Ways to Fix Instant Hotspot Not Working on Mac
Written by Karolina Peistariene on
How You Can Fix Instant Hotspot Connectivity Issues on Mac
If you get into a situation where you need to connect your Mac to an internet network, but there's no Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection available, you can use your iOS device as a Personal Hotspot. If your iPhone or iPad has mobile data, you can share it with your Mac and connect to it with Instant Hotspot.
Instant Hotspot is a great feature, but sometimes you might face some issues. As with most software features Instant Hotspot can't avoid problems. Error messages might pop up stating that the Personal Hotspot is unable to start or other problems occurred. But no need to worry as it can be easily fixed.
To solve problems regarding Instant Hotspot, follow the methods below.
Video on How You Can Fix Instant Hotspot Connectivity Issues on Mac
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Method 1. Restart Both Devices
- Method 2. Connect Both Devices to The Same iCloud Account
- Method 3. On Both Devices Re-enable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
- Method 4. Change The Name of Your iPhone/iPad
- Method 5. Reset Network Settings
- Video on How You Can Fix Instant Hotspot Connectivity Issues on Mac
Restart Both Devices
When you're experiencing such issues, the first thing you should try is to restart both your Mac and your iOS device.
To restart your Mac, follow the steps below:
1. Click on the Apple logo located in the menu bar and click on "Restart".
2. When a small window pops-up, click on "Restart" again.
To restart your iPhone X, 11 or 12, follow the steps below:
1. Quickly press the volume up button and then the volume down button.
2. Then, quickly press and hold the right-side button until you see the Apple logo. It might take up to few seconds.
If you have an older iPhone model and don't know how to restart it, you'll find the instructions here.
Connect Both Devices to The Same iCloud Account
Make sure your Mac and the iOS device are connected to the same iCloud account.
To connect to an iCloud account on Mac, follow the steps below:
1. In the menu bar, click on the Apple logo and go to "System Preferences".
2. Then, at the bottom right corner of the window, click on "Sign In".
3. Enter your Apple ID credentials.
To connect to an iCloud account on an iOS device, follow the steps below:
1. Go to settings.
2. At the very top, click on "Sign in to your iPhone/iPad".
3. Enter your Apple ID credentials. Keep in mind that it has to be the same Apple ID that's connected to your Mac.
On Both Devices Re-enable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
Sometimes turning off and on both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can help to fix Instant hotspot problems.
If you don't know how to do that, follow the steps below:
1. On Mac, open the Control Center, located on the menu bar's right side.
2. Click the Bluetooth icon and then on the Wi-Fi icon to disable them.
3. Wait for few seconds and enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth again.
4. Then, on your iOS device, open the quick menu by swiping down from the top right side of the screen.
5. Click the Bluetooth icon and then on the Wi-Fi icon to turn them off.
6. Wait for few seconds and enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth again.
Now check if the issue with Instant Hotspot is solved.
Change The Name of Your iPhone/iPad
If the above methods don't help, change the name of your iPhone or iPad.
To change the iOS device name, follow the steps below:
1. Go to device settings.
2. Scroll down, find and tap on "General".
3. Then, tap on "About" and on "Name".
4. Rename your device by typing in a different name.
5. When you're done, tap on "done" at the bottom right corner.
6. Go to Your Mac and re-enable Wi-Fi from the Control Center. Connect to your iOS device with Instant Hotspot and check if your Mac sees your iPhone's new name.
7. If you see the old device name, restart your Mac and iPhone.
This method should solve the problem.
Reset Network Settings
If nothing up to this method didn't help, try to reset network settings on the iOS device. Keep in mind that resetting these settings will clear out all saved passwords and remove all Bluetooth devices.
To reset network settings in iOS, follow the steps below:
1. Go to device settings.
2. Find and tap on "General".
3. Scroll down and tap on "Reset".
4. Then, tap on "Reset Network Settings" and enter the passcode.
5. Confirm the action to reset the network.
After network settings reset, try to connect to Instant Hotspot.
We hope this article was helpful!
Check out the video above for a step-by-step tutorial of each method.
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