How to set up a hotspot on android

Want to connect your laptop to Wi-Fi while you're on the go? Or maybe you're working from home and your internet connection is less than stellar. If so, no need to rely on public networks—use your smartphone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to share internet with other devices using your mobile data. 

Asurion Experts help millions of customers fix their tech fast and find solutions to their everyday tech care needs. In this article, they'll be sharing how a hotspot works, how to use your iPhone® or Android™ phone as a hotspot, and how to block others from using your hotspot network. 

A friendly reminder: Verizon®, AT&T®, and Sprint®, among other carriers, offer hotspot plans, so check with your wireless provider to find out whether additional data charges apply. 

What is a mobile hotspot? 

Using your phone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot lets you share your smartphone's mobile network connection with your other devices, letting them connect to the internet anywhere that you have mobile service. Most smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy® and iPhone, have built-in features that allow you to quickly turn on a Wi-Fi hotspot from the Settings or App menu. 

Sure, free Wi-Fi can be found everywhere from coffee shops to national parks, but using public Wi-Fi always carries certain security risks and often requires you to give out personal information, like your email address, in order to use the service. Using your smartphone's mobile hotspot allows you to put extra security measures in place to help protect you and your private information. 

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How to turn your iPhone into a mobile hotspot 

1. Tap Settings, then Personal Hotspot. 
2. Tap Allow Others to Join, and then tap Wi-Fi Password to change the password for your shared network. 
3. Connect your computer to your phone's internet—you can choose to connect via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, or USB. 

Note: Your iCloud® devices will be able to use it automatically. 

How to use your Samsung Galaxy as a mobile hotspot 

1. Tap Settings, then Connections. 
2. Tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. 
3. Tap Mobile Hotspot to turn it on. 
4. Once it’s on, tap Mobile Hotspot again, then tap Configure, where you can change the password to something difficult enough to help keep unwelcome guests from joining. 

How to use your Google Pixel as a hotspot

1. Tap Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering. 
2. Tap Wi-Fi hotspot, and tap the switch to turn it on.  
3. Once you’ve turned it on, you can tap Hotspot password to change it to something difficult enough to help keep unwelcome guests from joining. 

How to block others from using your mobile hotspot 

The easiest way to block others from using your personal mobile hotspot is to protect it with a strong, complex password. Combine uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numbers and special characters like, $, @, and #, to create a password that's at least 8 characters long. Don't use personal information, like your anniversary or your pet's name, and avoid using repetitive characters. 

If you suspect someone is using your mobile hotspot without your permission, you can check to see who is on it by going to the Hotspot section in your phone's Settings and looking at Connected Devices. If someone is on your network that you don't want to be on it, disconnect your mobile hotspot and reactivate it using a completely different password. Some devices also offer you the option to select the user under Connected Devices and tap Block to prevent them from using your hotspot. 

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If your Wi-Fi router at home starts acting up or you travel to an area with no internet access, setting up a mobile hotspot with your Android phone can quickly help you get other devices back online. We will show you how to do that.

Your Android phone allows you to share cellular data with other devices by broadcasting itself as a personal hotspot. It’s a quick and easy way to access the internet when you don’t have access to regular Wi-Fi.

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However, setting up your Android device as a mobile hotspot comes at a cost to battery life, so you may want to use it sparingly. For longer sessions, it’s best to explore less conventional methods such as USB and Bluetooth tethering.

Depending on your cellular plan, some carriers may forbid you from sharing mobile data or request you pay extra to tether devices. If you’re in doubt, confirm before you begin.

Note: The following tutorial demonstrates sharing your Android’s internet connection via hotspot, USB, and Bluetooth on a Google Pixel running stock Android 12. The steps below may vary slightly depending on your device and system software version.

Activate Mobile Hotspot on Android

The first time you want to share the internet on your Android cell phone with other devices, you must review the device’s “Wi-Fi hotspot” settings. That allows you to change the default hotspot name, adjust the security level, and note the Wi-Fi password. You can also use a couple of settings to improve battery life and extend compatibility. To do that:

1. Locate and open the Settings app via your Android device’s home screen. Or, open the app drawer and search for it.

2. Tap Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering to access your mobile hotspot and tethering settings page. Then, select Wi-Fi hotspot.

3. Adjust the following settings and turn on the switch next to Use Wi-Fi hotspot:

• Hotspot name: Set up a recognizable network name for your Android’s hotspot feature. If not, it will use the default device name.
• Security: Pick an available Wi-Fi security protocol such as WPA3-Personal, WPA2/WPA3-Personal, and WPA2-Personal. WPA3 features better security but may not be compatible with older devices. Stick to the default WPA2/WPA3 setting or select WPA2 if you encounter connectivity issues.
• Hotspot password: Note down the default hotspot password. It’s a random string of alphanumeric digits, so feel free to change it. However, don’t use an easy-to-guess password.
• Turn off hotspot automatically: Let your Android automatically switch off the mobile hotspot to conserve battery life when no devices are connected.
• Extend compatibility: Allows older devices to detect and use your Android hotspot as a Wi-Fi connection. However, that may cause the battery to drain faster.

You can now connect to your Android phone’s hotspot from another device. The process is similar to joining a typical Wi-Fi network. On your PC or Mac, select the Wi-Fi icon on the system tray or menu bar, select the mobile hotspot name, and enter its password.

It’s also possible to connect an iOS or iPadOS device this way—just head over to the Wi-Fi selection screen to join. You can also tap the QR Code button within the “Wi-Fi hotspot” screen and scan it using the iPhone or iPad camera to join the hotspot instantly without inserting the password. Use Nearby Sharing instead to allow other Android mobile devices to enter the hotspot network.

Going forward, you can turn the hotspot for your Android device on and off via the Quick Settings pane. Just swipe down from the top of the screen to open it (you may have to swipe down twice or sideways to reveal all settings). Then, tap the Hotspot icon to toggle the functionality or long-press it to access the “Wi-Fi hotspot” settings screen.

Again, your Android hotspot uses significant power to stay active. If you haven’t configured the device to turn off the hotspot automatically when no devices are connected, don’t forget to do that and avoid battery drain.

Activate USB Tethering on Android

If you have a USB cable at hand, you can tether your Android to a desktop or laptop device via USB and share your cellular data plan that way. That speeds up the internet and stops the phone’s battery from draining. However, USB tethering prevents you from connecting additional devices and could eat away the battery life on laptops.

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device and tap Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering.

2. Turn on the switch next to USB tethering.

3. Connect your Android to your PC or Mac and disconnect from other wireless networks (or disable the Wi-Fi module). It should automatically start using mobile data via USB.

Unlike a mobile hotspot, you do not need to turn off USB tethering when you aren’t actively using it.

Activate Bluetooth Tethering on Android

It’s also possible to share the internet to a desktop or laptop device on your Android phone via Bluetooth. It results in slower internet speeds and is somewhat complicated to set up and use. However, it drastically reduces battery consumption compared to using a hotspot network.

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device, tap Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering, and turn on the switch next to Bluetooth tethering.

2. Pair your Android phone to your desktop or laptop. In Microsoft Windows, you can open the Start menu and select Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Add a device. On the Mac, open the Apple menu and go to System Preferences > Bluetooth. Make sure to put your Android into discovery mode during the pairing process (just go to Settings > Connected devices).

3. Configure your PC or Mac to start using Bluetooth. In Windows, right-click the Bluetooth icon on the Windows taskbar and select Join Personal Area Network. Or, open the Control Panel and select Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers. Next, highlight your Android and select Connect to > Access Point.

On the Mac, go to System Preferences > Network, select the Plus icon, and add Bluetooth PAN.

Note: At the time of writing, Apple has removed the ability to set up a Bluetooth personal area network on Macs running macOS 12 Monterey and later. You shouldn’t have any trouble using Bluetooth tethering on older versions of macOS.

Uninterrupted Internet Connectivity

Knowing how to set up your Android phone as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot can help you in many situations. However, don’t forget to use USB or Bluetooth tethering when battery life is a concern. If you run into issues following the instructions above, learn how you can fix your Android mobile hotspot and get back online.

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