Having internet access for multiple devices while on the move is a must for many iPhone users. Many of them rely on Personal Hotspot on daily basis and that’s not an overstatement. This makes the problem we’ll try and solve today quite a big deal. Some reports state that the iPhone Mobile Hotspot is connected but it has no internet. Which is, all things considered, much more peculiar than not having a hotspot at all.
If you want to fix this as soon as possible, check the steps we listed below.
Table of contents:
- Restart all included devices
- Turn Personal Hotspot off and then on
- Make sure that you have enough data
- Update iOS
- Reset Network Settings
What to do if Personal Hotspot connects but no internet on iPhone
1. Restart all included devices
The best way to start any troubleshooting is by restarting your iPhone. In this case, we recommend restarting all devices, both your iPhone that provides Wi-Fi over the hotspot and the device or devices on the receiving end of the connection.
After that, navigate to Settings > Personal Hotspot and configure Personal Hotspot again. If the device connects successfully but there’s no internet, continue with the next step.
2. Turn Personal Hotspot off and then on
Another thing you can try is turning the Personal Hotspot off and then re-enabling it. Also, you can try and connect via Bluetooth and try connecting that way.
If you are not sure how to use Personal Hotspot via Bluetooth, follow these instructions closely:
- Enable Bluetooth from Control Center or Settings > Bluetooth.
- Open Settings and select Personal Hotspot.
- Enable the Allow Others to Join option.
- Enable Bluetooth on the device you want to connect to the iPhone hotspot and pair it with the iPhone. You might need to confirm the code.
- Check if the problem is resolved.
3. Make sure that you have enough data
This goes without saying but if you are out of your data or the data option is incredibly slow (EDGE is still a thing in many regions), the hotspot will seemingly work since the devices are connected but the internet connection will be poor or nonexistent.
So, check with your carrier, and if there’s no free data to use, get some more or change the cellular plan. On the other hand, if you are certain that there’s plenty of mobile data but the iPhone Mobile Hotspot is connected but there’s still no internet, try with the system update.
4. Update iOS
Keeping your device up to date is crucial, especially when the majority of Apple-made smartphones have 5+ years of support. But, sometimes updates can lead to issues and the best way to deal with those is to report the problem and hope that the next update will address it.
Based on various reports, iOS 12 was the problematic one when it comes to hotspots. This, seemingly, isn’t the case with iOS 16 for the most part. So, make sure to update your device. Updates are usually administered automatically but you might as well check for updates manually.
To check for updates on your iPhone, follow these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Tap General.
- Select Software Update.
- Check for updates and install any available firmware.
5. Reset Network Settings
Finally, if none of the previous steps worked for you, you can attempt to fix the issue by resetting the network settings on your iPhone. This procedure will reset Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular settings to their factory defaults. It won’t delete anything but you might need to reconfigure certain things, like VPN in case you are using one.
Here’s how to Reset Network Settings on your iPhone in a few simple steps:
- Open Settings.
- Tap General.
- Select Transfer or Reset iPhone from the bottom.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Reset Network Settings.
- Confirm when prompted.
You can also try and reset all settings or even go for the full wipe with the factory reset, but it’s hard to say whether these actions will make any effect.
Hopefully, these instructions helped you address the problem. Thank you for reading and be so kind as to leave your feedback in the comments section below.
Editor’s note: This article was initially published in September 2021. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
