Level 1

25 points

iOS 26 update breaks personal hotspot on iPhone 16 Pro Max

Hello,

After updating my iPhone 16 Pro Max to iOS 26, I can no longer use Personal Hotspot. In Settings, the option shows as “Personal Hotspot – Off” and it is grayed out.

I already tried:

Restarting the iPhone
Turning Airplane Mode on/off
Resetting Cellular and Wi-Fi connections
Updating Carrier Settings (no update available)
Changing Hotspot password and device name

But the issue is still there. My carrier plan includes hotspot, and it was working normally before updating to iOS 26.

Is anyone else facing the same issue? Any fix or workaround until Apple releases a patch?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Personal hotspot

iPhone 16 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 23, 2025 12:33 PM

Top-ranking reply

NateMekonnen

Level 1

14 points

Posted on Oct 5, 2025 11:35 AM

I had the same issue and after trying a lot of things the following worked for me i hope it helps.

1- Go to settings > cellular > cellular data network

2 - Caution here i don’t know what it might cause but I turned off “Use carrier settings”

3 - I filled out APN on cellular data section and scrolled down and on Personal Hotspot section the APN field was empty too and i filled out my carriers APN.

Thats it when i went back the personal hotspot is not grayed out anymore and i can use it like before.

View in context

53 replies

Jan 15, 2026 3:40 PM in response to Shazam1016

What do you want Apple to do for a problem with your iPhone that is not a problem on hundreds of million of other iPhones?

what Apple did was tighten security for Personal Hotspot. Previously any device on your Apple ID or anyone in your family group could turn on the personal hotspot on your phone remotely, and you could not prevent it. There were a large number of complaints about this security risk. The fix is to turn on personal hotspot on your iPhone, log in using the password on any device that you want to have access, an it will remember that for the future.

if you also have VPN installed on your iPhone completely remove it including the VPN profile.

Oct 3, 2025 4:37 AM in response to MmFf05

Same issue i have done every possible thing to fix this problem but its not solved its totally a software issue apple needs to fix this in an update even though i installed 26.0.1 latest update

gearhd

Level 1

8 points

Oct 24, 2025 3:13 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

I did the above (deleted the vpn profile)on my phone-still had the tether issue. Then did the same on the MacBook and voila problem gone.

Sep 26, 2025 11:34 AM in response to MmFf05

I have the same issue, it’s not a carrier problem with the hotspot. Since I installed IOS26 my hotspot it’s completely grayed out and have already deleted statistics, reset network settings, contacted my carrier, deleted VPN, restarted the phone a thousand times, it’s a software issue

dk_wapid

Level 1

8 points

Sep 28, 2025 11:50 PM in response to MmFf05

For personal hotspot to function. The iPhone or iPad requires only one of the following with an active cellular signal:

Bluetooth ON

USB cable connected directly to device

WiFi enabled on the iPhone AND disconnected to local WiFi

(In Settings/WiFi Tap on the WiFi with the blue check if on a local WiFi to disconnect )

Also try to toggle “Personal Hotspot/Allow Others to Join” in Settings

Sep 26, 2025 11:19 AM in response to ilyas_emvigo

What same issue? And what troubleshooting have you done, starting with deleting any VPN profiles?

Nats-eb7

Level 1

8 points

Oct 2, 2025 7:43 AM in response to pierre-daniel

Some with me

got a new phone in the time of this update 16e and hotspot are greyed out

but in my previous phone (SE) its working with the new update with the same sim…

Jan 25, 2026 4:49 PM in response to MmFf05

I was lucky, a simple Restart fixed my iPhone 16 Pro. But Apple definitely needs to fix this issue!

MmFf05 Author

Level 1

25 points

Sep 23, 2025 12:43 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

Thanks for your reply.

I already contacted my carrier and they confirmed that my account and plan support Personal Hotspot, and there are no issues on their side.

The problem only started right after updating to iOS 26, so it seems to be related to the update itself or to iOS settings.

Is there any other workaround I can try until Apple fixes this?

Sep 30, 2025 6:42 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Can you please stop suggesting users compromise the security of their phones by deleting VPN profiles?

This wasn’t an issue before iOS 26, and it should not be an issue now. Besides, your solution simply does not work.

Sep 30, 2025 8:03 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

While true that not all VPNs can be trusted, that’s a topic outside the scope of this issue. Keep in mind that some people use their phones for business, and in many cases access to company platforms requires the use of a VPN.

I won’t argue with you further, but please understand that removing the VPN is not a reasonable solution for some. And I’ve yet to see anybody in this particular thread that worked for anyway. Maybe I missed it.

Lastly, it worked prior to the update for many who had a VPN. It should still work now, all things being equal.

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,162 points

Oct 2, 2025 7:50 AM in response to Gobbledee

Can you please stop suggesting users compromise the security of their phones by deleting VPN profiles?

A VPN actually provides less security on an iPhone.....not more. Of course, the VPN companies will never tell you this.

The only valid reason to install a VPN would be that your school or company requires it to connect to your network.

Oct 2, 2025 9:38 AM in response to Gobbledee

Gobbledee wrote:

While true that not all VPNs can be trusted, that’s a topic outside the scope of this issue. Keep in mind that some people use their phones for business, and in many cases access to company platforms requires the use of a VPN.

Using a VPN for work is one of the few good reasons for using one. But removing even a work VPN doesn't compromise the security of the device. I think you may be misunderstanding what VPNs do.

Jan 24, 2026 10:15 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Lawrence, not nonsense. I have the same issue and don’t give a **** if 100 BILLION others DONT. So, if you’re just going to parrot the same useless advice that others have already proffered, kindly **** off.

Jan 24, 2026 10:41 PM in response to MmFf05

Hello

Do you want it not to be gray?

Did you ever try it?

Do you have any plans to participate in the next iOS design?

Considering the future policy, why don't you write down your plan, etc.?

Thank you as always

Sincerely,

iOS 26 update breaks personal hotspot on iPhone 16 Pro Max