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

ChrisN40

Level 1

26 points

Sep 29, 2025 12:44 PM in response to MmFf05

I’m experiencing the same problem. Personal Hotspot remains grayed out after updating to iOS 26.0.1.

Sep 30, 2025 12:31 AM in response to MmFf05

Same issue on iPhone 15 Pro Max, I’ve tied all solutions and also installed the update that came out today and still the option is grayed out.

Oct 8, 2025 9:32 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

I did this. Worked for a week. Back to my connection in and out every second. Laptop dropping while trying to work.

Oct 9, 2025 8:04 AM in response to MmFf05

Same thing here.

funny enough, my work PC can access « some » limited services, but my Mac Studio running Sequoia is connected but totally unable to connect even a basic website.

Lishhh31

Level 1

8 points

Oct 15, 2025 3:12 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

Same happened to me but nothing fixes :(

iOS 26 update breaks personal hotspot on iPhone 16 Pro Max