How to Share Your Wi-Fi Password With a Friend on iPhone or iPad

[MacRumors]

In the iOS operating system, there's a handy feature that's designed to let you quickly share your Wi-Fi password with a friend, and, if you're at a friend's house, to get the Wi-Fi password with just a tap.

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There are two prerequisites to use this feature: you must be running iOS 11 or later and you and your friend need to have each other listed as contacts in the Contacts app. Here's how it works:

1. When a friend is at your house, have them open up the Settings app.
2. Tap on Wi-Fi, and let the iPhone look for available networks.
3. Have your friend tap on the name of your Wi-fi network.

From there, you'll get a popup on your own iPhone that asks you if you want to share your password. Tap "Share Password" and your Wi-Fi password is automatically sent to your friend's iPhone and they're able to join your Wi-Fi network.

Article Link: How to Share Your Wi-Fi Password With a Friend on iPhone or iPad

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

I could only get this to work when our Bluetooths were also enabled.

 

[4jasontv]

That's very simple. /s

 

[ElRojito]

I’ll take features that never work for 100.

 

[Killbill2]

It’s not just at your home… at your local coffee place or whereever. And, it works solidly and consistently on at least iPhone 6 and above as well…

 

[Jax44]

I have used this twice already. Works fine.

 

[jmh600cbr]

My favourite feature in ios 11 by far

 

[Iconoclysm]

That's very simple. /s

Think of this in comparison to what you already do to join a new network. The EXACT same thing. It's extremely simple, the only thing more simple would be for it to automatically let you join, which is a little scary.

 

[nwcs]

This is pretty neat. I had no idea. I’ll have to remember it next time.

 

[Xavier]

I used this for the first time the other day. Super useful and convenient!

 

[DaveTheRave]

If someone wants to join my WiFi network, does my phone need to be unlocked to get the approval prompt?

 

[foobarbaz]

I have a QR code on my fridge. iOS 11 can scan those, too.

 

[ipedro]

That's very simple. /s

It actually is. I went to a friend's house and asked him for his WiFi password. He didn't know because it's some complex alphanumeric pass that's printed on the back of his modem. So I selected his WiFi network and as I got up to go to the modem, he said: "Hey look!" and that notice popped up on his phone to share the WiFi password with me and with one tap, I was connected.

 

[alphaod]

Doesn't work when you use username and passwords for everyone.

 

[Mike MA]

This since long is a brilliant example for ‚it just works‘. It came up all of a sudden when I tried to access the wireless network of my cousin last Christmas. Very intuitive.

 

[sidewinder3000]

This is cool! No more "Hey, what's your password?" followed by "Uh, I dunno... it's some kinda 19 digit hexagonical space number I have written down somewhere. Sorry.”

 

[PimpDaddy]

I’d love if Apple would also finally include the option to show the passwords of networks you’ve already joined. Even with the above feature I’m missing that functionality.
[doublepost=1517613842][/doublepost]

I have a QR code on my fridge. iOS 11 can scan those, too.

How did you make that QR code?

 

[4jasontv]

Think of this in comparison to what you already do to join a new network. The EXACT same thing. It's extremely simple, the only thing more simple would be for it to automatically let you join, which is a little scary.

It actually is. I went to a friend's house and asked him for his WiFi password. He didn't know because it's some complex alphanumeric pass that's printed on the back of his modem. So I selected his WiFi network and as I got up to go to the modem, he said: "Hey look!" and that notice popped up on his phone to share the WiFi password with me and with one tap, I was connected.

It's not simple if I still have to go into settings. Easy would be if you could iMessage wifi access. "Hey, I just got to your place. I'll watch some netflix while I wait for you. What's your wifi password?" Text wifi access. "Cool, thanks."

The Apple TV setup was easy. Place iphone on top of Apple TV, tap touch ID. Wifi is set up. Why not replicate it like that. Tap the wifi I want to add, and let them tap touch ID to approve it.

Sounds like this requires we be in the same place, and we need to both be working on me accessing wifi at the same time. So instead of giving me the password and letting me add it in the settings, it now takes two people with two iPhones at the same time to accomplish the same task.

And before someone says "you can still do it the old way" remember this is Apple. It's supposed to be well thought out so that we just forget about the old way. The old way should never be easier.

 

[murdoc2k]

Cool! I didn't know about this feature. This will surely save me a lot of headaches in the future

 

[Robert.Walter]

This is a terrible feature if you are concerned about security.

When you do this you are giving away your password.

Unless Apple has created a way to mask these shared passwords, anybody with a Mac will be able to open their keychain and read your main network password.

This would be a great feature if one could configure it to give out the password to one’s guest network.

I think Apple blew this on the basis of security.

 

[Pirate!]

I have not noticed any security issues with it so far. Works marvelously for me when I have friends over. Don't want them on it any more? Change the password!

 

[splogue]

I have not noticed any security issues with it so far. Works marvelously for me when I have friends over. Don't want them on it any more? Change the password!

Yeah, but to do that I would have to reconfigure (literally) about a hundred devices. Heck, the Nest cams and smoke alarms need a QR code to do it, which means I'll be up on a ten-foot ladder trying to scan things. It would take me at least a week of work to do this.

However, people do this all the time, so Apple is just helping them do what they were already doing before, and I can't fault them for that. It would be nice if they masked the password and made it expire after 24 hours, but perhaps that's something they can consider for iOS 12.

The best way to use it is to have them select your guest network and share that password with them instead.

Sean

 

[D.T.]

This would be extra neat if you could allocate a cert to a user, where it could be revoked, _without_ having to change your password (and all connected devices).

How did you make that QR code?

There's a number of apps, online resources, etc., to generate QR codes.

(The problem is that workflow is still a touch clunky ... scan-cut-paste and it exposes the actual password)

 

[Pirate!]

Yeah, but to do that I would have to reconfigure (literally) about a hundred devices. Heck, the Nest cams and smoke alarms need a QR code to do it, which means I'll be up on a ten-foot ladder trying to scan things. It would take me at least a week of work to do this.

However, people do this all the time, so Apple is just helping them do what they were already doing before, and I can't fault them for that. It would be nice if they masked the password and made it expire after 24 hours, but perhaps that's something they can consider for iOS 12.

The best way to use it is to have them select your guest network and share that password with them instead.

Sean

Or if a device tried to log on using the network it provided the same pop-up! That would make resetting passwords on devices easier (as long as the SSID didn't change). It'd have to provide a decent amount of info on the device for me to trust it (or if the router auto allowed recognized MAC addresses to update the password behind the scenes?).

I guess if you want your friends to be on the guest network then you have to be as well for the handoff to work?

 

[bkaus]

Great. Now my kids will start sharing the password. Then others can look up in keychain.

NOT something that I want at all.