Learn how to stop your iPhone, iPad, or Mac from automatically joining nearby Personal Hotspots on iPhones and cellular iPads when there are no Wi-Fi networks.
With no known Wi-Fi networks nearby, your iPhone, iPad, or Mac will automatically join the Personal Hotspot on a nearby iPhone or cellular iPad without putting up any password prompt. This feature is called Auto-Join Hotspot, and it’s on by default.
The fallback method enables wireless clients like your iPhone to maintain network connectivity in areas with poor or no Wi-Fi signal. You may want to disable Auto-Join Hotspot as it’s know to turn the Personal Hotspot feature on others devices in case it’s disabled.
Why you should disable Auto-Join Hotspot
If you’re on a metered cellular data plan, you may want to stop your Apple devices from automatically joining nearby Personal Hotspots without permission. I can’t tell you the number of times I forgot that my iPad was downloading huge updates while connected to the Personal Hotspot set up on my iPhone!
A host device may see a personal hotspot as a regular Wi-Fi connection, unless Low Data Mode is enabled. As a result, things like iCloud Photos sync and software updates will download over a personal hotspot. To prevent unwanted charges and other annoyances, disable the Auto-Join setting by following our instructions right ahead.
Toggle the Auto-Join Hotspot setting
Open the Settings app (iPhone, iPad) or click the Apple menu and choose System Settings (Mac). Select Wi-Fi from the main list and hit Auto-Join Hotspot, then set it to Never (iPhone, iPad) or untick the box next to “Ask to join hotspots” in your Wi-Fi settings (Mac).
- Never: The device will no longer scan for, discover, and join nearby Personal Hotspots if no Wi-Fi network is available.
- Ask to Join: The device will discover nearby Personal Hotspots when Wi-Fi is unavailable. You’ll be asked before a hotspot is joined.
- Automatic: The device will automatically discover and connect to a nearby Personal Hotspot without user action required.
On your Mac, turn off “Ask to join hotspots.”
You can also click the Advanced button, then the three-dotted menu next to hotspot name, then untick the “Auto Join” option.
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