iPhone 12 Pro Max Difficulty using iPhone as mobile hotspot

[lowfreq]

I'm not sure what the issue is but my Lenovo work laptop often times does not recognize my iPhone as a mobile hotspot. There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. At the moment I have my work laptop open, and un the wi-fi many my home router shows up as does my printer which is wi-fi, but no iPhone mobile hotspot.

On the Lenovo, my iPhone does show up under bluetooth pairing, and shows up as being paired but there is no internet connection.

Naturally, on all my other apple devices my iPhone shows up as a mobile hotspot option.

 

[akash.nu]

This could simply be down to the WiFi channel being used. Non Apple devices sometimes don’t work well with Apple devices. If you restart your laptop and phone, do they work?

 

[eyoungren]

Part of the problem I have found with iPhone hotspot is that when you turn on WiFi for other devices to connect to the hotspot, iPhone will connect to any WiFi network it's already saved - and then not broadcast its own network.

I find I have to 'forget' my home or work WiFi network in order for iPhone to actually broadcast it's own hotspot over WiFi instead of just connecting to known networks.

@lowfreq, perhaps this is the case in your situation?

 

[mk313]

Nothing to add to the conversation, but I have the exact same problem, and just like the OP, it’s completely random. Sometimes it works great, other times it just wont’ show up.

 

[Gregintosh]

Following this thread... have the same issue also with a Lenovo laptop.

I’m using an iPhone 12, not pro or anything.

My MacBook never fails to connects but on the Lenovo sometimes the network doesn’t show up. Occasionally also it will connect but once my iPhone screen is locked the connection also dies to the Lenovo.

 

[now i see it]

In my circumstance, iPhone and MacBook or another iPhone, cellular hotspot will only work when these conditions are met:

Step 1. Make sure wifi and cellular hotspot is off on the hotspot iPhone.
Step 2. Turn on Cellular hotspot and choose turn on WiFi when prompted.
Step 3. Keep the Cellular hotspot settings page open and active before trying to connect with another device. Don't lock the screen until a connection is made.

On the other device:
If it's just booting up or waking from sleep AND it was disconnected previously, it should connect
If the other device is put to sleep or the lid closed on the laptop, the cellular hotspot link will be broken fairly quickly and the device will not be able to connect again until
1. It's wifi is turned off
2. The hotspot iPhone wifi is turned off and cellular hotspot turned of

Then the hotspot iPhone cellular hotspot is turned back on and wifi then turned back on

Then turn wifi back on on the connecting device

It's a horrible setup