This wikiHow teaches you how to connect other devices to an iPhone to share their data connection to the internet. This process is known as "tethering" or creating a personal "hotspot". The term "hotspot" identifies any public or private internet access point. It is good to remember that not all telephone operators allow you to activate and use tethering for free, so additional costs may apply.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Create a Wi-Fi Hotspot
Step 1. Launch the iPhone Settings app
It features a gray gear icon located on the device's Home screen.
Step 2. Tap the Personal Hotspot option
It is located in the first group of options in the "Settings" menu.
- If the entry in question is not present, choose the option "Mobile phone", then select "Personal hotspot". You may be prompted to call your carrier's customer support to sign up for a phone plan that supports enabling cross-device tethering. In this case, additional costs may apply.
- If the option "Personal hotspot" it is not present in any menu, it means that it is not included in your current telephone plan, so you must necessarily contact your telephone provider.
Step 3. Activate the Personal Hotspot slider
It will turn green, indicating that the feature has been activated successfully. If your current phone plan does not support tethering (or if you need an activation confirmation), you will be asked to personally contact your carrier's customer service before you can proceed.
Step 4. Tap on Wi-Fi Password
In this way, you will have the possibility to change the default password that protects access to the wireless network created by the iPhone.
Step 5. Enter the new password to access the Wi-Fi network
Make sure you use a strong password that is difficult to crack, especially if you want to use tethering in a busy public place.
Step 6. Press the Finish button
In this way, the password to access the Wi-Fi network generated by the iPhone will be changed.
Step 7. Use a second device to view the list of wireless networks available in the area
The precise procedure to follow obviously varies according to the device used, but in any case you can connect to the Wi-Fi network managed by the iPhone exactly as you would to connect to any wireless network.
Step 8. Select the Wi-Fi network managed by the iPhone from the list of those available
The wireless network under consideration will be displayed with the same name that has been assigned to the iOS device that manages it.
Step 9. When prompted, type the login password you created in the previous steps
This step is required in order to connect to the indicated Wi-Fi network. You can check the correctness of the password at any time by accessing the "Personal Hotspot" menu on the iPhone.
Step 10. Check for an internet connection on the tethered device
After connecting to the Wi-Fi network created by the iPhone, your device should be able to take advantage of the iPhone's data connection to browse the web. Be very careful because, if you are using a desktop or laptop computer, you could run the risk of consuming all the data traffic on your phone plan much faster than using a mobile device.
Method 2 of 3: USB tethering
Step 1. Launch the iPhone Settings app
It features a gray gear icon located on the device's Home screen.
Step 2. Tap the Personal Hotspot option
It is located in the first group of options in the "Settings" menu. If the option "Personal hotspot" it is not present, it means that it is not provided for by your current telephone plan, so you must necessarily contact your telephone provider to activate it.
Step 3. Activate the Personal Hotspot slider
It will turn green to indicate that the feature has been activated successfully. If your current phone plan does not support tethering, you will be asked to personally contact your carrier's customer service for activation.
Step 4. Connect the iPhone to the computer using the supplied USB cable
This is the USB cable you normally use to sync it or to recharge the battery. Plug it into any free USB port on your computer.
Step 5. Check for internet connection
Your computer should be able to automatically detect the iPhone and use its data connection to access the web.
If your computer is connected to a wired network via Ethernet cable or to a wireless network via Wi-Fi, you will need to break this connection first to be able to access the internet via your iPhone
Method 3 of 3: Bluetooth tethering
Step 1. Launch the iPhone Settings app
It features a gray gear icon located on the device's Home screen.
Step 2. Tap the Personal Hotspot option
It is located in the first group of options in the "Settings" menu. If the item "Personal hotspot" it is not present, it means that it is not provided for by the current telephone plan, so you will have to contact the telephone operator for activation.
Step 3. Activate the Personal Hotspot slider
It will turn green to indicate that the feature has been activated successfully. If your current phone plan does not support tethering, you will be asked to personally contact your carrier's customer service for activation.
Step 4. Connect to iPhone via Bluetooth (Windows systems)
To be able to take advantage of the data connection of an iOS device via a Bluetooth connection from a Windows system, follow these steps:
- Click the Bluetooth icon displayed in the notification area of the taskbar. If this icon is not visible, it most likely means that Bluetooth connectivity is not active or not supported by your computer.
- Choose the option "Add to Personal Area Network".
- Select the link "Add a device".
- Click the iPhone icon, then press the "Pair" button located in the box that appeared on the iOS device screen.
- At the end of the installation of the useful drivers to be able to establish the connection with the iPhone, select the icon of the latter with the right mouse button, choose the item "Connect via" from the context menu that appeared, then select the option "Access point". At this point the computer is able to use the iPhone data connection to access the internet.
Step 5. Connect to iPhone via Bluetooth (macOS systems)
- Go to the "Apple" menu, then choose the option "System Preferences".
- Push the button ⋮⋮⋮⋮ to access the main menu.
- Select the option "Bluetooth" from the menu that appeared.
- Choose the voice "Match" next to the iPhone icon, then press the button "Match" appeared on the screen of the iOS device.
- Click the Bluetooth connectivity icon on the Mac menu bar, select your iPhone and choose the option "Connect to the network".
Step 6. Check the connection status
Your computer is now connected to the network, so you should be able to browse the web using your iPhone's data connection.
