My iPhone 5 fails to connect to my Hotspot on my iPhone 11. I hurt the message “impossible to connect to iPhone 11”.
if I try connecting my iPhone 5 to my wife’s iPhone 12, I get the same message. However, if she activates “maximize compatibility”, it works beautifully.
So, how do I connect my iPhone 5 with my iPhone 11? What do I need to do? I tried resetting network settings to defaults, it didn’t help.
iPhone 11, iOS 15
Zorgleuche,
So it might be possible this is a 5GHz issue.
In the help article: If Personal Hotspot is not working on your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
It says: * When you turn on Maximize Compatibility, internet performance and Wi-Fi security might be reduced for devices connected to the hotspot.
This feature is specific to 5GHZ, and the iPhone 5 can't connect to 5GHz, and the iPhone 11 doesn't have an option to maximize compatibility.
Sounds like the iPhone 5 can't connect to the HotSpot from the iPhone 11. You might try reducing the connection on the iPhone 11 and restarting, then testing again.
To turn off LTE: About the LTE options on your iPhone
To restart: Restart iPhone
Then test if the iPhone 5 can connect to the lower connection. Thanks.
Hello Zorgleuche,
If you are having an issue connecting to the Personal Hotspot on your iPhone 11, work through the steps outlined at If Personal Hotspot is not working on your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) - Apple Support:
Use these steps first
Try connecting again after each step.
1. Check that Personal Hotspot is turned on in Settings > Personal Hotspot. If you can't find or turn on Personal Hotspot, check that your wireless carrier enabled it and that your wireless plan supports it.
2. Restart the iPhone or iPad that provides Personal Hotspot and the other device that needs to connect to Personal Hotspot.
3. Make sure that you have the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
4. On the iPhone or iPad that provides Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [Device] > Reset, then tap Reset Network Settings.
As noted, the Maximize Compatibility setting is only on iPhone 12 or later models.
If needed, continue to work through the steps outlined.
Have a good day.
Thanks for your help. I did as you said (turned off LTE, restarted iPhones). Still no connection.
iPhone 5 is running iOS 10.3.4, so the highest possible on this type of Phone.
iPhone 11 is running iOS 15.6 (latest available).
When I connect my laptop to the iPhone 11 hotspot, it is connecting at 2.4 GHz with WPA2 Personal encryption. So the iPhone 11 seems to be emitting in 2.4 GHz, which the iPhone 5 should be able to handle. Very strange that it cannot connect.
This issue must be linked to some iOS updates, because previously it was working when I was using iOS 15.3 on the iPhone 11.
Any other suggestion is welcome.
Hello Zorgleuche,
Since the issue can't be pinpointed to a specific device we do think contacting your carrier for help is the next step, since Hotspot options are provided from their end. You're also welcome to review the article below that discusses wireless carrier support features.
Wireless carrier support and features for iPhone in the United States and Canada - Apple Support
If you continue to experience issues after working with your carrier, contacting Apple Support for additional guidance may help. You can reach them at Get Support.
Best wishes.
Let me rephrase to make sure I understand correctly:
The issue is that the iPhone 5 is trying to connect to a 5GHz hotspot, yet the iPhone 11 only broadcasts at 2.4GHz. Did I get this right? And if this is the root cause of my issue, how can I resolve it?
Thanks for your help - happy to see it's taken seriously.
Thanks for your help. I did as you said. No change. What do I do now?
Hello,
I doubt that it has anything to do with the phone carrier: I can connect my laptop to the Hotspot and everything works beautifully.
It's not a 5GHz issue. He's trying to connect to an iPhone 11 which only broadcasts at 2.4GHz.
The 5GHz band was introduced in the iPhone 12.
Hotspot compatibility issues iPhone 11 and iPhone 5
