Have you ever wished you could share your iPhone’s 3G/4G cellular connection with Wi-Fi-only devices nearby, such as laptops and non-cellular iPads? You’re in luck: it’s easy to set up an iPhone 18 Pro Max as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, opening up its web connection to anyone who is close enough and has the password. Here’s how.
Should I create a Wi-Fi hotspot with my iPhone?
Let’s say you’re travelling with your iPhone, and a MacBook or Wi-Fi-only iPad, and want to do some work. At this point you’ve got two options: do the work on the larger-screen devices, but without being able to connect to any online resources; or go online but be stuck with a smaller screen.
Turning your iPhone into a Wi-Fi hotspot gives you a handy third option, allowing the laptop and tablet to piggyback on the phone’s web connection. Wi-Fi hotspots are great for working on the go.
It’s easy to turn your iPhone 18 Pro Max into a hotspot, but you may wish to check with your phone carrier first or at least check your contract’s terms and conditions; while most networks will include Tethering as part of your plan, some networks prefer you not to do this and may charge you extra (or cap your data allowance) if they spot you setting up a hotspot. For example, a network may include Tethering as part of your data allowance if you are pay monthly, but if you are on PAYG you might have to pay extra.
And while we’re talking about data allowances, this is another thing to bear in mind: if you have a limited allowance you should only use the Wi-Fi hotspot for a short while. Be aware that your Mac or PC might gobble through data at a rapid rate compared to if you were just surfing on your iPhone.
How to turn on hotspot on an iPhone
Creating a hotspot turns the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max into a Wi-Fi router, much like the one in your home. The iPhone connects to the internet using its 3G/4G cellular data connection, and then broadcasts this via a Wi-Fi connection that your Mac, iPad, PC, or other device, can connect to. You can also create a wired connection to your computer’s USB port.
Note that once your hotspot is turned on your iPhone will be using 3G or 4G for its data connection. That fact is pretty obvious, but it’s worth mentioning because you might log onto a hotel Wi-Fi with your iPhone and think you can share it that way: you can’t.
There are two ways to create your hotspot on your iPhone.
Turn on an iPhone hotspot – the quick way
The quickest way to turn on a Hotspot is to do this:
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Swipe down from the top-right edge to open Control Center.
- Touch and hold inside the block of four icons representing Airplane mode, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- This will open a larger block of icons, including AirDrop and Personal Hotspot. Just tap on the Personal Hotspot and it will become ‘Discoverable’.
Turn on an iPhone hotspot via Settings
- Open Settings
- Tap Personal Hotspot. Follow the onscreen instructions.
- If you want to create a Hotspot you will need to Allow Others to Join – even if you aren’t planning to let others join. Your Hotspot will automatically become ‘discoverable’ but others will need to enter a password in order to join your Hotspot.
- You can choose who is allowed to use your Personal Hotspot, set a password, and—if you’re in a Family Sharing group—decide if you want to automatically share your Personal Hotspot with specific family members.
To change the password later, go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot, then tap Wi-Fi password and enter a new password.
How to connect to an iPhone hotspot from an iPhone or iPad
Connecting an iPhone or iPad to a hotspot is simple. Follow these steps:
- While sharing your hotspot from your iPhone, open the second iPhone, or iPad open Settings.
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Tap on Wi-Fi.
- Various Wi-Fi networks will show up. These should include the Hotspot created by the iPhone. Select that hotspot.
- You may need to log on. If you need the password look on the Hotspot sharing iPhone. You’ll see it in Settings > Personal Hotspot (or Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot).
You will now be connected to the web via that iPhone’s data connection.
If you are connecting to a Hotspot being broadcast by your own device, then any other device you own should connect without a password, as long as you are logged into iCloud. If you use Family Sharing you will automatically connect to a family member’s Hotspot (and they to yours) without requiring a password.
How to connect to your iPhone 18 Pro Max hotspot from a Mac
Now you are sharing your hotspot from your iPhone you can easily connect to it from a Mac. Here’s how:
- Click the Wi-Fi icon in your Mac’s Menu bar. You will see a number of Wi-Fi networks it can see locally. Turn on Wi-Fi if necessary.
- In your Personal Hotspots section you should see your iPhone’s Hotspot (if you don’t have a section for Personal Hotspot you should find it below). Choose it.
- Your Mac should connect automatically, as long as you are signed in to iCloud, otherwise, enter the password as shown in the Personal Hotspot section on your iPhone.
You can now browse the internet on your Mac or iPad using the data connection from the iPhone. Your mileage may vary, however, depending on how good the iPhone’s network connection is. You might find the internet runs a little slower than you’re used to.
When you’ve finished, don’t forget to tap Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot on your iPhone 18 Pro Max and set it to Off.
What if your Mac won’t connect to your Wi-Fi hotspot?
We had an issue connecting our Mac to the Wi-Fi hotspot created by our iPhone. It eventually fixed itself.
We had the options to Run Diagnostics. The wizard ran various diagnostic tests on our Mac before creating a diagnostics report.
How to connect to your iPhone hotspot from a PC (Windows)
Once you are sharing your hotspot from your iPhone you should be able to see the Wi-Fi hotspot and connect to it via your PC.
- Start by turning Wi-Fi on.
- Then click on the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar.
- Choose your iPhone.
- Click Connect.
Enter the password.
How to connect to your iPhone hotspot via Bluetooth
You could also connect using Bluetooth. You will need to pair your iPhone and your computer using a code.
- On a Mac you will need to open System Settings > Bluetooth, look for your iPhone and click connect.
- On a PC you will need to click on Join a Personal Area Network, and choose the iPhone from the devices shown.
How to connect to an iPhone hotspot via USB
You can also connect directly to your iPhone from your Mac using a USB-cable, which might be the best option for you if you are somewhere where there are a lot of competing Wi-Fi networks or because you don’t feel that it would be secure to broadcast your connection (although nobody should be able to piggy-back it without a password), it may also be faster to use a USB connection than Wi-Fi. Here’s how:
Connect the iPhone to your Mac using the USB cable the iPhone shipped with.
If you see an alert on your iPhone that says Trust This Computer? tap Trust.
As soon as it’s connected by a cable, your Mac or Windows device is able to use the cellular connection on your iPhone.
Dangers & warnings
What if someone tries to hijack your connection, burning through your data connection and/or accessing dodgy sites and content?
You should be okay, because the iPhone hotspot is password-protected. (All the more reason not to choose the word “password” or something else that’s easily guessed.) And you’ll see a small notification at the top of your iPhone’s screen when a device accesses its hotspot, so you’ll get a warning if someone in your train carriage does manage to guess your password.
A more important warning concerns data limits on your own surfing. It’s easy to forget, when accessing the web over a device that’s normally limited to Wi-Fi connections, that you’re working against a 3G or 4G data limit. Remember that you’re on the clock, so to speak, and we’d suggest avoiding downloading large apps and similar.
