If you’re stuck in a situation where Personal Hotspot is missing on your iPhone or iPad, you’ve come to the right place. This issue is generally pretty easy to diagnose, and I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step so you can fix the no Personal Hotspot on iPhone or iPad issue for good.
The Personal Hotspot feature in iPhones and iPads is a lifesaver. It lets you share your cellular data with someone else in need or from one of your devices to another. This is especially useful when someone is in dire need of an internet connection. If your iPad or iPhone hotspot disappeared, keep reading. We’ll look at all the different fixes you can try to restore missing Personal Hotspot option on your iPhone or iPad.
How to Fix Missing personal hotspot on iPhone or iPad
There can be many things that cause an iPhone or iPad Personal Hotspot to disappear. Please try the tips below and after each tip, check to see if the Personal Hotspot setting becomes available.
1. Make sure Cellular Data is enabled on your iPhone
If cellular data is disabled, your iPhone hotspot won’t show up. Go to Settings > Cellular Data and then toggle on Cellular Data.
If Cellular Data option is already enabled, you may need to toggle it off and on to restore the missing hotspot feature.
2. Turn airplane mode on and off
This is a simple but effective tip. I often do this whenever I have a connection problem, including Personal Hotspot problem. On your iPhone, tap Settings, find Airplane Mode. Switch it on, and wait for about a minute and then turn it off.
3. Update your iPhone
A software bug may be preventing Personal Hotspot from showing on your iPhone. It’s possible that Apple has already released an update to fix the issue.
To check for iOS update, go to Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is available, you’ll be asked to download and install it.
4. Check for carrier settings updates
As carrier settings updates come with bug fixes, installing these updates may help solve the problem when Personal Hotspot is missing on your iPhone or iPad.
To check for carrier settings updateS, go to Settings > General > About. A popup will appear if a new carrier settings update is available. Tap Update.
Please note: you need a stable Internet connection to install carrier settings updates on your iPhone or iPad.
5. Make sure that your wireless carrier plan supports Hotspot
You may not know if the Hotspot feature is attached to your phone service. If you are not sure, contact your carrier. If this is the case, you may not see the Hotspot settings on your iPhone.
6. Restart your iPhone
It’s always worth following the age-old advice of turning your device off and on again if Personal Hotspot option is missing on your iPhone or iPad,. Here is how you can do this:
- iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15: Press and hold the side and the volume up (or down) together until you see the power off slider. Drag the slider. The wait for about a minute. Then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Other iPhone models: Press and hold the side or top button until the power off slider appears. Then slide the slider. Then press and hold the side or top button to turn your iPhone back on.
7. Force restart your iPhone
If a regular restart doesn’t resolve your issue, the next step is to try force restart. Different iPhone models require different procedures for this. Here is how:
- iPhone 8 or later (iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15): First press and release the volume up button and press and release the volume down button and then press and hold the Side button until your iPhone restarts.
- iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the side and volume down buttons together until you see the Apple logo.
- Other earlier iPhone models (iPhone 5, iPhone 6 etc): Press and hold the home and power buttons together until your iPhone restarts.
8. Remove and Reinsert the SIM Card
In every mobile phone, the SIM card is essential to make calls, send messages, and use mobile data.
When your iPhone or iPad has trouble recognizing the SIM card properly, it will naturally cause Personal Hotspot to disappear. So, the way to solve this is to simply remove and reinsert the SIM card.
- Insert a SIM ejector tool into the hole next to the SIM tray and press until the tray ejects.
- Inspect the SIM Card for any damage. If it’s dusty, wipe it off with a soft damp cloth, but be sure it’s completely dry before reinserting it into your iPhone.
- Put your SIM card back into the tray, reinsert the SIM tray into your iPhone, and cross your fingers. If the Personal Hotspot option appears, congratulations — you fixed the issue!
9. Reset APN Settings
Wrong APN data can also cause your iPhone hotspot to disappear. If your carrier has this feature and you know the codes, you can add them yourself. Alternatively, you can reset your APN Settings. Doing so will erase any custom APN settings you have previously configured, and your iPhone will revert to the default APN settings provided by your mobile network provider.
To reset your APN settings, follow the steps below:
- Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Network.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap Reset Settings.
10. Reset network settings
Resetting the network settings on your iPhone or iPad will clear out anything potentially preventing Personal Hotspot from showing up. Thus, it may fix your problem. Please note that doing so will also erase your current networking settings such as Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular data settings and VPN settings. To do this:
To reset network settings, tap Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. If asked, enter your passcode.
11. Reset Your iPhone
If nothing works, it’s time to reset your iPhone. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings. This restores all your iPhone’s settings to their default state without deleting any data.
Erasing all data and wiping your device’s operating system should be a last-ditch solution when your iPhone hotspot still isn’t showing up. If you want to go that route, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings to begin to factory reset your entire iPhone. But you should be sure to make a backup first.
Alternatively, you can achieve the same outcome 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.
12. Still no Personal Hotspot on iPhone or iPad?
If all else fails and Personal Hotspot is still not showing on your iPhone or iPad, you’re going to need support. Here are your options:
- Contact your carrier: There’s a possibility your carrier has disabled the Personal Hotspot option for your account. For more information, you’ll need to contact your carrier’ support team (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile US) ETC. and raise the issue with them.
- Contact Apple Support: There’s a chance the issue you’re facing is hardware-related. If that’s the case, no amount of fiddling with settings will restore missing Personal Hotspot option on your iPhone or iPad.Contact Apple Support for help.
Wrapping It Up
I really hope this article has helped you to understand, diagnose, and fix the no Personal Hotspot issue on your iPhone or iPad. If have any questions or comments you’d like to share, please leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to respond as soon as possible.
Thank you so much for reading and I wish you all the best,