iPhone hotspot is not visible on MacBook Pro

Question

Level 1

13 points

iPhone hotspot is not visible on MacBook Pro

I faced this problem after upgrading my MacBook Pro 13" 2019 to the macOS BigSur.

So, my environment is:

macOS BigSur 11.0.1
iOS 14.2

When my MacBook is not connected to WiFi, iPhone hotspot is disabled in settings and I click WiFi icon in Menu Bar, I don't see my iPhone's hotspot in preferred networks.

However, in Catalina I didn't face this trouble. I could always connect to iPhone hotspot even if it is disabled in iPhone. After I selected hotspot in MacOS menu bar, iPhone hotspot mode turned on automatically.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Nov 24, 2020 5:48 AM

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Answer 1

C4rlos_A

Level 1

20 points

Dec 2, 2020 1:22 PM in response to fedorin

Hey I just restarted my MacBook and everything is fixed, I even get the personal hotspot option and my iPhone is even in a different room, I was also getting problems with my AirPods and the restart of the Mac fixed everything, now I feel so dumb that such easy thing was able to fix all of this.

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Answer 2

fedorin Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 11, 2021 6:40 AM in response to kingalexvi

Yes. Recently that was fixed after connecting iPhone to macBook via USB cable. Now it works like before.

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Answer 3

Dec 2, 2020 8:58 AM in response to fedorin

Hi fedorin,

Thanks for coming to Apple Support Communities for help today with your iPhone Hotspot and MacBook Pro. It sounds like they were previously using the Continuity feature Instant Hotspot.

Do other Continuity features work for you? Use Continuity to connect your Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch.

Double-check the steps to have Instant Hotspot available: Use Instant Hotspot to connect to your Personal Hotspot without entering a password.

Have a fantastic day!

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Answer 4

fedorin Author

Level 1

13 points

Dec 2, 2020 9:31 AM in response to MichaelB2019

I will try to describe a trouble as QA Engineer :)

Precondition:

iPhone and MacBook located near
Both devices have Bluetooth turned on
Both devices have signed in with the same AppleID
iPhone's hotspot mode is turned off

Steps to reproduce:

On the MacBook click WiFi icon on the top toolbar

Expected result (before Big Sur): I see my iPhone in "Personal Hotspot" section (I repeat - even if iPhone's hotspot mode is turned off). On clicking this personal hotspot MacBook is connected to WiFi via iPhone's hotspot which was turned on automatically.

Actual result (on Big Sur): I don't see my iPhone in "Personal Hotspot". I have to unlock iPhone, turn on Hotspot mode. Only after I can see my iPhone's hotspot. Actually, it doesn't show me current battery and signal level!

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Answer 5

fedorin Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 11, 2021 8:13 AM in response to kingalexvi

After connecting via USB try to manage iPhone in iTunes (check system updates etc). Man I really can't remember what I did exactly :(

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Answer 6

C4rlos_A

Level 1

20 points

Dec 2, 2020 9:10 AM in response to MichaelB2019

Hey, I'm also experiencing similar issues, the continuity features between my MacBook and iPhone are not working, the only feature actually working is that I can see my MacBook safari tabs on my iPhone, other than that nothing is working.

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Answer 7

Jan 3, 2021 4:24 PM in response to fedorin

I have the same problem between my iPhone 11 pro and MacBook Air. As soon an I upgraded to Big Sur, I can no longer get them to connect with hotspot. They see each in other Bluetooth settings, but my phone is not an option in my wifi drop down. Restart did not work for me.

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