The Apple iPhone operating system includes support for a feature called Personal Hotspot, which allows users to turn their phone into a wi-fi router and connect to the internet from a laptop, tablet, or other device. This process is also known as tethering and may incur extra costs depending on your contract with your mobile carrier. Follow these steps to enable Personal Hotspot on your iPhone and start sharing your data connection.
Step 1: Tap on the “Settings” icon from your iPhone’s main homescreen.
Step 2: Go to the “Cellular” section of the settings menu.
Step 3: Tap on the row labeled “Personal Hotspot.”
Step 4: Move the slider bar at the top of the screen to the green “On” position to enable the Personal Hotspot feature. A pop-up message will appear asking you what types of connections you want to make available.
Step 5: Choose the “Wi-Fi and USB” option if you only want to allow connections over wi-fi or USB cable connections. Use the “Bluetooth” option if you want to allow other devices to pair to your iPhone over a Bluetooth connection.
Step 6: Tap on the “Wi-Fi Password” row in the list of Personal Hotspot settings. This allows you to set a custom password to use when connecting to your iPhone’s new wireless network. The password must be at least eight characters in length, and if you choose to change the password, all existing users will be disconnected from the wi-fi network.
Step 7: Turn on wi-fi from your computer, tablet, or other device and browse for nearby networks. Look for the wi-fi network with the same name as your iPhone and, when prompted, enter the password you set up in the previous step.
Step 8: Move the slider bar at the top of the screen to the gray “Off” position when you are done using the Personal Hotspot feature.
Be sure to disable Personal Hotspot on your iPhone whenever you are not actively using it, as the feature can consume large amounts of battery power and network data. Additional information about Personal Hotspot can be found on the Apple support website.
