How to use a hotspot on android

There may be times when you can't access the internet over Wi-Fi on one of your devices. When that happens, share the internet connection from other devices by turning on the Wi-Fi hotspot. Many phones, including the best Android phones, allow you to share the internet from your Wi-Fi using the hotspot. If you don't have a guest network set up and don't want others to use the primary Wi-Fi, turn on the Wi-Fi hotspot to share the internet from a Wi-Fi network.

Enabling and setting up a hotspot on Android is easy, and we walk you through the process.

How to enable a Wi-Fi hotspot on Android

You can use a Wi-Fi hotspot to share your phone's internet with other devices. And, if the other device lacks Wi-Fi, you can use USB or Bluetooth tethering instead, with a few caveats.

It only takes a few taps to enable the Wi-Fi hotspot on an Android device. However, if you've never used it, you may need to set it up first.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Network & internet.
3. Go to Hotspot & tethering.
4. Tap Wi-Fi hotspot and set the Hotspot name.
5. Set a password and toggle on the Use Wi-Fi hotspot switch to start sharing.

Introduced in Android 10, you can share a Wi-Fi network password using a QR code. You can also use Android's Airdrop counterpart Nearby Share to search for nearby devices and instantly share the Wi-Fi hotspot password.

Going to the Settings each time to enable a Wi-Fi hotspot may not be the most efficient way, and that's when the quick settings tiles come to the rescue.

Add a Wi-Fi hotspot shortcut in Quick Settings

Quick Settings in Android make it easy to enable and disable essential features on the fly. Here's how to add the Wi-Fi hotspot tile to your device's Quick Settings to toggle it on or off quickly.

1. Swipe down twicefrom above to reveal the full Quick Settings panel.
2. Tap the Pen icon.
3. Scroll down and find the Hotspot tile.
4. Drag and drop the tileabove.
5. Click the back arrow in the upper-left corner.
6. Find and tap the Hotspot tile in Quick Settings to start the hotspot.

Enable USB tethering on Android

While Wi-Fi is available across all types of devices and is reliable, you may run into connectivity problems, especially with older laptops. In that case, if you have a good quality USB cable, setting up USB tethering is easy.

1. Connect the phoneto your computerusing a USB cable.
2. Swipe down to open Quick Settings and tap the Android System notification.
3. In the Use USB for section, select USB Tethering.
4. If you don't see the notification, insert the USB into another port.
5. Alternatively, go to Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering and toggle on USB tethering.

Enable Bluetooth tethering on Android

If both USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot aren't working, Bluetooth tethering is an option and should be your last resort.

1. Connect both devices via Bluetooth.
2. On the device you want to share the internet from, go to Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering and toggle on Bluetooth tethering.
3. Once done, you can access the internet on the other device.

Bluetooth tethering could be slow or unusable compared to a Wi-Fi hotspot. The most you could do with Bluetooth tethering is send text messages.

A Wi-Fi hotspot could be a lifesaver (or a day ruiner)

Ease of use aside, using a Wi-Fi hotspot could ruin your day. For starters, the feature consumes battery life and might cause your device to overheat, especially in summer. If you turn on the hotspot and forget to turn it off, you'll lose a lot of battery. Sure, you can enable the Turn-off hotspot automatically option, which turns the Wi-Fi hotspot off if no devices are connected, but if you forget to disconnect other devices, it could ruin your day.

Charging speeds is an area where Android phones have improved over the years. If your phone supports fast charging but didn't arrive with a fast charger or with a charger at all in the box, most GaN-based fast chargers are affordable, and they're remarkably compact.