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While Apple has introduced plenty of privacy settings in the past, the reality is that these tools can only get you so far if your basic security practices are not in place. Among the tenets of basic online security is having a strong password, which should cover everything from your online accounts to even your network connections, including personal hotspots.
Unfortunately, many people are still using variations of commonly hacked passwords, like using strings of the same letters, the word “password,” and so on. By using commonly used passwords, random people can connect to your personal hotspot when you’re on the go, which could cause issues with the security of your iPhone and other devices in the network.
In fact, having an unsecured personal Wi-Fi hotspot network can have the very same pitfalls as connecting to a public Wi-Fi network. Some things that could potentially happen include unknowingly transmitting sensitive data or giving hackers access to your documents via networking sharing. So, if you’re wondering how to change your existing iPhone hotspot password into a much better-suited one, here’s how.
How you can change your iPhone hotspot password
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To change your iPhone hotspot password, you have to first turn on your cellular data. To do this, swipe down from the right side of your screen and tap the cellular data icon. Alternatively, you can open the Settings app on your iPhone and select Cellular. Then, turn on your cellular data.
Then, navigate back to the main iPhone Settings page and tap Personal Hotspot. Then, tap Wi-Fi Password. On the Wi-Fi Password page, type your new password and select Done to confirm your decision. Afterward, other users can join your shared Wi-Fi network using your new and better-secured password. Thankfully, it can be easy to remember hard-to-guess passwords with the iPhone’s saved passwords and password management apps.
Typically, people tend to leave their iPhone’s hotspot to be something like “John’s iPhone,” which can unnecessarily reveal your identity to strangers nearby. On the other hand, some people keep their hotspot name as “iPhone,” which can prove troublesome when you’re trying to connect to your own hotspot in a cafe with dozens of other people whose iPhones have the same name. To avoid this, you may also want to consider changing your iPhone AirDrop name, which also changes your iPhone hotspot name.