How to share Wi-Fi from an iPhone and other ways to share the Internet

Dmitry Eliseev

IT engineer 1st category. Experience in the field - 6 years.

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There are situations when you need to connect a gadget to the Internet, but your home network has stopped working or your balance has run out. But if you have an iPhone 5, 5s, 6, 6s, 7, 8 or higher on hand, then the problem is easy to solve. We will tell you in detail how to distribute the Internet from an iPhone to a computer, laptop, tablet or other phone on Android or iOS. The main thing is that the phone has a SIM card and the mobile Internet has good network coverage.

How to set up your phone for distribution

Before distributing Wi-Fi from an iPhone 7 or another series device, you must enable the modem function in the settings. To do this, take the following steps:

• Go to your phone settings.

• Enter the cellular or modem mode section (depending on the version).

• To distribute Wi-Fi, move the toggle switch to the “On” position.

There are situations when the phone does not have modem mode. In this case, you need to know how to enable WiFi distribution on your iPhone. Algorithm of actions:

• Make sure mobile internet is working on your phone.
• Go to Settings, Cellular, Options.

• Go to the Data Networks and Cellular Data section.

• Enter information in the Cellular Data and Modem Mode sections. You are required to specify the APN, username and password. You can check this information with your provider. For example, for MTS, the name of the network is written in all cases.

At the last step, reboot your device. If the work is done correctly, you can distribute Wi-Fi from iPhone 4s and 4 (also relevant for other versions) after turning on the modem and wireless network mode. If the connection is successful, you can see the number of devices using the new profile.

What to do if there is no modem mode on iPhone

The option may disappear from the iPhone menu. The cause of the problem is an incorrect update of the operating system, which results in a malfunction of the software. Sometimes the mode disappears due to module failure or telecom operator parameters (lack of connection to the tower).

To return the option to the menu, it is not necessary to hard reset your smartphone. The sequence of user actions is as follows:

1. Open the configuration (gear icon).
2. Select “Cellular Data” and enter your username and password in the APN settings. The information is provided by the provider.
3. The changes are saved and the device is rebooted.
4. Open the configurations, in the “Modem Mode” menu move the switch to the active state (green).

Each mobile operator has individual settings. When replacing a SIM card from one service provider to another, you need to manually correct the data. Configurations of popular providers in the table.

How to distribute the Internet from an iPhone - all methods

Experts identify several methods for distributing the Internet from an iPhone. Let's look at each of the solutions.

Using Wi-Fi

The easiest way is to distribute Wi-Fi from your iPhone after connecting the appropriate mode. Algorithm of actions:

• Go to settings and modem mode. It must be turned on.

• Check the Wi-Fi password and device name.
• Do not go to another screen before connecting to another device.

A person who wants to connect to the Internet goes into the settings, then into the Wi-Fi section and finds the profile name in the list (for example, iPhone).

Next, you just have to click on the name and enter the password. On average, it takes no more than 2-3 minutes to distribute WiFi from an iPhone to an iPhone or other device.

Via Bluetooth

The second option is to distribute the Internet using Bluetooth. The algorithm is like this:

1. On the modem device, enable the required mode.
2. Activate Bluetooth on the distribution device.
3. Turn on Bluetooth.

We find a laptop or PC to connect and confirm that the pair has been created. This is enough to distribute the Internet. When connecting to a PC or laptop, pay attention to the appearance of a special icon at the bottom right.

Using cable

The method is suitable for PCs and laptops, because you can’t do without a USB cable. First, you need to connect the device to your computer or laptop using a cord, and then create an access point. The work is done through the setup section. The algorithm is like this:

1. go to your phone settings;
2. go to the cellular communications section;
3. go to the data and cellular network settings section.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and look at the settings. It is important that the APN is entered here. Most often, it is assigned automatically (this fact depends on the operator). Login and password information does not matter. Next, go to modem mode and set a password for the access point.

To distribute the Internet via a wire from an iPhone, you do not need to enter a password. But it’s better not to ignore this possibility and install a security code. Suddenly you don’t have a cord at hand and you have to distribute Wi-Fi from iPhone 6 6s to a laptop or PC via a wireless network.

To disable distribution, you need to deactivate the modem mode, turn off Bluetooth or disconnect the cable, depending on the connection method.

Internet on an iPhone laptop

Your iPhone is not only a smartphone, it can also be used to connect your laptop to the Internet using a cellular network. Using an iPhone as a modem is known to be tethered and adds costs due to the large amount of data required to access the Internet. Since last year, AT&T subscribers have not been able to use an iPhone to join, but the service is available to iPhone users outside the US. Before using iPhone to connect to the Internet, we recommend that you contact your service provider to confirm your ability to use this feature.

Instructions on how to get an Internet connection on a laptop from an Apple iPhone.

Sync your iPhone with your laptop for mobile Internet access.

Connect to the Internet using a USB cable.

Press the Home button on your iPhone and tap Settings on the screen. Click "General", "Network" and "Modem Connections". Swipe your finger to turn on the modem so that it is in the “On” position.

Connect your iPhone to your laptop via a USB cable. Click the "Network Settings" button on the pop-up dialog box and select "iPhone" as the connection method. Click the "Apply" button to contact.

Connect to the Internet via Bluetooth.

Press the Home button on your iPhone and tap Settings on the screen. Click "General" and "Bluetooth". Swipe the switch on the Bluetooth tab to turn it on. Turn on Bluetooth on your Macintosh by clicking the System Preferences button on the dock and clicking the Bluetooth button. Click the "+" button and select your iPhone from the list of detected devices. Click the Continue button to get the Bluetooth password and enter it into your iPhone to connect.

For PC, start menu and select Network. Select Hardware and Sound and click the Bluetooth Devices button. Click the "Add" button and click the "My device is configured and ready to be discovered." Click "Next", "iPhone" and "Next". Click the "Choose a password for me" button and click the "Next" button. Enter the password displayed on your iPhone and click the "Done" button on the desktop screen.

How to find out that your iPhone model can distribute Wi-Fi

The Apple manufacturer has provided the ability to transfer Wi-Fi from an iPhone to a laptop, PC or other phone. To find out about the possibility of distributing WiFi, you need to check the presence of a modem mode in the settings. If it is missing, you can perform manual data entry steps (the principle was discussed above).

The question of how to distribute Wi-Fi from an iPhone is relevant for all new generation iPhone models. The main thing is to have the appropriate function and update the software to the latest version. In addition, the Internet must be 3G or higher. Otherwise, there is no point in distributing WiFi.

By the way, please note that, unlike Apple products, you can distribute Wi-Fi from Android not only using built-in capabilities, but also through applications.

Possible problems when connecting your computer to the Internet via iPhone and ways to solve them

It may happen that all the necessary settings have been made, but there is still no connection. In this situation, you can try the following steps to resolve the problem:

1. Rebooting the system will help. This can be done this way: press the power key and slide your finger down. After this, the changes made to the settings will take effect and, possibly, a connection to the Internet will appear.
2. Since the operating system is constantly evolving, updates are coming to the smartphone from time to time. Some of them were accompanied by network problems. If your smartphone does not have the latest version of the operating system, it may cause network problems. In order to correct the situation, it is necessary to carry out all updates on the iPhone so that the most current version of iOS is installed.
3. The problem may be due to poor communication quality with the cellular operator. To check whether your smartphone has access to the Internet, you need to try going to any website and check if it loads.

Results

Above, we looked at how to distribute Wi-Fi to a laptop from iPhone 5 and 5s, as well as iPhones of other versions, we figured out the main errors and ways to eliminate them. In conclusion, here are some useful tips:

• Before distributing Wi-Fi, charge the device 100 percent or connect it to a power outlet during use;
• turn on LTE for a more convenient mode of surfing the Internet and watching videos;
• protect your Wi-Fi profile with a strong password so that another iPhone, Android phone or PC does not connect to it;
• After the end of the distribution, turn off the modem mode.

These instructions will help reduce battery consumption and avoid unnecessary expenses. In conclusion, we will answer the question of whether it is possible to distribute WiFi to Android on an iPhone. Yes it is possible. There are no restrictions here. Wi-Fi is distributed to all devices, because the principle does not change - you need to search for your network and enter your login. The type of connecting device does not matter, so you can distribute WiFi to a smartphone, PC, laptop or other devices with a wireless network receiver.

Data transfer methods

Every modern mobile gadget supports a huge number of wireless data networks. Apple smartphones and tablets also have this support. Even laptop OSes can support different methods of connecting to wireless networks. The most popular data transfer standards today are:

• Wi-Fi;
• 3G;
• LTE;
• Bluetooth.

Apple smartphones can fully transfer data thanks to the installed high-performance hardware, which easily provides this opportunity.