Recently, I found Personal Hotspot missing on my iPhone. It had happened to me for the first time, so I was kind of began to wonder what had suddenly gone wrong. After a bit of digging, I figured out that it’s not a new phenomenon and many iOS users had run into the issue at some time or the other. Along the way, I also discovered some tricks, and one of them luckily saved my day!
- Turn OFF and Turn ON Cellular Data
- Remove Previous APN Changes
- Remove SIM, Restart, Insert SIM
- Check out if Someone has Changed Your Name
- Update Carrier Settings, If Available
- Reset Network Settings
- Update iOS
- Contact Network Operator to Fix it
Solution 1. Turn OFF and Turn ON Cellular Data
One of the first things you should do is give cellular data a fresh start. To do so, open Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data and turn off the switch next to it.
Now, reboot your iPhone and then wait for some time. Then, turn on cellular.
Personal Hotspot should return now. If it hasn’t, move to the next solution.
Recently, when the Personal Hotspot feature went missing on my iPhone, I tried this trick, and it worked. Don’t ask me how or why because this solution sounds so dumb, but it just worked.
Solution 2. Remove Previous APN Changes
If you installed any previous APN certificates (from websites like Unlockit), you might want to remove that and retry. Sometimes, these installed APN certificates might cause a conflict within the code and might be preventing the Personal Hotspot feature from showing up.
This again is a solution that worked on one of our iPhones. To remove any installed APN changes, you should go to Settings → General → Scroll down to where it says Profile, and then remove the certificate.
Solution 3. Remove SIM, Restart, Insert SIM
This is not a solution per se but since we did this and Personal Hotspot appeared magically, I’m just pitching this too. What you do is:
Remove the SIM tray → Reboot the iPhone → Insert the SIM tray.
You might have to wait a while before the signal picks up and the network is established. Now, head over to Settings → General → Cellular → and turn ON/OFF data again. When you turn back ON, scroll down to see if Personal Hotspot is visible.
Solution 4. Check out if Someone has Changed Your Name
If someone has changed your name or it appears incorrectly, it might affect Personal Hotspot. So, ensure that your name is written correctly. Well, such tricks do sound crazy a bit at times it’s worth checking out all the boxes.
Open Settings app → General → About → Name and edit the name.
Solution 5. Update Carrier Settings, If Available
Carrier providers often release new updates to fix the issues or improve performance. So, check out if there is an update from the carrier pending.
Open Settings → General → About. If there is the latest update, you will get a prompt to update the carrier.
Solution 6. Reset Network Settings
If you are still struggling to get rid of the issue, try this trusted solution: reset network settings alone. I’m not asking you to reset the whole iPhone although the best remedy described often is restoring the iPhone. But since “nobody got time for that” you might try resetting the network settings.
Open Settings app → General → Reset → Reset Network Settings and confirm.
Solution 7. Update iOS
I guess this issue could also be due to a miscellaneous bug. Therefore, updating the iPhone can be worth a try. I say it because Apple often introduces several bug fixes and performance improvements. So, let’s hope that the Personal Hotspot issue is resolved with the system update.
Before going for the software update, ensure that your iPhone has up to 50% power and connected to Wi-Fi. Then, head over to Settings → General → Software Update. Now, if there is an update available, download and install it right now.
Solution 8. Contact Network Operator to Fix it
If everything fails, you’ll have to call your network provider directly.
In some cases, the network guys send you a link that installs a profile on your iPhone/iPad. This enables Personal Hotspot automatically once you install the profile certificate.
That’s pretty much it!
Fixed the Issue?
Assuming you have finally got the better of the issue. So, which one of the above tricks worked for you? Besides, if you could resolve the problem by trying out any other solution, tell us about that as well.
You might want to refer these posts as well:
- Wi-Fi Not Working on MacBook Pro
- Bluetooth Not Working on iPhone
- Personal Hotspot not working on iPhone? 17 Ways to fix it!
- How to set up Personal Hotspot on iPhone and iPad
The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.