running iOS 13 and higher with the steps shown above.

Requirements for Personal Hotspot: 

  • Verify that your carrier supports Personal Hotspot for your device and that you have Personal Hotspot enabled on your cellular plan: Your wireless carrier must offer Personal Hotspot to be able to use this feature. And you may need to enable Personal Hotspot on your cellular data plan.Please contact your carrier for more info.
  • iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS can share a connection with USB or Bluetooth. iPhone 4 or later and iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular can share a connection using Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth.

If you your situation meets the above requirements, please refer to the following tips:

  • Make sure that you have enabled Personal hotspot by tapping Settings > Personal Hotspot
  • Turn off and on Personal Hotspot
  • Reset network settings by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
  • If you see an “Unable to Join” or timeout , make sure that you remain on the Personal Hotspot screen until the first device connects. Then you may use your phone normally. Hotspot will stop after 90 seconds of inactivity.  You can start again by tapping Settings > Personal Hotspot.
  • Disable Personal Hotspot then Turn off Bluetooth and turn on WI-Fi and now turn Personal Hotspot ON and stay on this screen until other device is connected.
  • Turn off cellular (Settings > General > Cellular), then turn it back on a few seconds later.

Notes:

  • To avoid unnecessary charges, turn off Personal Hotspot when you are not  using.

Related:

  • Wi-Fi sync not working, fix
  • iPhone Uses Cellular Data While Connected to Wi-Fi: Fix this problem
sudz - apple
SK

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.

Related Posts:

  • iOS 13 or iPadOS problems and how to fix them - Troubleshooting Guide
    iOS 13 or iPadOS problems and how to fix them -…
  • Is your mouse or trackpad not working with your iPad or iPhone?
    Is your mouse or trackpad not working with your iPad or…
  • iMessage not working iOS 13 or iPadOS? Fix it today
    iMessage not working iOS 13 or iPadOS? Fix it today
  • Error occurred installing iOS 13 or iPadOS on iPhone or iPad? How to fix
    Error occurred installing iOS 13 or iPadOS on iPhone or…
  • How to set up a Bluetooth or Magic Mouse with iPadOS
    How to set up a Bluetooth or Magic Mouse with iPadOS
  • Sidecar not working in iPadOS and macOS? How to fix Sidecar problems
    Sidecar not working in iPadOS and macOS? How to fix Sidecar…
  • Common iOS 12 Problems -  A Comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide
    Common iOS 12 Problems - A Comprehensive Troubleshooting…
  • iMessage Not Working iOS 12? Fix Message App Problems
    iMessage Not Working iOS 12? Fix Message App Problems
  • AirPods Pro---The Complete Guide
    AirPods Pro---The Complete Guide

Reader Interactions

Write a Comment Cancel reply

Show 8 Comments

  1. Daniele says

    November 5, 2019 at 5:03 PM

    None of this works when trying to connect to the Amazon Firestick. This is ridiculous and has been going on for over a month!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Jones says

      November 6, 2019 at 8:17 AM

      Hi Daniele,

      There are several reports of iOS 13 and Amazon Firesticks not working well. Amazon is looking into the issue.

      In the meantime, try this workaround:

        Disconnect all devices from the hotspot
        Turn off your personal WiFi hotspot from iPhone and toggle on AirPlane Mode
        Forget the hotspot network from Firestick
        Toggle AirPlane mode off
        Turn back on the personal WiFi hotspot
        Reconnect your Firestick to the network

      If that doesn’t help, try this method:

        On the firestick, go to Settings > Network > choose Forget your connection
        Reconnect to your network and select Advanced
        Add the IP as 172.20.10.4, Gateway as 172.20.10.1, Subnet as 24, and DNS as 8.8.8.8 (Google’s DNS)
      Reply
  2. Alicia Post says

    November 1, 2019 at 11:28 PM

    Still tried everything mention on this page an others. Personal hotspot is on the plan an still nothing is resolved an working. Makes ya wanna switch from iPhone if they can’t even make an update work accurately. My personal hotspot work perfect until I updated to the latest software. Hopefully you guys get this fixed sooner than later. From all the comments read on other sites I’m not the only iPhone user upset over this update issue using personalhotspot.

    Reply
  3. Mehmood Uzair says

    October 19, 2019 at 5:54 AM

    I recently updated my iPhone X to 13.1.3. Since, that my hotspot is not working properly. Other devices get connected but internet connectivity not available.

    Reply
  4. alex says

    December 9, 2016 at 11:01 AM

    My iPhone 4 sees the internet well. My mac, running Maverick, sees the phone but I cannot access the internet on my computer. This is an intermittent problem.

    Reply
  5. kh says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:49 PM

    hahaha… Apple phone is not for the India using networks like TATA DOCOMO,Reliance,Airtel, BSNL etc. as of now… it may take 200 -500 more years ….;-)

    Reply
  6. Lucco says

    September 8, 2015 at 7:50 AM

    Hahaha, buy Android 😛

    Reply
  7. Karen says

    June 5, 2015 at 7:24 AM

    I used to be able to hotspot my Iphone 6 to my Macbook Pro lap top. I am doing the same procedure I have done since the beginning which is turn my hotspot and and connect iphone to macbook. I have reset network settings, turned off and on phone and still no hotspot.

    I called my network and they indicated that there is no issues with their service.

    Help!!

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • iOS 17: What To Expect From Apple’s Next Major Software Release
  • How to Fix Attachments Not Showing in Outlook for Mac
  • 6 Mac Apps for Creating To-Do Lists
  • Safari Experimental Features: All You Need to Know
  • How to View Web Page Source on iPhone/iPad: 7 Best Methods
  • How to Change the Color Profile on Your Mac

Connect with us

Footer

ABOUT

  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

GUIDES

  • iOS 13 & iPadOS
  • Apple ID
  • iCloud
  • App Store
  • iTunes
  • FaceTime
  • iMessage
  • Siri
  • Books and iBooks
  • Game Center
  • AirPlay

CONNECT

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • FeedBurner
  • YouTube

© Copyright 2010-2023 Guiding Tech Media · All Rights Reserved

This site and its content are in no way affiliated or endorsed by Apple, Inc. · Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited