Level 1

20 points

iOS 26 update breaks personal hotspot on iPhone 16 Pro Max

Hello,

After updating my iPhone 16 Pro Max to iOS 26, I can no longer use Personal Hotspot. In Settings, the option shows as “Personal Hotspot – Off” and it is grayed out.

I already tried:

Restarting the iPhone
Turning Airplane Mode on/off
Resetting Cellular and Wi-Fi connections
Updating Carrier Settings (no update available)
Changing Hotspot password and device name

But the issue is still there. My carrier plan includes hotspot, and it was working normally before updating to iOS 26.

Is anyone else facing the same issue? Any fix or workaround until Apple releases a patch?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Personal hotspot

iPhone 16 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 23, 2025 12:33 PM

Top-ranking reply

ChrisN40

Level 1

26 points

Posted on Sep 30, 2025 8:24 AM

Update: The issue was actually with my carrier. They replaced my SIM with a new one, and now Personal Hotspot works perfectly.

View in context

35 replies

Oct 3, 2025 4:37 AM in response to MmFf05

Same issue i have done every possible thing to fix this problem but its not solved its totally a software issue apple needs to fix this in an update even though i installed 26.0.1 latest update

Sep 26, 2025 11:34 AM in response to MmFf05

I have the same issue, it’s not a carrier problem with the hotspot. Since I installed IOS26 my hotspot it’s completely grayed out and have already deleted statistics, reset network settings, contacted my carrier, deleted VPN, restarted the phone a thousand times, it’s a software issue

dk_wapid

Level 1

8 points

Sep 28, 2025 11:50 PM in response to MmFf05

For personal hotspot to function. The iPhone or iPad requires only one of the following with an active cellular signal:

Bluetooth ON

USB cable connected directly to device

WiFi enabled on the iPhone AND disconnected to local WiFi

(In Settings/WiFi Tap on the WiFi with the blue check if on a local WiFi to disconnect )

Also try to toggle “Personal Hotspot/Allow Others to Join” in Settings

Sep 26, 2025 11:19 AM in response to ilyas_emvigo

What same issue? And what troubleshooting have you done, starting with deleting any VPN profiles?

Nats-eb7

Level 1

8 points

Oct 2, 2025 7:43 AM in response to pierre-daniel

Some with me

got a new phone in the time of this update 16e and hotspot are greyed out

but in my previous phone (SE) its working with the new update with the same sim…

MmFf05 Author

Level 1

20 points

Sep 23, 2025 12:43 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

Thanks for your reply.

I already contacted my carrier and they confirmed that my account and plan support Personal Hotspot, and there are no issues on their side.

The problem only started right after updating to iOS 26, so it seems to be related to the update itself or to iOS settings.

Is there any other workaround I can try until Apple fixes this?

Sep 30, 2025 6:42 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Can you please stop suggesting users compromise the security of their phones by deleting VPN profiles?

This wasn’t an issue before iOS 26, and it should not be an issue now. Besides, your solution simply does not work.

Sep 30, 2025 8:03 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

While true that not all VPNs can be trusted, that’s a topic outside the scope of this issue. Keep in mind that some people use their phones for business, and in many cases access to company platforms requires the use of a VPN.

I won’t argue with you further, but please understand that removing the VPN is not a reasonable solution for some. And I’ve yet to see anybody in this particular thread that worked for anyway. Maybe I missed it.

Lastly, it worked prior to the update for many who had a VPN. It should still work now, all things being equal.

Oct 2, 2025 7:50 AM in response to Gobbledee

Can you please stop suggesting users compromise the security of their phones by deleting VPN profiles?

A VPN actually provides less security on an iPhone.....not more. Of course, the VPN companies will never tell you this.

The only valid reason to install a VPN would be that your school or company requires it to connect to your network.

Oct 2, 2025 9:38 AM in response to Gobbledee

Gobbledee wrote:

While true that not all VPNs can be trusted, that’s a topic outside the scope of this issue. Keep in mind that some people use their phones for business, and in many cases access to company platforms requires the use of a VPN.

Using a VPN for work is one of the few good reasons for using one. But removing even a work VPN doesn't compromise the security of the device. I think you may be misunderstanding what VPNs do.