iPhone hotspot unaccessible

Hi teet000,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! For this issue, the guidance in the article below can help:

If Personal Hotspot is not working on your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular)

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.

Use the steps below for more help with Personal Hotspot over Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth.

* Personal Hotspot with Wi-Fi

* Personal Hotspot with USB

* Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth

If you can't connect to Personal Hotspot with Wi-Fi

On the device that provides Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot, then follow these steps:

1. Make sure that Allow Others to Join is on. 

2. Remember the device's Wi-Fi network name and password that appear on this screen. If you want to change the Wi-Fi network name, learn how to change your device name.

3. If you're using an iPhone 12 model or later, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation or later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation or later), or iPad mini (6th generation), turn on Maximize Compatibility.* Then try connecting your devices again to your Personal Hotspot.

4. Stay on this screen until you connect your other device to the Wi-Fi network. 

On the device that needs to connect to Personal Hotspot, follow these steps:

1. Turn Wi-Fi off and back on.

2. Make sure that you connect to the correct Wi-Fi network. The network name is the same as the iOS device that provides Personal Hotspot and the Personal Hotspot icon  might appear next to it.

3. If you see a password error when you try to join Personal Hotspot, check the Wi-Fi password: On the device that provides Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot to see the Wi-Fi password.

* When you turn on Maximize Compatibility, internet performance and Wi-Fi security might be reduced for devices connected to the hotspot.

If you can't connect to Personal Hotspot with USB

To avoid unnecessary data charges, turn off Personal Hotspot when you don't need it. If you don't, every time you plug your iOS device with Personal Hotspot into your computer to charge, your computer might connect to Personal Hotspot. 

Follow the steps below for your Mac.

Connect your Mac to Personal Hotspot with USB

1. Update macOS on your Mac. 

2. With a USB cable, connect your Mac to the iPhone or iPad that provides Personal Hotspot. If prompted, trust the device.

3. Make sure that you can locate and view your iPhone or iPad in iTunes or the Finder. 

4. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings (or System Preferences), then click Network. A list of network services appears, including Wi-Fi.

5. If iPhone USB doesn't appear in the list of network services, add iPhone USB using the steps to set up a network service. If iPhone USB appears in the list of network services:

* macOS Ventura: Click iPhone USB. Click Make Inactive, then click Make Active. 

* Earlier versions of macOS: Click iPhone USB. Click the More button below the list of services, choose Make Service Inactive, then click Apply. Click the More button again, choose Make Service Active, then click Apply. 

If you can't connect to Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth 

Use the steps below to pair your devices and connect to Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth.

Pair your devices

1. On the device that provides Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and make sure Allow Others to Join is on.

2. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and make sure that Bluetooth is on.

3. Keep this screen open, then follow the steps for the device that needs to connect:

* On your iPad or iPod touch, tap Settings > Bluetooth and make sure Bluetooth is on. Tap the device that provides Personal Hotspot, confirm the code that appears, then tap Pair on both devices.

* On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings (or System Preferences), then click Bluetooth and make sure Bluetooth is on. Select the device providing Personal Hotspot, click Connect, then follow the onscreen instructions.

* On your Windows PC, click the Bluetooth icon in the Notification area and make sure Bluetooth is on. Choose Add a Bluetooth Device, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Connect to Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth

* On your Mac, click the Bluetooth icon  in the menu bar or click Bluetooth in Control Center. Choose your iOS device that provides Personal Hotspot, then choose Connect to Network. If you can't connect, skip to the next section.

* On your Windows PC, click the Bluetooth icon  in the Notification area and choose Join A Personal Area Network. Right-click your device and hover your pointer over "Connect using," then select "Access point." If you still can't connect, skip to the next section.

*

If you still can't connect to Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth

On your devices, turn Bluetooth off and back on:

* On your iOS or iPadOS devices, go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn Bluetooth off and back on.

* On your Mac, click the Bluetooth icon  in the menu bar or click Bluetooth in Control Center, then turn Bluetooth off and back on.

* On your PC, choose Settings, click the Bluetooth icon , then turn Bluetooth off and back on. 

For newer devices that support WPA3, Personal Hotspot uses WPA3 to connect with Bluetooth. For older devices that don't support WPA3, you can turn on Maximize Compatibility in Settings > Personal Hotspot. 

If you still can't connect, follow these steps:

1. Unpair your device:

* On the iPad or iPod touch that needs to connect to Personal Hotspot, tap Settings > Bluetooth. Tap the Info icon  next to the device that provides Personal Hotspot, then tap Forget this Device.

* On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings (or System Preferences), then click Bluetooth in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Hold the pointer over the device in the list, then click Disconnect. If you don't want a device to reconnect automatically, Control-click its name, then click Forget. You have to connect it again if you want to use it later.  

* On your Windows PC, click the Bluetooth icon  in the Notification area. Select "Show Bluetooth devices" and select the device that provides Personal Hotspot. Click Remove, then click OK.

5. Restart all your devices.

6. Pair your devices and try again to connect to Personal Hotspot.

Get more help

If you still can't connect, contact Apple Support to get help with your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular).

Hope this helps!

Have a great day.