How do I prevent Personal Hotspot from automatically activating whenever a device decides to connect to my phone.

On my iPhone6, even when I have "Personal Hotspot" deactivated other devices (MacBook & iPod) can still see the personal hotspot listed in their Wi-Fi settings. If they then select to join the hotspot, my phone automatically activates "Personal Hotspot". This seems like a serious security hole.


Is there a way to stop the phone from automatically activating personal hotspot?


Additionally, the user of the MacBook or iPod is never prompted to enter the hotspot password. What's the point of the password then?

Posted on Jan 16, 2015 9:15 AM

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Posted on Oct 5, 2017 3:30 PM

NikD wrote:


Yes, that was my point. When I turn off personal hotspot on my phone I don't want the other devices, which are sharing my apple id, to be able to turn it back on.

That is your issue in a nutshell. Apple IDs are personal. They are not meant to be shared by different people. If you share your Apple ID all sorts of bad things can happen. This is one of the least of them. Get your kids their own Apple IDs, and link then to yours using Family Sharing. See: Family Sharing - Apple Support

86 replies

Apr 8, 2017 1:54 PM in response to Jazz Man

Jazz Man wrote:



While I realize that she could either turn off wifi or turn off bluetooth to disable the Instant Hotspot activation, this really doesn't seem like a natural solution. An on/off switch for Instant Hotspot activation seems like a better solution.

Which solution may or may not be better doesn't help you deal with the problem you have now. You can certainly submit your feedback to Apple requesting them offer the option you would like.


http://www.apple.com/feedback


But, until they do, your wife will need to learn how to use her devices they way the work now. I've trained lots of people who got themselves labeled "not tech savvy" how to use iPhones. Once people stop thinking of it as something they're not good at, most of them learn it pretty quickly.


Best of luck.

Oct 5, 2017 3:36 PM in response to NikD

Yes it still happens! I only just discovered this yesterday and have been trying to find a solution ever since. I thought changing the hotspot password would work and I was amazed that it didn't! Turning off Bluetooth does work but is not ideal. Having different Apple IDs on my personal iPhone & iPad is something I haven't explored but to me that defeats the whole purpose of having an Apple ID. Ultimately OFF means OFF not "maybe off".

Mar 2, 2018 1:26 AM in response to zozy

Reading all this - Hotspot setting on iPhone can be

overridden by a device on same cloud appleid without any confirmation.


This happened to me last night and cost me network charges before I realised what was happening .


This cannot be right - even if all on same network and cloud etc . As people here have said , off should mean off and only reset either on the device itself or via explicit acceptance .

Jan 26, 2017 1:12 PM in response to LACAllen

The problem here is that Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot is turned OFF, not on.

That's the whole point of this thread.


I have a PC connected via Ethernet cable to the internet. When I plug in my iPhone to charge it, my iPhone's hotspot automatically turns from "off" to "on" and my computer automatically disconnects from the hard line, and begins using the iPhone's hotspot as its data connection.


This is not a feature.

Mar 3, 2017 4:14 PM in response to Ellfozz

Apple IDs have moved on from being a sharable resource. With the release of the various Continuity features, an Apple ID (when used for iCloud) is now, more than ever, like a phone number. Not designed to be or easily shared.


Instant Hotspot in particular is a convenience for a user who has multiple devices. Not for a family or group of individuals.


You've been informed by Apple of the risks.


User uploaded file



It allows other people, whom you generally trust, to abuse your LTE data plan while you are under the clear understanding that you have explicitly prevented them from doing so.


This statement puzzles me. How can you sort of trust someone?


And then, after they abuse that trust, (your words, not mine) continue to trust them? Fool me once, shame on you...


And you have not at all explicitly prevented them from doing so. If you change your Apple ID password and force them to get their own, your LTE data plan sharing issue solves itself. That's explicitly preventing them. Asking them nicely doesn't appear to be working for you.


You have Family Sharing available to allow the sharing of most iTunes purchases. You can even refuse to play that game by sharing an Apple ID for only iTunes purposes, but not iCloud. This also solves your Continuity issues.


Multiple solutions.


No fingers in my ears. No head in the sand.


End of story.

Oct 5, 2017 3:15 PM in response to Randy Saunders

Yes, that was my point. When I turn off personal hotspot on my phone I don't want the other devices, which are sharing my apple id, to be able to turn it back on. Even though the other devices had my apple id, they belonged to my kids.


It's been such a long time since I've looked at this that I don't know if this still happens. My kids now have their own 'child' apple ids so it may not be an issue for me anymore. I may have to try it some time.

Oct 5, 2017 4:10 PM in response to LACAllen

It's an issue because yesterday, when I left the house (and the home WiFi) with both my iPad and iPhone, the iPad automatically turned on the hotspot to finish updating multiple apps and within a few minutes I had used up 1GB data from my 2GB monthly allowance.

I have read Continuity System Requirement - thank you for posting it - and while it probably isn't a conspiracy, it isn't ideal either.

Oct 13, 2017 4:27 AM in response to LACAllen

If we should not share Apple IDs or devices, why do we have individual settings per device for restrictions? With no sharing, this would only need to be set once per Apple ID.
The reason is, Apple support for child ID, while better than most, is still only half thought out and half implemented.

Suppose I temporarily lend my iPad to a friend to make an Amazon order for example. I have a right to expect that mobile data will not get syphoned from the phone in my pocket.

But anyway, thank you for the link to submit feedback to Apple. I shall be using it.

Oct 13, 2017 5:17 AM in response to Chip_OLata

Chip_OLata wrote:


I'm amazed at the tone of the replies here. Millions of people let their kids share their own Apple IDs.
Mobile data costs money. If a hotspot has the option to be authorised, it also needs an option to be de-authorised.
Yes means yes, no means no. Not maybe.

Millions of people are making a serious mistake by doing so. The hotspot is the least of the issues. Your children can see every text that you send or receive, every email, every photo, all of your contacts, all of your calendar entries. And there is no reason to share your iCloud ID; that's what Family Sharing is for.

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How do I prevent Personal Hotspot from automatically activating whenever a device decides to connect to my phone.

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