Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Guides

How to share a Wi-Fi password on iPhone or iPad

By

A little-known Wi-Fi connectivity shortcut can make life easier for everyone while maintaining your privacy if you want to share your home password with guests. The Wi-Fi sharing feature, which debuted in the fall of 2017 with iOS 11, can connect any visitor to your home using an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or even your Mac running macOS High Sierra or later, without specifically revealing it or forcing your guests to type it in. Just keep in mind that you'll both need to be using an iPad or iPhone for this to work, or it's back to entering the password manually.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Apple iPhone or iPad

A little-known Wi-Fi connectivity shortcut can make life easier for everyone while maintaining your privacy if you want to share your home password with guests. The Wi-Fi sharing feature, which debuted in the fall of 2017 with iOS 11, can connect any visitor to your home using an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or even your Mac running macOS High Sierra or later, without specifically revealing it or forcing your guests to type it in. Here's how to do it.

Prepare both devices

Prepare your phone by making sure your personal hotspot is off and the Apple ID of the person with whom you wish to share your Wi-Fi password is already in your Contacts list. Your two devices should be in fairly close physical proximity. Both devices should have the latest iOS or iPad OS version installed.

Step 1: Make sure your visitor is already in your Contacts using their specific Apple ID email address, and if they're not, add them now via Contacts > Add > Enter data > Done.

iPhone with Contact pane.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Switch Bluetooth on for both your iPhone and your visitor's iOS device via Settings > Bluetooth (toggle on).

Two iPhone screens with Bluetooth settings.
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Related

Step 3: Position both devices near each other to let your visitor hop on to your Wi-Fi network by tapping Settings > Wi-Fi > Your Wi-Fi network name.

Wi-Fi pane on iPhone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: When your visitor taps your network's name, a password box appears on your phone. When the card appears on your iPhone, tap Share password. The connection takes place on your visitor's device automatically.

Share Password interface on iPhone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: When the connection is accomplished, you'll get a notification on your iPhone. Tap Done.

Share Password interface on iPhone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

By successfully sharing your Wi-Fi password, you have spared your guests the stress of having to manually punch in a complex string of letters, numbers, and symbols. With people you know and trust, this is a surefire way to make them feel welcome in your home.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jackie Dove
Jackie Dove
Contributor
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app…
iPhone SE deals: Refurbished 2nd and 3rd Gen iPhones
apple iphone se 2020 news new black camera and touch id 04152020

Apple’s iPhone is one of the most popular phones on the planet, and whatever its current model happens to be almost always ranks among the best phones. This makes the iPhone an expensive purchase, which is where the iPhone SE comes in. Apple launched the iPhone SE in order to make an iPhone affordable to more people. The SE utilizes technology that’s a generation or two old and will often take the form factor of a previous iPhone model. Right now the it's a great phone to turn to for even more savings. There are some iPhone SE deals to take a look at out there, and while it’s difficult to find newer iPhone SE models, you can shop refurbished knowing the big retailers are likely backing the purchase with warranties and solid return windows. So whether you’re looking for some great iPhone deals or phone deals in general, below you’ll find the best iPhone SE deals to shop right now.
iPhone SE 2nd Gen deals

The second generation of the iPhone SE was initially launched in 2020, but it still manages to keep up with the needs of many phone users today. It utilizes the body of the Apple iPhone 8, which means it will have a home button and fingerprint ID instead of the Face ID technology in current iPhone models. That’s not much to give up, however, as the second generation iPhone SE still has a great display, a 12-megapixel camera with the ability to shoot 4K video, and wireless charging capability.

Read more
Apple is about to do the unthinkable to its iPads
A person holding the iPad Air 4.

Earlier today, Apple announced that new iPads are coming this May. In my eyes, this seems to be “The Chosen One” generation. We’re likely getting an OLED display, a better keyboard (hopefully), and a chip ready to chomp the AI dinner. This gadget shall finally fill the techno-digital void in my life. At last.

Or maybe I am just trying to blindly convince myself to splurge over a thousand dollars for a machine that is “still not a Mac” and “can never be a fully fleshed out workstation.” But hey, people are spending $3,500 on a headset that gives them a headache and $700 for an AI thingamajig that can’t quite figure out what it really wants to do.

Read more
The best iPads in 2024: the 5 best ones you should buy
The backs of Apple's iPad Air and iPad Pro, with the tablets place on a table.

Apple's iPad is undoubtedly one of the most popular tablets on the market right now. There are several different models to choose from, but no matter which one you go with, you'll be getting one of the best tablets out there. Still, Apple provides an abundance of choice here, and with so many different versions — and almost annual updates — it can be tricky to know which one is the best to get.

All of Apple's iPads are pretty great, and they're each designed with a slightly different audience in mind, so it's hard to pick a single one as "the best." That's why we've broken this list down by categories; after all, there's an ideal iPad for nearly every situation. Whether you're looking for the best overall iPad, the best iPad on a budget, something in the middle of the pack, or even the best small iPad, we've got you covered.

Read more