The6uest
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Personal hotspot only works sometimes

I have the iPhone 5 (iOS6) on AT&T with their new 'Data share' plan which allows me to tether my data.  The problem is that it only works sometimes!  There does not seem to be any reason why it only works about half of the time that I turn it on.  And when the wifi hotspot doesn't work, neither does the USB or Bluetooth tethering. 

 

When it doesn't work, I try restarting my phone and even that doesn't fix the problem.. it just somehow fixes itself after a day usually which is very annoying because I depend on the hotspot feature a lot.

 

Does anyone else have this problem or know how to fix it?  Or is there another app I can install to enable it?

 

 

Thanks,

John

iPhone 5, iOS 6, Carrier - AT&T

Posted on Oct 31, 2012 5:37 AM

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The6uest

Q: Personal hotspot only works sometimes

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  • Helpful answers

  • by wjosten,Helpful

    wjosten wjosten Oct 31, 2012 5:50 AM in response to The6uest
    Level 10 (94,634 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 31, 2012 5:50 AM in response to The6uest

    Here's Apple's support document on the subject:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2756

     

    If nothing there helps, restore your phone, first from backup, then as a new device. If no change, make an appointment at an Apple store to have your phone replaced.

  • by CRMDVM,Helpful

    CRMDVM CRMDVM Oct 31, 2012 5:54 AM in response to The6uest
    Level 4 (1,365 points)
    Oct 31, 2012 5:54 AM in response to The6uest

    The hotspot connection will only be as good as your cellular connection - you will lose connectivity if the signal drops and it may not automatically reconnect - this is especially true when you are travelling on a road for instance - I also understand that it will timeout due to inactivity and will not be active even though it is shown as "on" in settings - if yours is not working in spite of a strong cellular signal then I suggest that you take it to an Apple store and have it checked out.

  • by The6uest,

    The6uest The6uest Oct 31, 2012 6:18 AM in response to CRMDVM
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 31, 2012 6:18 AM in response to CRMDVM

    It's not the signal because I have 3-5 bars when I use it and everything else works fine on the phone. This isn't when I'm traveling either but if I can't fix I'll take it to an Apple store.

     

    wjosten, I have tried just about everything on that link except for restoring my phone so I guess that is the next step.  I was hoping Apple would release an update soon that would fix this issue but it seems as though it's only happening to me (at least I couldn't find another when I searched).

  • by SomeDudeFromWinder,

    SomeDudeFromWinder SomeDudeFromWinder Oct 19, 2014 7:58 AM in response to The6uest
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 19, 2014 7:58 AM in response to The6uest

    I agree, this is a problem.  iPhone 5S, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s have all had same issue.  And everytime something does not work as it should, Apple's response is to do a restore.  My app works, but I have to run through a series of on, off, disable my Wifi on the MAC or PC, back on, etc.  I am not sure if the problem is the phone or the Mac.  The Mac shows other devices, but the iPhone is not in the list.  If I reboot the phone, sometimes it works.  Always seems to be ok with Bluetooth or cable, but seriously frustrating.  Restored phone because of other issues (that the restore did not have anything to do with) and this trouble still there.  About a year ago, I had to (according to apple) restore to defaults (calendar issue that was NOT resolved either).  This also did NOT help the issue.