Is your iPhone personal hotspot not working after iOS 16 update? Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try to get connected.
Personal hotspot is a handy feature that lets you share your iPhone’s cellular data connection with other devices like MacBooks or iPads. That is, it’s handy when it works.
According to some reports online, iOS 16 and its subsequent point releases may be causing issues with personal hotspot on iPhone.
See also: iPhone 13 / 13 Pro Hotspot Not Working? Fix
If your iPhone has failed to enable your personal hotspot, your iPhone hotspot is not discoverable, or you’re encountering any other hotspot problems after iOS 16 update, keep reading. We’re going to look at how to fix iPhone tethering.
The tips on this article applies to iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone12, iPhone 11, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone SE.
How to fix personal hotspot issues in iOS 16
It isn’t clear what’s causing the hotspot connectivity issues, but it seems to be tied to a problem in iOS 16. Since we don’t what’s causing it specifically, we can’t pin down an exact fix — but we can run through some basic troubleshooting steps.
If your iPhone personal hotspot isn’t working after iOS 16 update, here are the best solutions to fix the issue:
Confirm Your Phone Plan Includes Personal Hotspot
Have you changed your phone plan recently or switched phone companies? Personal Hotspot might not be working because your plan doesn’t include it. Most phone companies’ data plans include Personal Hotspot these days, but some don’t. You may also be able to remove the feature. So, before you do anything else, log into your phone company account and make sure your plan includes Personal Hotspot. If it doesn’t, add it.
Confirm Your iPhone’s Internet Connection Is Working
To determine if your problem lies with your internet connection, make sure that your cellular data is switched on. Perform a quick Google search to confirm if your data is slow or getting bad reception.
Check your cellular data limit for the month to make sure if you have exceeded it or not. If you’re on a prepaid plan with a limit, your data speeds will be throttled when you pass it, rendering your hotspot unusable. You will have to contact your data provider to fix the problem.
Restart iPhone to fix personal hotspot in iOS 16
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. When you use your iPhone frequently and have several programs running in the background, your iPhone’s processing can become slower, and even experience some bugs. There is a chance your iOS 16 hotspot problem can be resolved simply by restarting your device.
To do this, go to Settings > General > Shut down. Leave your iPhone off for 30 seconds to a minute before turning it back on. Then check to see if the problem is resolved.
Toggle Airplane Mode to fix hotspot in iOS 16
Airplane mode disables a device’s wireless transmission functions, this includes cellular radio, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Sometimes when you’re facing Hotspot problems in iOS 16, enabling and disabling airplane mode can help resolve the problem by restarting your network connections.
To do this, pull down your Control center and select the Airplane mode icon and wait for 30 seconds to a minute before disabling it again. Then check to see if the iPhone 12 Hotspot problem is resolved.
Turn Personal Hotspot Off and On
Sometimes you need to reset your Personal Hotspot to get it working again. Do that by turning it on and off: Go to Settings > Personal Hotspot > move the Allow Others to Join slider to off/white and then back to on/green.
Turn Cellular Data On and Off
The problem with Personal Hotspot might be related to your iPhone’s connection to cellular data networks. If your iPhone is having trouble connecting to those networks, Personal Hotspot might not work either. Reset your cellular data connection by turning it on and off: Go to Settings > Cellular > move the Cellular Data slider to off/white and back to on/green.
Disable Your VPN
Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a smart way to protect your online privacy but it can also cause issues with mobile connectivity on the phone. A VPN routes your traffic through its servers, and this can cause decrease your connection speed.
It is recommended to disable VPNs when using your mobile’s hotspot to prevent connection problems.
To disable your VPN, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Disable any active VPNs.
Try a Different Connection Method
Most people assume that in order to use a personal hotspot, you need to use a Wi-Fi connection. That’s not true. You can also use Bluetooth or even a trusty USB cable to make the connection.
By trying alternative hotspot connection methods, you can rule out (or establish!) a problem with your phone’s Wi-Fi hardware.
If you’re attempting to use Bluetooth, you need to pair your iPhone with the computer or mobile device you’re trying to share the hotspot with. On an iPhone, that means you need to go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap on the name of the device in question.
If this is the first time that you’ve connected the other device, you may need to go through a PIN verification process.
Using a USB cable to connect to a hotspot is as simple as connecting your phone to a computer and selecting the hotspot from the list of available networks. USB also benefits from being the fastest type of connection. If speed is important to you, this is the best solution.
Update your carrier settings
Updating carrier settings may fix your iOS 16 hotspot problem. Here is how:
- Go to Settings > General > About.
- if a new update is available, you’ll see an option (a popup will appear). Then follow the onscreen instructions.
Update iOS
Every new version of the iOS—the operating system that runs on the iPhone—includes bug fixes. Your iPhone Personal Hotspot might not be working due to a bug that’s fixed by a subsequent iOS 16 update. Install the latest version of iOS 16 to see if it fixes your problem.
Enable Maximize Compatibility on your iPhone
The latest iPhone models have some different networking features and options than earlier devices, including 5G. These options can sometimes cause a problem for older models connecting to them. Solve this by going to Settings > Personal Hotspot > move the Maximize Compatibility slider to on/green.
Reset Network Settings
iOS offers a built-in way to erase user data and restore settings to the factory defaults. However, you can also take a more granular approach by only removing certain kinds of data.
In the case of your iPhone personal hotspot not working after iOS 16 update, you only need to delete the network settings. To do so, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. You will need to enter your passcode before the phone lets you proceed.
The reset process will remove all your Wi-Fi and carrier settings and delete your custom iPhone name. This will give you a blank slate to make sure there wasn’t an erroneous network setting causing the hotspot problem.
Sign Out of iCloud
Some people have also claimed that logging out of your iCloud account can resolve iPhone personal hotspot not working after iOS 16 update issue. It’s not clear why doing do so would fix a network issue, but it’s worth a shot if nothing else has solved it.
To sign out of your iCloud account, go to Settings > [Username] > Sign Out. Make sure you log back into your account to re-enable your iCloud services.
See also: iOS 16 draining your iPhone battery? 19 Best Fixes!
Reset Your iPhone
The last-ditch solution is to wipe the operating system—along with all your user data—and reset your entire iPhone.
You can go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings to begin the process. But you should be sure to make a backup first.
Alternatively, you can also achieve the same outcome by using Finder or iTunes on a computer. Connect your phone to your computer, open the Finder or iTunes app, choose your iPhone in the left-hand panel, and click on Restore iPhone.
Visit an Apple Service Center Next
If all else fails, you can head to an Apple Store (or an Authorized Service Provider) and get the Genius Bar there to take a look. There’s a chance you’re facing a hardware issue. If you are, no amount of fiddling with settings or types of connection will solve your iOS 16 hotspot problems.
Hotspot not working after iOS 16 update? Fixed
It can be frustrating dealing With iOS 16 hotspot issues as they always happen to occur when you need the internet the most. The solutions explained on this article should fix any problem you may face on your phone. Network issues often occur when you’re in an area with a weak connection, so make sure to always check your area when using your phone’s hotspot.
Have you faced hotspot problems after iOS 16 update? Drop a comment and let us know.