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How to Connect iPhone Hotspot to Laptop – Overview
While traveling and taking a break at a restaurant without Wi-Fi or internet connectivity, your iPhone can provide you with the necessary connection through its Hotspot feature.
Personal Hotspot Feature – Things You Should Know
The Personal Hotspot feature allows laptops to connect using Wi-Fi tethering, Bluetooth, or a USB cable connection.
The availability of the Personal Hotspot feature may depend on your mobile carrier and your specific data plan. If the cellular data does not permit using this feature, it will not appear in the iPhone’s settings screen.
It is important to remember that using the Personal Hotspot feature will consume data from your mobile data plan.
Users must ensure their data does not exhaust or lead to extra billing. An unlimited data plan or a large data cap should not pose an issue.
Additionally, some carriers offer the option to purchase high-speed tethering data at an additional cost.
Using the Personal Hotspot, especially for Wi-Fi tethering, can significantly drain the iPhone’s battery.
It is advisable to keep the iPhone connected to a power source to avoid any inconvenience.
Connecting iPhone Hotspot to Laptop – Steps to Follow
There are three options for connecting your laptop to an iPhone’s hotspot. These options enable your laptop to access the internet using the mobile data from your phone.
The three ways to connect to hotspots are:
- Using a Wi-Fi tethering connection
- Using a Bluetooth connection
- Connecting via a USB cable
The first step is to ensure you have a suitable mobile data plan on your iPhone. Beyond this, advanced settings are not required. It involves simple steps, not rocket science.
Steps for Connecting Your Laptop to iPhone’s Personal Hotspot
1. First, go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap the ‘Personal Hotspot‘ settings for more options.
3. In this window, you will see two options. One is to turn on the hotspot by selecting ‘Allow others to join.’ The next step is to set a secure password for your hotspot.
Note: Always use a secure password (minimum of 8 characters) that includes alphanumeric symbols.
The ‘allow others to join’ option is necessary for users or Windows-based laptops not using your iCloud account.
Devices not connected to iCloud will require this password for connection. Devices or laptops (MacBook, iPad, etc.) signed in with your iCloud account do not require a password.
4. Upon selecting ‘Allow others to join,’ you will be prompted that your iPhone’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are off.
Here, you have two options for using the personal hotspot:
a. Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for a wireless connection to your laptop.
b. Choose the USB-only option, requiring a data cable for connection (USB-A to lightning cable).
5. Activating the switch presents different options in the personal hotspot settings window.
Connect Your iPhone Hotspot to Your Laptop Using Wi-Fi
Activate your computer’s Wi-Fi and search for your iPhone’s name, typically set as ‘My iPhone.’ Enter the password to connect to the hotspot.
The Wi-Fi method is the most common and straightforward. No pairing is needed—just enter the password to access the internet through mobile data.
Connect Your iPhone’s Hotspot Using Bluetooth
To use Bluetooth tethering, first pair your iPhone with your laptop. After pairing, connect to the internet via the iPhone’s Bluetooth hotspot. This involves joining the personal area network on a Windows laptop and adding your iPhone to the laptop’s Bluetooth devices, a process that is less commonly used today.
Connect to Your iPhone Hotspot Using a USB
If you prefer not to use wireless options and have a cable, choose the USB option. Simply plug your iPhone into the laptop, select ‘My iPhone’ from the list of network services, and you’re online.
This method also helps save battery compared to other methods and charges your iPhone while you browse the web.
Note: Connecting to your iPhone’s hotspot displays the time in a blue rectangle at the top of your screen. This serves as a notification that your mobile data is in use and shows the number of active connections.
Based on these three methods, you’re ready to use the internet. Check emails, browse websites, and complete your work.
Is There a Best Method Out of the Three?
The best hotspot option depends on user preference. However, USB is considered the simplest method to connect an iPhone to a laptop.
Bluetooth is deemed a secure connection method, while Wi-Fi is also secure, provided the password is not
shared with strangers.
Apple devices using the same Apple ID can connect without a password, but Windows users should use a secure password.
That’s All!
Now you know how to stay online by connecting to your iPhone. Whether you lack free Wi-Fi access or face a total absence of Wi-Fi, a hotspot can save the day.
Wi-Fi hotspot tethering is preferred by many, but USB tethering is an option if battery drain is a concern.
While connected to the laptop, your iPhone also charges. Always have a backup internet option.
Interestingly, this article was written using an iPhone’s hotspot. What a coincidence!
See Also
How to connect Alexa to iPhone