Mobile Hotspot Not Working UK: Complete Fix Guide for iPhone, Android, Windows Laptop, and MiFi Devices

July 10, 2026 George 0 Comments

A mobile hotspot that stops working is frustrating — especially when you rely on it for work or travel. The good news is that most hotspot issues have straightforward fixes. This guide covers every hotspot not working scenario: iPhone Personal Hotspot not turning on or showing ‘Failed to Enable Personal Hotspot’, Android hotspot not working, Windows laptop not detecting or connecting to a hotspot, portable MiFi device issues, and how to find or reset your hotspot password.

For a complete guide to setting up and using a mobile hotspot in the UK, see our full article on what is a mobile hotspot — setup, data usage, iPhone, Android, and TV connection guide.

Quick Diagnostic — Find Your Hotspot Problem

Symptom	Jump to Section
iPhone Personal Hotspot greyed out or won’t turn on	iPhone Personal Hotspot Fixes
‘Failed to Enable Personal Hotspot’ error on iPhone	Failed to Enable Personal Hotspot
‘Unable to Start Personal Hotspot’ error	Unable to Start Personal Hotspot
Android hotspot option not available or won’t turn on	Android Hotspot Not Working
Laptop can’t see or won’t connect to hotspot	Windows Laptop Won’t Connect
Hotspot connected but no internet	Hotspot Connected — No Internet
MiFi/portable device not working	Portable Hotspot Device Not Working
Forgot hotspot password / need to find it	Hotspot Password Fix
Remote hotspot failure	Remote Hotspot Failure Fix

iPhone Personal Hotspot Not Working — All Fixes

Fix 1: Check Your Mobile Plan Allows Hotspot

In the UK, some older or budget iPhone tariffs have hotspot restricted by the network. If Personal Hotspot is greyed out in Settings → Personal Hotspot, your plan may not include it.

Check with your network (EE, O2, Vodafone, Three, giffgaff, Sky Mobile): call or use the network’s app to confirm hotspot is enabled on your account
Some networks require you to enable tethering/hotspot on your account separately — it is not always automatic
If your network confirms hotspot is allowed, reset your network settings (see Fix 4)

Fix 2: Toggle Airplane Mode On and Off

Swipe down Control Centre → tap Airplane Mode icon to enable (all radio off)
Wait 10 seconds, then tap Airplane Mode again to disable
Go to Settings → Personal Hotspot and try enabling again
This resets the mobile data connection and resolves many temporary hotspot failures

Fix 3: Restart Your iPhone

Hold the side button and a volume button (Face ID iPhones) or the top button (older iPhones) until the power slider appears
Slide to power off, wait 30 seconds, then restart
After restart, try Settings → Personal Hotspot again

Fix 4: Reset Network Settings

Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Network Settings
This clears all saved Wi-Fi passwords, VPN settings, and cellular settings — reconnects fresh
After reset, go to Settings → Personal Hotspot and try enabling
Warning: You will need to re-enter all Wi-Fi passwords after this reset

Fix 5: Update iOS

Settings → General → Software Update → install any available updates
iOS updates frequently fix cellular and hotspot bugs — especially relevant after a recent iOS update that may have introduced the issue

Fix 6: Remove and Reinsert SIM Card

Power off the iPhone
Use the SIM ejector tool (or a straightened paperclip) to open the SIM tray
Remove the SIM card, wait 10 seconds, and reinsert
Power on and try Personal Hotspot again
A poorly seated SIM card can cause intermittent mobile data and hotspot failures

Failed to Enable Personal Hotspot — iPhone Fix

The error message ‘Failed to Enable Personal Hotspot’ typically appears on iPhone when there is a conflict between the mobile data connection and the hotspot feature. Specific fixes:

Ensure Mobile Data is enabled: Settings → Mobile Data → toggle on (Personal Hotspot requires active mobile data)
Check Low Data Mode: Settings → Mobile Data → Mobile Data Options — turn off Low Data Mode, as it can block hotspot
Check Background App Refresh: Settings → General → Background App Refresh — this can conflict with hotspot in some iOS versions
Toggle Mobile Data off and on: Settings → Mobile Data → toggle off, wait 5 seconds, toggle on, then try hotspot
If you have an eSIM + physical SIM: ensure the SIM assigned for mobile data in Settings → Mobile Data → Default Voice Line / Mobile Data is the one with hotspot capability
Contact your network to confirm hotspot is enabled on your account

Unable to Start Personal Hotspot — iPhone Fix

‘Unable to Start Personal Hotspot’ is a separate error that often occurs when:

Another device is currently connected to your hotspot — disconnect all connected devices and try disabling then re-enabling
There is a temporary iOS networking bug — perform the Airplane Mode toggle fix (Fix 2 above)
Your iPhone’s mobile signal is too weak — move to an area with stronger signal, as hotspot requires an active 4G/5G connection
Carrier settings are outdated: Settings → General → About — if a carrier settings update is available, a pop-up appears asking you to update. Accept it.

Android Hotspot Not Working — Fixes

Android Hotspot Won’t Turn On

Settings → Network and Internet → Hotspot and Tethering → Wi-Fi Hotspot — ensure the toggle is enabled
If it turns on and then immediately turns off: check if a battery saver mode is active (some Android power saving modes disable hotspot)
Samsung specific: Settings → Connections → Mobile Hotspot and Tethering → Mobile Hotspot — Samsung uses a different menu path
Disable and re-enable Mobile Data: Settings → Network → Mobile Data — toggle off and on, then retry hotspot

Android Hotspot Turns On but Devices Can’t Connect

Check the hotspot password: Settings → Hotspot → tap the hotspot name to see or change the password — share the exact password with the connecting device
Try changing the Wi-Fi band: some Android hotspot settings allow choosing 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz — older devices (laptops, consoles) may only support 2.4 GHz
Restart both the Android phone and the device trying to connect
Forget the hotspot network on the connecting device and reconnect fresh

Android Hotspot Connected but Slow

Check your mobile signal strength — weak 4G/5G signal results in slow hotspot speeds regardless of how many devices are connected
Reduce the number of connected devices — each additional device shares the available bandwidth
Check if data throttling applies — some UK network plans throttle hotspot data speed even on ‘unlimited’ plans. Check your plan terms.

Windows Laptop Won’t Connect to Hotspot

Laptop Can’t See the Hotspot Network

Ensure the hotspot is visible: on iPhone, toggle Personal Hotspot off and on — the network may not broadcast until the hotspot is actively enabled
Move the laptop closer to the phone — Wi-Fi hotspot range is shorter than a home router (typically 10-15 metres)
Restart the laptop’s Wi-Fi adapter: right-click the Wi-Fi icon → Troubleshoot, or Device Manager → Network Adapters → right-click Wi-Fi adapter → Disable → Enable
Check that the laptop is searching for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks — some older Wi-Fi adapters only search one band

Laptop Sees Hotspot but Won’t Connect

Check the password carefully — hotspot passwords are case-sensitive and may include special characters
Forget the network and reconnect: Wi-Fi settings → click the hotspot name → Forget → reconnect with password
Flush DNS: open Command Prompt as administrator → type ‘ipconfig /flushdns’ → press Enter → retry connection
Reset Windows network stack: Command Prompt (admin) → type ‘netsh winsock reset’ → Enter → restart laptop

Hotspot Connected on Laptop but No Internet

On the phone: confirm mobile data is working (open a browser on the phone and test)
Disable and re-enable the phone’s mobile data while keeping hotspot on
On Windows: Settings → Network and Internet → Wi-Fi → click the hotspot connection → Properties → DNS → manually set DNS to 8.8.8.8 (Google) and 8.8.4.4
Restart the hotspot on the phone completely (turn off, wait 10 seconds, turn on)

Portable Hotspot (MiFi Device) Not Working

MiFi Device Won’t Power On

Charge the device fully — MiFi batteries can completely discharge if not used for a long time
Hold the power button for 3-5 seconds — most MiFi devices require a long press rather than a quick tap
Check the battery LED — some MiFi devices show a charging indicator; if it is not lit when plugged in, the USB cable or charger may be faulty

MiFi Device Has Signal but No Internet

Check the SIM card is inserted correctly — power off the device, remove and reinsert the SIM
Ensure the APN (Access Point Name) settings are correct for your network — for UK networks: EE APN is ‘everywhere’, O2 is ‘mobile.o2.co.uk’, Three is ‘3internet’, Vodafone is ‘wap.vodafone.co.uk’, giffgaff is ‘giffgaff.com’
Access the device admin panel (typically 192.168.1.1 in a connected device’s browser) to check APN settings

MiFi Device Connected but Speed Very Slow

Check signal strength in the device admin panel or companion app — weak signal is the most common cause
Move to a location with better mobile signal — near a window or at a higher elevation
Check if your data plan is throttled or if you have exceeded your data allowance

Hotspot Password — How to Find and Reset

Find Your iPhone Hotspot Password

Settings → Personal Hotspot — the Wi-Fi Password is displayed below the toggle
Tap the password field to see it in full and share it

Find Your Android Hotspot Password

Settings → Network → Hotspot and Tethering → Wi-Fi Hotspot → tap the hotspot name or tap Configure
The password is shown in the hotspot settings — some Android versions hide it behind a Show Password toggle
On Samsung: Settings → Connections → Mobile Hotspot → tap the three dots → Configure Mobile Hotspot → password is shown

Reset Your Hotspot Password

iPhone: Settings → Personal Hotspot → tap the password field → delete and type a new password → Done
Android: Settings → Hotspot → Configure → delete the password field and enter a new one → Save
MiFi device: access the admin panel (usually 192.168.1.1) from a connected device’s browser → Wi-Fi settings → change the password

Remote Hotspot Failure — What It Means

‘Remote hotspot failure’ is a specific error that appears in some network configurations — particularly on corporate or managed devices — when a device attempts to connect to a remote network through a hotspot and the connection fails. Common causes:

VPN conflict: If the connecting device is running a VPN, the VPN may be incompatible with the hotspot’s network routing. Try disabling the VPN, connecting to the hotspot, then re-enabling the VPN
Corporate network restrictions: Some corporate IT policies block devices from using mobile hotspots as the network route — contact your IT department if this appears on a work device
DNS failure: The remote server the device is trying to reach may not be resolving correctly. Try the DNS fix above (set DNS to 8.8.8.8 manually)
NAT type issue: Some applications and online services require specific NAT types. Mobile hotspot typically provides NAT Type 2 or 3 which may block some peer-to-peer applications

For choosing the best mobile hotspot device or SIM plan in the UK, see our guide to the best mobile hotspot devices UK — 4G and 5G MiFi, PAYG, and network comparison.

For Apple’s official Personal Hotspot troubleshooting guide, see Apple Support — If Personal Hotspot is not working on iPhone. For Android hotspot troubleshooting, see Google Android Help — Share a mobile connection.

Bottom Line


iPhone hotspot greyed out	Check plan includes hotspot; reset network settings
Failed to enable Personal Hotspot	Toggle mobile data off/on; check Low Data Mode is off
Unable to start Personal Hotspot	Toggle Airplane Mode; move to better signal area
Android hotspot won’t turn on	Disable battery saver; toggle mobile data; restart phone
Laptop won’t connect	Forget network and reconnect; check password case-sensitivity
Connected but no internet	Check phone’s mobile data works; reset DNS on laptop to 8.8.8.8
Find hotspot password	iPhone: Settings → Personal Hotspot \| Android: Hotspot settings
MiFi not working	Check SIM, APN settings, and data allowance
Remote hotspot failure	Disable VPN first; try DNS 8.8.8.8; check corporate restrictions

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my mobile hotspot not working?

The most common reasons a mobile hotspot stops working: mobile data is turned off on your phone (hotspot requires active mobile data); your network plan does not include hotspot (check with your UK network); your phone needs a restart or Airplane Mode toggle to reset the connection; or the connecting device has a saved incorrect password. Start with the Airplane Mode toggle and a restart — these fix the majority of temporary hotspot failures.

How do I fix my iPhone Personal Hotspot not working?

To fix iPhone Personal Hotspot not working: go to Settings → Mobile Data → ensure mobile data is on. Then try Settings → Personal Hotspot → toggle off and on. If still not working, toggle Airplane Mode on and off, then retry. If greyed out, contact your UK network to confirm hotspot is enabled on your account. As a last resort, Settings → General → Reset → Reset Network Settings resolves most persistent iPhone hotspot issues.

Why does my hotspot say failed to enable?

‘Failed to Enable Personal Hotspot’ on iPhone typically means a mobile data conflict. Fix: Settings → Mobile Data → toggle off → wait 5 seconds → toggle on → go to Settings → Personal Hotspot and try again. Also check that Low Data Mode is off (Settings → Mobile Data → Mobile Data Options). If using dual SIM, ensure the correct SIM is set as the mobile data SIM.

How do I find my hotspot password?

On iPhone: Settings → Personal Hotspot — the Wi-Fi Password is displayed on screen. On Android: Settings → Network → Hotspot and Tethering → Wi-Fi Hotspot → Configure (password is shown). On a MiFi device: log into the admin panel (typically 192.168.1.1 in a browser on a connected device) and find the Wi-Fi settings section.

Why won’t my laptop connect to my phone hotspot?

If your laptop won’t connect to your phone hotspot: check the password is entered correctly (case-sensitive). Forget the hotspot network on the laptop and reconnect. Try moving closer to the phone — hotspot range is limited. If connected but no internet, set DNS manually to 8.8.8.8 in Windows network settings. Restarting both the phone and laptop resolves most connection failures.