Why is my ios hotspot not visible to windows 10 until I turn wifi off and on again?

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Level 1

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Why is my ios hotspot not visible to windows 10 until I turn wifi off and on again?

This is ridiculous. This problem has been plaguing users for half a decade, if not more, and Apple just doesn't seem to be able to get this fixed.

I'm using an iPhone with the latest version of iOS, and a Dell laptop with Microsoft Windows 10, latest updates. Every single time I put my laptop to sleep (close the lid), it loses network connection. That is by design. But when I wake it up again, it cannot find the hotspot. Even if the laptop has been asleep for less than a minute.

To fix, I have to go into my iphone settings and show the hotspot dialog, and go into my Windows settings to turn off my wifi and turn it back on again. Then, without fail, the hotspot is found, and connects.

This is stupid. There is no way that this is user error: it's been at least 5 years of this behavior, if not longer. You can check this very discussion forum: I just saw a discussion from 2019, with nearly 1000 users having the same exact problem.

Your "expert" advice is to turn it off and on again. That is not advice. That is a cop-out, because none of you seem to know what the cause is or how to fix it.

I never have this problem with Android phones.

iPhone 13 mini

Posted on Jun 2, 2023 11:52 AM

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Answer 1

Jun 2, 2023 12:19 PM in response to ænðr

The cause is security and energy management. When there are no devices connected to the hotspot it turns off, as the hotspot uses substantial energy continuously when connected to your cellular network, whether there are devices connected or not. And it also turns off if the phone connects to a Wi-Fi network (personal hotspot uses the single Wi-Fi transceiver in the iPhone as a Wi-Fi connection, so it can never use both at the same time).

So that’s why you have to turn it on again, because it has turned off to save energy. Your PC does not scan for networks continuously; it only scans a couple of times a minute. So if you wait for a scan it will find the hotspot, but turning Wi-Fi off, then on again starts a new scan.

If your computer is a Mac or you have an iPad it “wakes” the hotspot using Bluetooth so you don’t have to turn it on separately, but Microsoft hasn’t implemented that feature.

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Answer 2

ænðr Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 2, 2023 4:53 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Thank you! That's the first reply I've read that makes sense.

I'm going to test your claim. I'm going to cause my laptop to go to sleep and break network connectivity, then reactivate it, and I'm just going to sit there and wait.

Note that during these short moments of less than a minute, the iphone will show that the hotspot still is active. But the laptop can't find it anyway.

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Why is my ios hotspot not visible to windows 10 until I turn wifi off and on again?

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