DJW_1996
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Personal Hot spot Troubles via BlueTooth

i have an Iphone 4 and an Iphone 3GS, my iphone 3GS has cellular data but my Iphone 4 doesnt. i have turned on personal hotspot on my 3GS so other devices can connect and receive data. however my Iphone4 cannot connect via bluetooth, any ideas?

Posted on May 8, 2013 12:14 AM

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DJW_1996

Q: Personal Hot spot Troubles via BlueTooth

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  • by mario49,

    mario49 mario49 May 10, 2013 7:41 AM in response to DJW_1996
    Community Specialists
    May 10, 2013 7:41 AM in response to DJW_1996

    Morning DJW_1996,

     

     

    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

     

    For more information on this, take a look at this article:

    iOS: Troubleshooting Personal Hotspot

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

     

    Basic troubleshooting

    1. Confirm that your iOS device, computer, and wireless plan all meet the system requirements for Personal Hotspot.
    2. Verify that Personal Hotspot is enabled by tapping Settings > General > Cellular > Personal Hotspot.
    3. Verify the Internet connection on your iOS device by tapping Safari and loading a new webpage.
    4. If one connection type doesn't work, try another (for example, instead of connecting using Wi-Fi, try using USB or Bluetooth).
    5. Try disabling and reenabling Personal Hotspot from Settings > Personal Hotspot or Settings > General > Cellular > Personal Hotspot.
    6. Install the latest version of iOS. Tap Settings > General > Software Update.
    7. Reset network settings by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
    8. If none of the previous steps resolves your issue, restore the iPhone.

     

     

     

    Hope this helps,

    Mario

  • by Bob Dewar,

    Bob Dewar Bob Dewar Dec 30, 2013 8:16 PM in response to DJW_1996
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2013 8:16 PM in response to DJW_1996

    I asked this same question on Feb 8 2013 ... see How can i connect two iphones using bluetooth? . The answer (as pointed out by diesel vdub) is that Apple doesn't allow iPhones to pair using bluetooth, though I am yet to find any technical reason for this ... it just appears to be an arbitrary decision.

     

    This decision of Apple's may make some sense for an iPhone 4 and later, as it can act as a wifi hotspot, but it is extremely irritating in the case of the iPhone 3GS as it does not support wifi for this purpose.

     

    Thus, if want to upgrade to a more modern smart phone, but you have a perfectly good iPhone 3GS you want to put to good use as a personal hotspot, you should seriously consider an Android smart phone such as a Samsung Galaxy as the iPhone 3GS definitely can pair with the latter as a hotspot using bluetooth.

     

    This is particularly useful if you are overseas and have data roaming turned off on your smart phone to avoid excessive data charges. Then you can use your iPhone 3GS as a personal hotspot using a local prepaid SIM (very cheap in some countries), to your MacBook or Android smartphone. Just not to an Apple smartphone!!