Mac calls & AirPlay fail with iPhone Hotspot

Question

smit43 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mac calls & AirPlay fail with iPhone Hotspot

Calls & AirPlay not working on Mac with iPhone Hotspot

Subject Line

Cannot make outgoing calls or AirPlay while connected to iPhone Personal Hotspot

Hi everyone,

I am having trouble getting Continuity features (specifically outgoing calls and AirPlay) to work between my MacBook Pro and iPhone.

My Hardware:

Mac: MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) A2141, Core i9.

iPhone: iPhone 13.

OS Versions: MACOS 26.2 AND IOS 26.2

The Network Setup:

My MacBook Pro is connected to the internet via my iPhone's Personal Hotspot.

The Problem:

Even though both devices are signed into the same Apple ID and connected (via Hotspot), I am encountering the following issues:

Outgoing Calls: I can successfully receive phone calls on my Mac. However, when I attempt to dial out from the Mac, I get the error message:

"Your iPhone and mac must be on the same wi-fi network"

AirPlay: I cannot AirPlay music from Apple Music on my iPhone to my Mac. The Mac does not appear or connect, despite "AirPlay Receiver" being turned on.

Settings Verified:

Both devices are signed into the same iCloud / Apple ID.
Handoff is enabled on both devices.
FaceTime is enabled and active on the Mac. AND REVICE OR DO CALL FROM IPHONE IS ALSO ON
AirPlay Receiver is enabled on the Mac.
Both have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled.

My Question:

Is it possible to make outgoing calls and use AirPlay when the "network" is just the iPhone's Personal Hotspot? Or does this feature strictly require both devices to be connected to a separate, third-party Wi-Fi router?

Any insight would be appreciated!

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Jan 25, 2026 9:52 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 25, 2026 10:24 PM in response to smit43

I'm not surprised that using Personal Hotspot might interfere with Continuity features that involve Wi-Fi.

In Personal Hotspot mode, your iPhone is using its Wi-Fi radio to offer Wi-Fi service to other devices. This might mean that no resources are available for the iPhone to act as a Wi-Fi client at the same time. And the Continuity features might depend on the iPhone being able to act as a Wi-Fi client.

Apple engineers who have inside knowledge of the iPhone's Wi-Fi hardware, and of iOS's Wi-Fi implementation, would be In a better position to confirm or refute this hypothesis. But they're not here and might be limited as to what they could say publicly even if they were. I'm just making an educated guess.

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Answer 2

Jan 25, 2026 10:30 PM in response to smit43

As for not being able to AirPlay music from the iPhone to the Mac, have you considered alternatives?

If you have an Apple Music subscription, and you are trying to stream subscription music from the iPhone to the Mac, why not just run the Music application on the Mac, and use your Apple Music subscription there, directly?

If you do not have a subscription, and the music on your iPhone is purchased music that you loaded onto it from your Mac, over a cable, then why not just run the Music application on the Mac, and play its copies of the music?

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