iPhone hotspot keeps disconnecting from a Mac

An iPhone ends the hotspot when no device uses it, to save battery. Drops while you work have other causes, such as distance, the Wi-Fi band or settings on either device.

Fix this with your agentCopies a prompt for Claude Code, Codex or any agent that can use Terminal.

My Mac has this problem: iPhone hotspot keeps disconnecting from a Mac. Read https://kilobat.app/guides/hotspot-keeps-disconnecting-mac.md and work through it with me. Install the Kilobat CLI if it’s missing: brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat. Run the guide’s Terminal and kilobat checks yourself and tell me what you find. List the steps only I can do. Ask before you change any setting.

Applies to: Current iOS versions and macOS 14 and later. Maximize Compatibility is on iPhone 12 and later.Checked: 7 November 2026

Symptoms

The Mac loses the hotspot every few minutes, and then joins again.
The hotspot drops when the iPhone screen locks, or when the Mac is idle.
The Wi-Fi menu shows the iPhone, but the connection does not stay up.
Other devices stay on the hotspot, and only the Mac drops.

Likely causes

The hotspot was idle. Apple says that devices disconnect from the hotspot when you do not use it, to save battery life.
Distance or interference. Apple says that the devices must be within 10 metres of each other, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on.
A Wi-Fi compatibility problem. Maximize Compatibility makes the hotspot use 2.4 GHz. Apple says that this can help older devices, but it can reduce performance and security.
The Mac sleeps or changes network. A Mac that sleeps drops the hotspot. A Mac can also move to another known Wi-Fi network.
Network settings on the iPhone. Apple lists Reset Network Settings as a fix for hotspot connection problems.

How to check

Find the router address of the hotspot. On an iPhone hotspot, it is usually 172.20.10.1.
```
route -n get default
```
Ping the iPhone with a time on each reply. Use the gateway from the previous step. Press Control-C to stop.
```
ping -i 5 --apple-time 172.20.10.1
```
Output Gaps in the replies show when the link dropped.
Write down what happened at each drop, for example the iPhone screen locked or the Mac went to sleep.
Hold the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon. Look at the channel and band of the hotspot.
Make sure that the two devices are near each other.

How to fix it

Update iOS on the iPhone and macOS on the Mac.
On the iPhone, open Settings > Personal Hotspot. Turn on Maximize Compatibility, then test again.
If the speed goes down too much, turn Maximize Compatibility off again.
Keep the iPhone near the Mac. Keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, on both devices.
On the Mac, open Wi-Fi Settings. Set “Ask to join hotspots” to Automatic or Ask to Join.
If the Mac moves to another known network, see Mac joins the wrong Wi-Fi network.
Restart the iPhone and the Mac.
Reset network settings on the iPhone. Choose Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
For a steady link, connect the iPhone with a USB cable. See Connect a Mac to an iPhone hotspot with a USB cable.

With Kilobat

Show the network changes and drops that the app recorded, with their times.
```
kilobat outages --days 1
```
Check the hotspot link, the internet and DNS in one step after a drop.
```
kilobat diagnose
```
Kilobat cannot keep the iPhone hotspot awake. It can keep the Mac awake during a long download. See Keep your Mac awake until a download finishes.
A reconnect can start sync and updates again. With Pro and the network filter, Kilobat pauses updaters on metered networks.

Questions

Does the hotspot turn off after 90 seconds?

Apple says that third-party devices disconnect after 90 seconds without network traffic. For Apple devices, Apple says only that they disconnect when you do not use the hotspot.

Do Low Power Mode or Low Data Mode on the iPhone cause drops?

Apple does not document this. Some users report fewer drops with them off. Turn them off for a test, then compare.

Is USB more stable than Wi-Fi?

A cable avoids Wi-Fi interference and charges the iPhone. Apple documents Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB as ways to connect.

Sources

Apple Support: Share the internet connection from your iPhone or iPad with your Mac
Apple Support: If Personal Hotspot is not working on your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
Apple Platform Support: Troubleshoot Personal Hotspot connections on iPhone and iPad
Apple Support: Use Instant Hotspot to connect to your Personal Hotspot
route(8) and ping(8), man pages installed with macOS 27.2

Checked on 7 November 2026.