How to hotspot on iPhone, Samsung, Android and more

A personal hotspot is a feature on smartphones that lets you share your mobile 4G or 5G internet connection with your other devices. When you turn on your personal hotspot, your phone acts like a small WiFi router, and other devices can connect to it using WiFi, just like they would connect to your home internet. 

Mobile hotspots are useful when you're in a place that doesn't have WiFi but your phone still has a 4G or 5G connection. You can connect your laptop or tablet to your phone’s hotspot to go online, allowing you to stay connected when there’s no WiFi available.  Just keep in mind that using your hotspot uses up your phone’s data plan, and it can also make your battery drain faster.

A hotspot takes the internet signal from your phone’s mobile data and turns it into a WiFi signal that other devices can connect to. Your phone connects to the internet through a mobile network, and when you turn on the hotspot, your phone broadcasts a small wireless signal, just like your WiFi router does at home. 

Other devices, like a laptop or tablet, can see this signal and connect to it using the password you set. Once connected, those devices use your phone’s data to access the internet, which will work as normal as long as your phone has a strong enough signal and enough data in your mobile plan.

The process might look something this:

1. Your phone gets mobile data – Your phone connects to the internet using your 4G or 5G, just like it does when you’re browsing or using apps.

2. You turn on the hotspot feature – You go into your phone’s settings and switch on the personal hotspot option.

3. Your phone creates a WiFi signal – Once the hotspot is on, your phone acts like a mini-Wi-Fi router and sends out a wireless signal.

4. Other devices connect to the signal – Laptops, tablets, or other phones nearby can find your phone’s signal and connect to it by entering the password you set.

5. They use your phone’s data to go online – Once connected, those devices use your phone’s mobile data to browse the internet, watch videos, or do anything else online.

For a hotspot to work properly, you need a few basic things in place. These make sure your phone can connect to the internet and share that connection with other devices.

Here’s what you’ll need:

The way you turn on and use hotspot depends on the device you’re hotpspotting from. Whether you’re using an iPhone, Samsung, or another Android phone, the steps are straightforward and mostly involve turning on the hotspot feature in your phone’s settings.

On most phones, there’s a section in settings called "Personal Hotspot" or "Mobile Hotspot" where you can turn hotspot on and connect your devices to it. You’ll usually see network name and a password there that others will use to connect to.

Once the hotspot is on, you can go to the device you want to connect to it, like a laptop, and find the phone’s hotspot name in your WiFi settings.

To break down the process, here’s a step-to-step guide to hotspotting on multiple devices:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Personal Hotspot (or go to Cellular > Personal Hotspot).

3. Toggle on Allow Others to Join.

4. You’ll see a Wi-Fi password. This is the password others need to connect.

5. On another device, look for your iPhone's name in the WiFi list and connect using that password.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Connections (or Network & Internet on some versions).

3. Select Mobile Hotspot and Tethering.

4. Tap Mobile Hotspot and toggle it on.

5. You can tap Mobile Hotspot again to see or change the network name and password.

6. Other devices can now find your Samsung phone in the Wi-Fi list and connect.

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap Network & Internet or Connections, depending on the phone.

3. Select Hotspot & Tethering.

4. Tap Wi-Fi Hotspot (sometimes just called Hotspot) and turn it on.

5. You’ll see or can set the network name and password.

6. Use this info on another device to connect via Wi-Fi.

There's are a few important things to consider if you want your hotspot to work as it should while you're connected. For one, keep in mind that using your phone as a hotspot uses your mobile data, and if you have a limited data plan, your hotspot might eat through your data quickly, especially if you’re streaming videos, downloading files, or browsing heavily.

Another thing to consider is your phone’s battery life. Hotspot mode can drain your phone’s battery quickly because it’s using both mobile data and Wi-Fi at the same time. To avoid running out of power, it’s a good idea to keep your phone plugged into a charger while using it as a hotspot.

You should also think about the strength of your phone’s signal. If you don’t have a strong 4G or 5G connection, you’ll likely get slow internet speeds or even make your hotspot connection drop out. And if you’re in an area with poor signal strength, your hotspot might not work at all.

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