Enable iPhones WiFi Hotspot from iPad?

[That-Guy]

Right so on my Mac you can enable the iPhones WiFi Hotspot feature from the Wireless icon in the top right Menu.

I have an iPad Air (WiFi Only) and would love to be able to enable the phones Hotspot without pulling the phone out of my pocket every time. I want to use the iPad at work to find products on the companies website while on the sale floor.

Thanks in Advance!

 

[c55]

On the Mac you are connecting to your iPhone via Bluetooth, that auto connects. On iPad, you are connecting via wireless hotspot, which requires you to connect manually to the hotspot like any other Wifi would. The only way to auto connect your iPad is if you left your wireless hotspot on 24/7, which would be a bad idea.

Edit: you could also connect the iPad via Bluetooth to your iPhone but that still requires that your hotspot is turned on

 

[zhenya]

This should already work automatically via the Instant Hotspot feature so long as both your devices are on iOS8 and signed into the same iCloud account.

 

[cynics]

That is already a feature. I use it quite often.

 

[silverblack]

I have an iPad Air (WiFi Only) and would love to be able to enable the phones Hotspot without pulling the phone out of my pocket every time.

Try connecting your iPad to your iPhone over Bluetooth instead of wifi.

 

[Ledgem]

Right so on my Mac you can enable the iPhones WiFi Hotspot feature from the Wireless icon in the top right Menu.

I have an iPad Air (WiFi Only) and would love to be able to enable the phones Hotspot without pulling the phone out of my pocket every time. I want to use the iPad at work to find products on the companies website while on the sale floor.

Thanks in Advance!

As others have said, this is already a feature. It was introduced with iOS 8. As long as both your iPad and iPhone are on iOS 8 and connected to the same iCloud account, you can trigger it purely from the iPad. Simply open Settings > Wi-Fi on the iPad, and as long as your iPhone has Bluetooth enabled and is within range, you should see it listed above your other wireless networks (along with the signal strength, signal connection, and battery life on the iPhone). Tap it, and within a few seconds you should see the tethered icon appear at the upper left of the iPad's screen.

@silverblack mentioned connecting over Bluetooth instead of wifi, which is a different method of tethering that offers other benefits and a potential con. If you tether over wifi (as occurs if you tether using the instructions above), the connection will automatically cease if the iPad screen is off for a few minutes. If that happens, you'll need to re-initiate the tethering process to gain connectivity. If you pair by Bluetooth, the connection will last until the two devices are out of range, if the battery runs out on one device, or if you manually disable Bluetooth on one of the two devices. Because the connection requires your interaction only once to initiate and can last all day, I find it to be the preferable method of tethering when in a work environment that may require usage throughout the day. Because it works through Bluetooth the battery drain is minimal, so it's not a problem that the connection lasts all day. The only downside to tethering via Bluetooth over wifi is the connection speed. Depending on the network in your area, it's possible that your iPad won't be able to make full use of your LTE speeds, as the Bluetooth link won't be capable of transmitting at those speeds. This isn't an issue for web browsing, but if you're expecting to push or pull large files, you may want to consider tethering over wifi.

 

[That-Guy]

Thank you for your help peeps!

I am guessing you need to go into the settings menu every time to switch it on? You wouldn't be able to use the Control Center on the iPad?

Also I am guessing if the phone and iPad are not connected to a wireless network it will automatically use Bluetooth?

 

[cynics]

Thank you for your help peeps!

I am guessing you need to go into the settings menu every time to switch it on? You wouldn't be able to use the Control Center on the iPad?

Also I am guessing if the phone and iPad are not connected to a wireless network it will automatically use Bluetooth?

Yes, you need to dive into settings a bit. It cannot be done from control center.

To use Bluetooth you'll need to pair the devices via Bluetooth settings, it is not automatic.

Edit: unless you meant they were previously paired via Bluetooth then yes. If you lose the wifi it will start using the hotspot via Bluetooth. This is a reason I prefer not to use Bluetooth. I could destroy my data plan accidentally too easily.

 

[chabig]

...I am guessing if the phone and iPad are not connected to a wireless network it will automatically use Bluetooth?

The hotspot feature creates a wireless network between the phone and another device. It does not use Bluetooth, nor can either device be connected to another hotspot. Your phone shares it's cellular data connection over wifi. That's all.

 

[rui no onna]

The hotspot feature creates a wireless network between the phone and another device. It does not use Bluetooth, nor can either device be connected to another hotspot. Your phone shares it's cellular data connection over wifi. That's all.

Incorrect. The iPhone's hotspot feature can work over wifi, bluetooth and even USB. Bluetooth is slower than wifi, though. Ledgem's post (#6) discusses this in pretty thorough detail.

 

[iosuser]

Right so on my Mac you can enable the iPhones WiFi Hotspot feature from the Wireless icon in the top right Menu.

I have an iPad Air (WiFi Only) and would love to be able to enable the phones Hotspot without pulling the phone out of my pocket every time. I want to use the iPad at work to find products on the companies website while on the sale floor.

Thanks in Advance!

When both your iPad and iPhone are signed in to the same Apple ID, AND Bluetooth is enabled on both, you'll see your iPhone listed in your iPads wifi setting under Personal Hotspot. Simply press the name of your phone and it'll automatically enable the hotspot on your phone. No Bluetooth pairing or entering your hotspot password required.

There are many complaints of this not working initially (your phone not showing up as personal hotspot). I've seen it myself. I changed the name of my phone and it started working and hasn't given me problem since. I suspect this might be your problem since it's working with your Mac.

 

[That-Guy]

Thanks everyone now working correctly!

Just a shame you have to dive into settings each time, would love this feature in the Control Center.