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iPhone Hotspot keeps disconnecting

iPhone's made hotspot only works steady with Apple computer. As soon as you use it with any other computer, it keeps randomly disconnecting over and over again. No matter if you keep your screen on or off, phone is in low power mode or not, if you have the latest iPhone or not, etc. It is impossible to do any quality work on your laptop using iPhone's hotspot. It has nothing to do with software updates or anything like that as I am always running the latest version of iOS. I have read on the internet so many threads about this. It is something that Apple just refuses to fix for years. Or does that on purpose.. Whatever the case is - it is absolutely not nice, as it resembles the quality of Apple's products and service. So frustrated and disappointed.....


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone XS Max

Posted on Feb 23, 2023 7:24 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jun 9, 2023 6:41 AM

Someone mentioned in their replies on here, that this could help:

Settings - Personal Hotspot - Maximise Compatibility.


I was excited, as I thought that just maybe Apple has noticed this issue and provided a solution.

Noot!


This feature has shown up recently as it has never been there before. I have turned it on. Still the same problem persists. Not sure what this feature does in that case. Also this feature can be found on my iPhone Xs Max, however, it is not there for my iPhone SE 2016. So this magic toggle button that does nothing is probably made only for iphones that run the newest soft.


So few of my observations to make the hotspot work a little longer than usual:


1) Restart your phone, before using it as a hotspot;

2) DONT use your phone. (if you receive a message, email, any notification, be strong - do not touch your iphone. As the hotspot will be lost in 9 times out of 10)


These are quite a meaningless suggestions. Meaning - it should Just Work without any "just dont breathe" adjustments. Plus - it does not mean that your hotspot will be steady, it just gives you more chance that it wont turn on 10x in 30mins, but maybe just 5x.


For all who wonder:

1) As hotspot is turned on, it is used instantly and non-stop, so it does not turn off just because there is no activity;

2) You can keep your iphone locked or unlocked - it does not matter. It will turn off anyways.

3) It still works perfect with any Apple computers, laptops.


Imgine running your online store and adding new stuff to your store. Imgine picking out and uploading 70 images to your multiple listings.. Imgine noticing, that while images seem to be loading, your internet has been disconnected. Imgine understanding that your images wont be uploaded when you reconnect, so you have to do it all over again. And imgine this happening several times a day.


If you have stumbled upon this threat and have a similar issue, please spare a minute and press the "me too" button, or even better - write your own comment. Even if it will still say "me too". Hopefully that will gain the required attention from Apple and this issue will be fixed with iPhone69 or something..


If Apple thinks that it is most important that the connection is steady within Apple ecosystem so that customers are forced to buy only Apple products.. I dont know about you, but Id rather sell all my Apple products and buy some universally working gadgets instead.

Similar questions

91 replies

Nov 16, 2023 7:40 AM in response to Kristaps_6000

Same problem with iPhone 15 after update to 17.1.1, Apple is doing this on purpose, I think they have some kind of setting in a device but we are unable to get through it. The 5G network and data was also disrupted during the call before resetting the network settings. Now it seems to have been fixed, but now also facing some network bandwidth issue and always changing from 5G to 4G to G, don't know why. I have Airtel 5G network with full coverage.


Nov 16, 2023 10:06 AM in response to karuppannan

Thanks for the response, but It is disable by default. Plz suggest me any other option if you have because after the n/w setting reset phone keeps shutting down the hotspot and also i can see there is changes in network bar for a second while hotspot disconnected and then regain the network, it feels like someone hacks my phone and feels like supernatural activities

Nov 17, 2023 9:57 AM in response to SachinMalkar

I also updated to 17.1.1. ... The situation seems to have improved dramatically...


I'm not sure if this is due to Apple's update or my provider (T-Mobile) fixing some issues....


No more unexplained interruptions... Some glitches still do occur on my AppleTV which sometimes "forgets" it's connected to my AppleID for HomeSharing, until I open the iPhone's settings about the personal hotspot, which seems to instantly restore connectivity...


It's currently Voodoo...

Nov 24, 2023 9:28 AM in response to Kristaps_6000

Finally after looking for days how to solve this I can share what worked for me. This is for when iphone was dropping personal hotspot with my pc over cable. I reset the settings of ethernet card on MY PC. Reseting iphone network settings didint work, even factory reset didint help. So I went to the Ethernet connection that my iphone created and I choosed reset network, that more or less wiped all the settings of PC network card and it worked. Hope it will work for you guys.


I can add that for example different iphone was working with my PC but my iphone had that issues. So I think it had to "start over" with fresh settings on PC.

Nov 24, 2023 11:49 AM in response to karuppannan

Thanks karuppannan for reaching out!

That's one of the things that I already tried (and failed), among other things, like "forgetting" networks and re-connecting. Yes, that will help. But only until the next breakdown. Disabling maximum compatibility hasn't helped me, nor has reducing network to 4G.


The only thing I find interesting is that, as soon as I "wake up" my iPhone, and go to settings, and select the settings for "Personal Hotspot" (without tickling any of the settings...), everything turns back to normal. All dependent devices auto-re-connect... Second iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, an HP Laptop on Windows...


I'm anything but an expert, but I put the blame on iOS...

Dec 14, 2023 7:48 AM in response to Kristaps_6000

Some times itabhas to do with IPv6.

use IPv4 in stead.


for example this horspot problem:


If you cannot connect to TOMTOM Live services, review your APN mobile provider settings, using "Portalmmm.nl" for IPv4 compatibility, especially with carriers like KPN in the Netherlands. If you're using TOMTOM Live services with a Bluetooth connection, ensure your APN settings are configured correctly, as IPv6 settings like "internet" may impede connectivity.

Dec 24, 2023 8:50 AM in response to Kristaps_6000

I'm really annoyed with how things are during vacation times:

You or your buddy get a tourist SIM card, but sharing your data with others (even other iPhone users!) is a pain. The connection just dies the second the host or hotspot's screen turns off. It's like Apple is forcing everyone to buy their own SIM card or carry an extra device just to share Wi-Fi properly. This problem has been around for ages, and it's just stupid and super irritating.

Apple, why make things so uncomfortable for users? Just add a simple switch, or let us pick devices we're okay sharing our data and battery with.

Every time this happens, I think more seriously about switching to an Android phone. Considering how Apple's falling behind its competitors, this idea seems smarter every year.

Jan 19, 2024 7:50 AM in response to Kristaps_6000

UGH.. I've checked & applied all the suggestions (latest IOS update software, etc). I have an iphone 13 + new macbook air - both are less than a year old.

The D-mn thing keeps disconnecting... every 2-3 minutes. I'm only trying to connect apples to apples - no oranges here lol (no android, PC , etc.. pure, 100% brand new apple gear)


I wish I could say this has been my only problem, but I have an issue with Apple the company now. It seems they've lost their core mission of making USER-FRIENDLY DEVICES.


During a recent update, for instance, my alarm was switched from the loudest/most alarming one (which I need in order to wake up) to the default one - which failed to wake me ! Ironically, the next day I sat to meditate & switched phone to "Silent mode" , it let a call come thru - full blast, ring tone & all!! ... So when I needed the phone to alert & awake me, it failed & when I needed it to be quiet - it failed too. Wonderful, this "smart device" has done little more than raise my blood pressure.


There are many more unresolved issues as well. I've contacted Apple help multiple times & have been to the genius bar with no improvements. I've had numerous apple devices without issues, what the heck has happened!?!?


APPLE, PLEASE GET BACK TO WHAT HAS DRAWN MYSELF & MANY OTHERS TO YOUR PRODUCTS - namely that they work, preferably in a user-friendly fashion!

Jan 20, 2024 8:40 PM in response to Kristaps_6000

I have the same issue with disconnection from hotspot. I am using Iphone 15 pro max and the latest version of Macbook Pro. These two devises are not able to keep a connection through hotspot. The issues is hence not only with non-apple products. It normally takes a while, maybe 5-10 minutes for the hotspot connection to be disconnected, but this means that it is impossible to download or stream anything.

Personally, I will go back to Samsung phone, where I had no such problems.

Jan 21, 2024 2:46 AM in response to Kristaps_6000

I have a similar issue. A connected Android tablet breaks the connection every 15 seconds and a Lenovo laptop with Windows 11 is always connected but without Internet. And provide a mistake about being unable to connect to DHСP server. What is awful functionality? This is my first iPhone, before that I used android for 13 years and never had such problems. :(

Jan 30, 2024 5:22 AM in response to CyAn144Hz

I kept my 12 Pro Max on iOS 16, until last week.

With iOS 17.3 the hotspot disconnects every couple of minutes, independent on whether a macOS, Linux or Windoze device is connected.


The person from Spain (reply on page 1) probably offered the best workaround:

If you can, write a tiny script which keeps the hotspot busy.


I don’t think they built this in intentionally, as I didn’t had any issues with iOS 16, but others had this plague.


Maybe just the usual “bad luck with my Apple equipment” issue :)

iPhone Hotspot keeps disconnecting

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