Instant Hotspot / Personal Hotspot Not Functioning Correctly

So here is the problem that I was having ........every time I would try to connect to the Hotspot I would be able to see the connection being attempted over and over again evidenced by the fact that the blue hotspot banner at the top of the screen would flicker on and off. I tried Tim's solution and then some but still had the same issues. What I did was actually to leave the iphone alone and focus on the computer. I simply right clicked on the hotspot and went to properties and then re-entered the password for my hotspot and voila everything works perfectly.

This worked for me .....hopefully it works for you guys. All the best

FYI...if you are able to connect via the more manual method (turning on Personal Hotspot on the iPhone and then connecting), then the connection will likely show up in your list of connections when you open Network Preferences -> Advanced on the Mac (it may already be in there from prior successful connections). Apple informed me to then try Forgetting this network connection (Highlight the connection then click the '-' button and then 'Remove') and try connecting again via Instant Hotspot. This actually worked for me when nothing else would. For more info on forgetting a network connection in OS X, go here.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this Tim, this issue has been bugging me for a long while, couldn't figure it out with apple support as well and until i saw your post.

Great thanks!!

Eddie.H

Now if this could only be done instantly... I thought the point was it would save you the trouble of opening the settings on your phone and having to type your password once.

On both devices, tap on the iCloud in settings.

OSX: System Settings, iCloud, click on Account Details, enter your password. Now your macbook should be ok.

iOS: Settings, iCloud, tapp your name with your picture, log in with your password.

Now this hotspot issue is solved, but also syncing reminders etc.

This fixed it for me.

Thanks cvx5832

It works only one or two times. I have to get back on my iPhone, tap settings/iCloud, tap my name/avatar and login. After that, it works.

It used to work for a long time till a week ago.

Not sure what's up next.

That only works when the hotspot on the iPhone is enabled.

This thread is more about keeping your phone in the pocket, Hotspot if turned off on the phone. Using the Personal Hotspot section in the WIFI menu to do both: 1. Turn on the hotspot 2. Connect to the hotspot

After you disconnect, the hotspot will be turned off.

That used to work well, but has issues now.

J.

cvx5832 wrote:

This has been a goofy bug for sure and I hope Apple resolves it with a software update. Until that magical day arrives you can add an additional step to the current one-button press and get it to connect every time.

Note: Personal Hotspot on your iPhone must be toggled ON

1.) Click "Join Other Network" (instead of clicking on your phone in the hotspot section of the dropdown)

2.) Click "Show Networks"

3.) Click on your iPhone and "Join"

I find that this connects faster because it doesn't have that awkward pause where the devices seem to be negotiating something in the background. As soon as I click "Join" in step 3 the linked chain appears in my menu bar and I can surf as usual.

This worked on both my 2015 rMB-12 and 2012 rMBP-13, both of which were having issues. Thanks Apple.

Right now the only reliable "Personal Hotspot" I have is the constant aggravation I feel at having to spend time trying to find workarounds every time an update messes up previously working features. Instant Hotspot was working just fine before the latest update. Now even my basic wifi connection is flaky whereas it used to be solid. Why oh why didn't I skip this one?

I too had this problem and like most a simple reset of network settings works.

However, the moment I connect my phone to a wifi network the personal hotspot no longer works. Even if I make it forget the network I just connected to it still wont let the hotspot connect from any device. But reset the network settings and were back in business.

It's clearly some major bug, why work until the phone has connected to a wifi network?

Ive tried everything, Ive signed out of iCloud, followed tims advice, all the others, cleared down my keychain. All with the same results.

I have the solution. I have a Cisco/Linksys EA3500. Connect to its 5ghz network and PH no longer works, connect back to a 2.4Ghz network and it works again.

But the long term fix was to set the Wifi settings on the router to exactly match the Apple recommendations as per this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202068

Mine were pretty spot on apart from the channel was set to 40 rather than Auto and I set it to use 802.11n only and not a/n. Changed those and all is well.

This worked for me. No idea why, but thanks!

Ouch!

Be careful following these instructions.

My instant hotspot stopped working after iOS9 so I tried Tim's instructions.

It still doesn't work and I got the added surprise of losing all my Apple Pay cards that took forever to setup.

I'm glad it worked for some people but just beware of what you could lose.

Doug

Wow, this simple fix actually worked!

Thanks, Marc. This worked for me!

But more simply, I used Keychain Access to update my login password to be the same as it currently is, and tethering worked. No reboot, no changes to the iPhone (running iOS 9).