Quick answer: Confirm the hotspot phone itself has working mobile data, then toggle mobile data and hotspot off and on, forget the hotspot on the receiving device, disable VPN/data-saving restrictions temporarily, and restart both devices.
A hotspot can create a Wi-Fi connection even when the phone sharing it has no usable internet connection. That is why “connected” does not always mean “online.”
Check the hotspot phone first
Turn Wi-Fi off on the phone sharing the hotspot so it is definitely using mobile data. Open a website.
If the website does not load on that phone, fix the mobile-data problem first. The hotspot cannot share an internet connection it does not have.
Toggle mobile data and hotspot
On the sharing phone:
- Turn hotspot off.
- Turn mobile data off.
- Wait a few seconds.
- Turn mobile data back on.
- Confirm internet works on the phone.
- Turn hotspot back on.
Reconnect the second device.
Forget the hotspot network
On the receiving device, open Wi-Fi settings and choose Forget for the hotspot network. Then reconnect and enter the password again.
This clears a stale network configuration that can survive even after the hotspot phone changes settings.
Check whether data has finished
A network icon can remain visible even when your data bundle is exhausted or access is restricted.
Open a normal webpage on the hotspot phone using mobile data. If nothing loads, check your network balance or service status using your provider’s current official method.
Temporarily disable VPNs
A VPN on either device can occasionally interfere with tethered traffic.
Turn the VPN off briefly and test again. If the hotspot starts working, reconnect the VPN later and review its network or split-tunnelling settings.
Check data saver and hotspot limits
Some Android phones can stop hotspot sharing after a data limit is reached or restrict background network use aggressively.
Search Settings for terms such as Hotspot, Tethering, Data Saver and Data limit. Menu names differ by manufacturer.
Restart both devices
Restart the phone sharing the hotspot and the device trying to connect. Then test before changing advanced network settings.
Reset network settings only as a last resort
A network reset can fix corrupted Wi-Fi or mobile-network settings, but it may remove saved Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth pairings and related preferences.
Use it only after the simpler steps above fail, and read the confirmation screen before proceeding.
If one device works and another does not
If a laptop can use the hotspot but another phone cannot, the hotspot phone is probably working. Focus on the device that cannot connect: forget the network, restart it, disable VPN/proxy settings and check its date/time and network configuration.
If no connected device can access the internet, focus on the sharing phone and its mobile-data connection.
If a step has changed, tell us through the corrections page. We review practical guides for freshness.
