You’re connected to your phone’s hotspot, your laptop or tablet shows full bars, but websites won’t load and apps refuse to work. This frustrating situation happens when your device successfully connects to the hotspot’s WiFi signal but can’t actually reach the internet through your phone’s cellular data connection.
Step-by-Step Fixes
Step 1: Toggle Airplane Mode on Your Phone
The quickest fix that works surprisingly often. Turn on airplane mode on your phone (not the connected device) for 10 seconds, then turn it off. This forces your phone to reconnect to cellular towers and often resolves temporary network glitches. On iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner and tap the airplane icon. On Android, swipe down from the top and tap the airplane icon in your quick settings.
Step 2: Restart Both Devices
Turn off your phone’s hotspot first. Then restart your phone completely – hold the power button and select restart. While your phone restarts, also restart the device that’s trying to connect. Once both devices are back on, enable the hotspot again and reconnect. This clears temporary software bugs that block internet access.
Step 3: Check Your Cellular Data Settings
Your phone might have cellular data disabled or restricted. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular and make sure “Cellular Data” is turned on. Scroll down to find “Personal Hotspot” in the app list and verify it’s allowed to use cellular data. On Android, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Network and ensure “Mobile data” is enabled. Some Android phones have a separate “Data saver” mode that needs to be turned off.
Step 4: Reset Network Settings on Your Phone
This step erases all saved WiFi passwords and Bluetooth connections, so only do this if the previous steps failed. On iPhone, navigate to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. On Android, the path varies by manufacturer but typically found under Settings > System > Reset Options > Reset WiFi, mobile & Bluetooth. Your phone will restart and you’ll need to set up your hotspot again.
Step 5: Change Hotspot Security Settings
Sometimes the security protocol causes connection issues. Access your hotspot settings and switch from WPA3 to WPA2, or try temporarily disabling the password entirely (just for testing). On newer phones running Android 12 or iOS 15 and later, you might need to enable “Maximize compatibility” or “2.4GHz band” options. These settings make your hotspot work better with older devices.
Step 6: Check for Carrier Restrictions
Contact your mobile carrier to verify your plan includes hotspot data. In 2025, most unlimited plans have separate hotspot allowances that can run out even when you have regular data remaining. Your carrier can tell you if you’ve hit a hotspot limit or if there’s a network issue in your area.
Likely Causes
Cause #1: Exhausted Hotspot Data Allowance
Many phone plans separate regular data from hotspot data. You might have 50GB of regular data but only 15GB for hotspot use. Once you exceed the hotspot limit, your carrier either blocks internet access completely or throttles speeds so severely that nothing loads.
Check this by logging into your carrier’s app or website to view your current hotspot usage. If you’re over the limit, you’ll need to wait until your billing cycle resets or purchase additional hotspot data. This restriction is ideal for carriers managing network congestion but not recommended when you rely heavily on mobile hotspot for work.
Cause #2: DNS Resolution Problems
Your connected device might struggle to translate website names into IP addresses. This happens when your phone’s hotspot doesn’t properly relay DNS information or when your carrier’s DNS servers experience issues.
Test this by trying to visit a website using its IP address directly. Type 8.8.8.8 in your browser – if Google’s page loads, you have a DNS problem. Fix it by manually setting DNS servers on your connected device. Use Google’s DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare’s (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1). On Windows, find this in Network adapter settings. On Mac, it’s under System Preferences > Network > Advanced > DNS.
Cause #3: VPN or Firewall Interference
VPN apps on either device can block hotspot connections. Your phone might have a VPN preventing hotspot sharing, or your laptop’s VPN might conflict with the hotspot’s network configuration. Corporate firewalls or security software also commonly cause these issues.
Temporarily disable all VPN connections on both devices. On your phone, check Settings > VPN or look for VPN apps running in the background. On your computer, disconnect from any VPN clients and check if security software like antivirus programs have network protection features that might interfere. This solution is best used in situations where security isn’t critical, like personal browsing at home.
When to Call Expert Help
Contact your mobile carrier’s technical support when you’ve tried all these steps without success. Have your account information ready and explain that your hotspot connects but provides no internet access. They can check for account restrictions, network outages, or provisioning errors that you can’t fix yourself.
Consider professional IT help if this happens with a work device that has special security configurations. Corporate devices often have policies that prevent certain types of connections, and attempting to bypass these could violate your company’s IT policies.
Copy-Paste Prompt for AI Help
Here’s a prompt you can paste into ChatGPT or Perplexity for personalized troubleshooting:
“My phone hotspot shows connected on my [device type] but I can’t access any websites or apps. I have [phone model] with [carrier name] running [iOS/Android version]. I’ve already tried [list what you’ve tried]. My phone shows [X] bars of signal and [amount] of cellular data remaining. What specific steps should I try to fix this hotspot connection issue?”
Remember that hotspot problems often resolve themselves once you identify whether the issue lies with your phone, the connected device, or your carrier’s network. Stay patient and work through these solutions methodically – one of them will likely get you back online.