new MBP & new iPhone.. very hard time with new phone hotspot

[kali89]

hi,

I bought an MPB last September (running Monterrey 12.6)

I also bought a new iPhone around the same time (iPhone 12, now running iOS 16.2)

and I am having an exceedingly hard time connecting to wifi with MPB through the iPhone hotspot.. and this has been happening ever since I first purchased it (& the phone)

what happens when I try to connect:
1) hotspot won't appear where hotspots appear in wifi dropdown
(hotspot from neighbors show up, even from other phones in the house, but not from my phone (we do not have broadband at home, only internet we have is through our phones, and we depend on it to connect to internet with our computers..))

or:

2) the hotspot in my phone finally appears, but: it takes longer than all the others to appear (even though the phone is right next to the computer!!)

3) after it finally appears (if it does) sometimes the "diagnostics" thing appears... now my experience, from all the years I've been using macs, is when that alert appears, giving you option to run a "diagnostics" thing, it never ever works...

or:

3) I can connect (after the hotspot finally appears) but: it's very unstable, it throws me off all the time; right now I finally succeeded in connecting after not having been able to do so since yesterday...

if I plug the phone to the computer the exact same thing happens, nothing changes..

please see attached screenshot..
the one on top is my niece's phone, she's downstairs; I'm upstairs, and hotspot in my phone, which is right next to me, doesn't show.. this is ridiculous...

the other hotspots must be from neighbors, I'm not familiar with them (which is funny, I live in a rural area, and the houses are not close together at all.. lots here are about an acre..)

now the very weid thing is:

I can connect perfectly well to internet on another computer with my phone
I can connect perfectly well to internet on my MBP with another phone
(& also to broadband wifi when I'm outside the house..)

but somehow, for some very odd reason, the combination of my iPhone and my new MBP just doesn't work...

would appreciate help/suggestions..... thank you...

 

[IWT]

I'm sorry to read about your difficulties especially as the devices concerned are so new.

I assume that a person of your experience has already used the "tried & tested" approach?

1. The latest version of iOS for your iPhone is 16.3. Probably worth updating as that might solve the problem.

IF NOT:

2. On the iPhone > Settings > Mobile Data - turn "Mobile Data" OFF - then Turn "Personal Hotspot" OFF - then Reboot the iPhone and turned "Mobile Data" & "Personal Hotspot" back ON again.

3. I'd also be tempted to reboot the MBP as well, though it doesn't seem to be the culprit.

Would you give these a try and post back, please

Ian

 

[Rod]

Personal Hotspot is very much a function of the Bluetooth connection between the two devices and as you can occasionally it would seem unlikely that this is the problem but it still may be worth ensuring that Bluetooth is ON on both devices and both devices are able to "see" each other in Bluetooth Settings (Preferences).

On the list of BT devices on your MBP you should see "Nearby Devices" unlock your iPhone and after a few seconds you should see your iPhone appear in the list as "Not Connected".
Do the same with your iPhone, you should see your MBP in "My Devices". If not wait until it appears in Other Devices (an the bottom) and "Pair" it with your MBP. It will still revert to Not Connected but that's okay.

Now check for the iPhone HotSpot option in the WiFi connections menu. It should be there

 

[MacInWin]

Frankly, if the hotspot function is the major way you connect to the Internet, use a USB cable to the iPhone. That is a more reliable connection to the hotspot and handles higher traffic as well.

 

[Rod]

Frankly, if the hotspot function is the major way you connect to the Internet, use a USB cable to the iPhone. That is a more reliable connection to the hotspot and handles higher traffic as well.

It should also initiate the "Trust this device" process which is always a good idea with 2SV.

 

[kali89]

Personal Hotspot is very much a function of the Bluetooth connection between the two devices and as you can occasionally it would seem unlikely that this is the problem but it still may be worth ensuring that Bluetooth is ON on both devices and both devices are able to "see" each other in Bluetooth Settings (Preferences).

On the list of BT devices on your MBP you should see "Nearby Devices" unlock your iPhone and after a few seconds you should see your iPhone appear in the list as "Not Connected".
Do the same with your iPhone, you should see your MBP in "My Devices". If not wait until it appears in Other Devices (an the bottom) and "Pair" it with your MBP. It will still revert to Not Connected but that's okay.

Now check for the iPhone HotSpot option in the WiFi connections menu. It should be there

ahhhh... Bluetooth has to be on for wifi hotspot to work?
hmm.. in my old MBP I NEVER had Bluetooth turned on, and it always worked fine..

I'm sorry to read about your difficulties especially as the devices concerned are so new.

I assume that a person of your experience has already used the "tried & tested" approach?

1. The latest version of iOS for your iPhone is 16.3. Probably worth updating as that might solve the problem.

IF NOT:

2. On the iPhone > Settings > Mobile Data - turn "Mobile Data" OFF - then Turn "Personal Hotspot" OFF - then Reboot the iPhone and turned "Mobile Data" & "Personal Hotspot" back ON again.

3. I'd also be tempted to reboot the MBP as well, though it doesn't seem to be the culprit.

Would you give these a try and post back, please

Ian

I'm sorry to read about your difficulties especially as the devices concerned are so new.

I assume that a person of your experience has already used the "tried & tested" approach?

1. The latest version of iOS for your iPhone is 16.3. Probably worth updating as that might solve the problem.

IF NOT:

2. On the iPhone > Settings > Mobile Data - turn "Mobile Data" OFF - then Turn "Personal Hotspot" OFF - then Reboot the iPhone and turned "Mobile Data" & "Personal Hotspot" back ON again.

3. I'd also be tempted to reboot the MBP as well, though it doesn't seem to be the culprit.

Would you give these a try and post back, please

Ian

hi Ian, thank you for your response...

did all that.. it's working now, let's see how long it lasts...
(I had to try twice though, the first time it connected me but disconnected me right away.. this happens a a lot, as I described in my OP..)

also I can't update sw now on either phone or MBP since I need to be connected to wifi for that..
I won't be able to do it until next time I go out (I'm retired, I don't go out every day..)
I might be able to do it on the computer with the hotspot (hopefully, so I don't have to bring the computer with me when I go out), but I don't know, the connection is very slow...
at any rate, I will try tomorrow, in case it takes a very long time..
thank you..

 

[MacInWin]

also I can't update sw now on either phone or MBP since I need to be connected to wifi for that..

Not true, unless your phone carrier plan blocks it. It will be pretty slow, as the download will be at the limit of your cellular service and plan, and if there are data limits, it could use up all (or more) of your allowance. But, it works.

 

[Mikeo512]

Frankly, if the hotspot function is the major way you connect to the Internet, use a USB cable to the iPhone. That is a more reliable connection to the hotspot and handles higher traffic as well.

I have always used a cable … this has always worked well when I’m away from base.



Sent from my iPad using Mac-Forums

 

[Raz0rEdge]

A Personal Hotspot can be used across Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB cable..

How to set up a Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

A Personal Hotspot lets you share the cellular data connection of your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) when you don't have access to a Wi-Fi network.

support.apple.com

Some carriers require you contact them to either enable or add hotspot functionality to your plan to get access to it. T-Mobile, my carrier, includes hotspot for free.

 

[kali89]

Not true, unless your phone carrier plan blocks it. It will be pretty slow, as the download will be at the limit of your cellular service and plan, and if there are data limits, it could use up all (or more) of your allowance. But, it works.

it's actually Apple that insists on that, not the phone carrier... they prevent you from being able to download any sw/os updates unless you're connected to the internet via wifi...
(I actually talked about it with them once over Twitter messenger.. what they wrote is in attached screenshot..)

 

[kali89]

don't know if I should post a new thread or not.... at any rate I'm back, because after updating to the latest sw/os on both iPhone and MBP, I'm still having problems connecting to wifi on the computer with my iPhone hotspot..

either it takes forever for the hotspot to appear, even though the phone is right next to me, or it connects me and throws me off in a few minutes... and sometimes I can even see hotspots from the neighbors but not the hotspot on my iPhone, which is right next to me.. and sometimes I just connect at all (i.e., the hotspot won't appear) for a long time....
in other words, the whole wifi connection thing is just not stable..

now on my old MBP (from 2010, running 10.6.8) it connects with absolutely no problem; in fact, I open it and it connects right away, on its own.. why isn't it like this in the new computer? this doesn't make sense.. (and my new computer connects on its own too, with any wifi other than my hotspot.. is this weird or what?)

would appreciate suggestions.. thank you..

 

[Raz0rEdge]

There are a variety of carrier plans out there that are limited by how much data they can transfer thus determining their prices..while a lot of folks will opt into the unlimited plan, there are enough folks with the other plans and thus Apple's stance of relying on WiFi to download updates quickly without affecting your carrier plan.

 

[Rod]

I keep thinking we have missed something here. I have a newish M1 MBP and an iPhone SE 20 which apart from normal use eg, Handoff, syncing and backup and Airdrop is always available for HotSpot on my WiFi menu and has been used often for just that. My previous 2015 MBP was exactly the same, nil issues.
Here is another odd thing I just noticed, even when Personal Hot Spot is turned off on my iPhone it still appears in my WiFi options. If I select it on MBP it turns it on in the iPhone Hotspot settings. So, its clear that tethering remains even if the option is in the off position.
I also added a Bluetooth connection between my iPhone and MBP but only as a second line.

This article gives a pretty good checklist of things to do and how which might be worth going through again although i think most have already been mentioned in replies on these forums but its worth a try.

iPhone Hotspot Not Working? How to Fix iPhone Tethering

Is your iPhone hotspot not working? Learn how to troubleshoot the tethering feature on iOS and get connected again.

www.makeuseof.com

 

[kali89]

There are a variety of carrier plans out there that are limited by how much data they can transfer thus determining their prices..while a lot of folks will opt into the unlimited plan, there are enough folks with the other plans and thus Apple's stance of relying on WiFi to download updates quickly without affecting your carrier plan.

you think that's the only reason? I didn't know.....
I asked them about 5G once, and they said that on 5G you can download sw/os updates on your data connection...

 

[MacInWin]

it's actually Apple that insists on that, not the phone carrier... they prevent you from being able to download any sw/os updates unless you're connected to the internet via wifi...
(I actually talked about it with them once over Twitter messenger.. what they wrote is in attached screenshot..)

They used to restrict. Now they don't

How to download and install iOS 17.4.1 using cellular data - iGeeksBlog

For a long time, Apple did not allow downloading large iOS updates through cellular/mobile data. Things changed with the introduction of 5G. Now, those

www.igeeksblog.com

Basically, you use Settings/Cellular to turn on Cellular Data, then allow more data over 5G on your cellular plan settings. It works.

 

[Jimmysb]

Not sure what the issue is about, when I get an update on my iPhone 13, it asks if I want to let it use mobile data, I click yes, and off it goes.

 

[kali89]

Not sure what the issue is about, when I get an update on my iPhone 13, it asks if I want to let it use mobile data, I click yes, and off it goes.

the issue is I have a a lot of difficulties connecting to wifi on my MBP with my iPhone hotspot..

which is truly ridiculous, seeing as both my MBP and my iPhone were purchased about six months ago..

thank you..