How to Share Internet From Your iPhone to Your iPad

To share your iPhone’s internet with your iPad, turn on Personal Hotspot on the iPhone (Settings > Personal Hotspot > Allow Others to Join). Then on the iPad, open Settings > Wi-Fi and tap your iPhone’s name under Personal Hotspots. If both devices use the same Apple Account, the iPad connects without a password.

This guide follows Apple’s Share your internet connection from your iPhone guide, Use Instant Hotspot to connect to your Personal Hotspot and If Personal Hotspot is not working. The iPad doesn’t need its own cellular plan. It uses the iPhone’s cellular data.

Before You Start

Apple lists these requirements:

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on on both devices. (The iPad Bluetooth steps show where the switch is.)
• The iPhone and iPad are within 30 feet (10 meters) of each other.
• Your carrier plan includes Personal Hotspot. It isn’t available with all carriers, and additional fees may apply.
• If you use a VPN, its configuration shouldn’t block local networking, which can interfere with Continuity features.

Apple also notes that Personal Hotspot only shares the iPhone’s cellular connection. You can’t connect the iPhone to a Wi-Fi network and then share that Wi-Fi network with the iPad.

A Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad can have its own data plan instead, and you can find the phone number on an iPad that has one.

How to Set Up Personal Hotspot on the iPhone

1. On your iPhone, open Settings and tap Cellular. Make sure Cellular Data is on.
2. Tap Set Up Personal Hotspot the first time, and follow the onscreen instructions. After that, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot.
3. Turn on Allow Others to Join.
4. Note the Wi-Fi password shown on the Personal Hotspot screen.

You set a password when you set up the hotspot. To change it later, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and tap Wi-Fi Password. Here’s more on changing the Personal Hotspot password on iPhone.

If Cellular Data is on but you don’t see Set Up Personal Hotspot, contact your carrier about adding it to your plan. With Dual SIM, the hotspot uses the line you picked for cellular data.

How to Connect the iPad to Your iPhone’s Hotspot

1. On your iPad, open Settings and tap Wi-Fi. You can also swipe down from the top-right edge to open Control Center and turn on Wi-Fi there.
2. Tap your iPhone’s name under Personal Hotspots.
3. Enter the hotspot password if asked.

With Instant Hotspot, you won’t be asked for a password if both devices are signed in to the same Apple Account. In that case, Allow Others to Join doesn’t even need to be on. It’s needed for devices on a different Apple Account, non-family devices, and non-Apple devices.

The iPad joins the hotspot like any other network, so joining a wireless network on an iPad covers the basics.

How to Make the iPad Join Your Hotspot Automatically

With Auto-Join Hotspot, the iPad can join or ask to join your hotspot when no Wi-Fi network is available and your iPhone is nearby. Both devices need the same Apple Account (or family sharing set up).

1. On the iPad, open Settings and tap Wi-Fi.
2. Tap Auto-Join Hotspot.
3. Choose Never, Ask to Join or Automatic.

When you’re not using the hotspot, your devices disconnect automatically to save battery life.

How to Share the Hotspot With Family Members

If your family uses an iPad on a different Apple Account, Family Sharing lets them join without the password.

1. On the iPhone, open Settings > Personal Hotspot > Family Sharing.
2. Turn on Family Sharing. If you don’t see the option, set up Family Sharing first.
3. Tap a family member’s name and choose Automatic or Ask for Approval.

If Personal Hotspot Isn’t Working

Try to connect again after each of these steps:

1. On the iPhone, open Settings > Personal Hotspot and make sure Allow Others to Join is on. Stay on that screen until the iPad connects.
2. Restart both the iPhone and the iPad.
3. Update both devices to the latest iOS and iPadOS.
4. On the iPad, turn Wi-Fi off and back on, then make sure you pick the network with your iPhone’s name.
5. On iPhone 12 or later, turn on Maximize Compatibility in Settings > Personal Hotspot. This may reduce performance and Wi-Fi security for connected devices.
6. On the iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This also resets saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN and APN settings.

If you see a password error, check the Wi-Fi password on the iPhone’s Personal Hotspot screen.

If the iPad still won’t join any network, resetting the iPad’s network settings clears saved networks and VPN settings so you can start fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions