Finally: Mac can automatically connect to iPhone hotspot
Many Mac owners use their iPhone on the go to access their Mac online. This usually works well, but there is a downside. Apple is now fixing this.
macOS 26: Automatic hotspot selection.
(Image: heise medien/Mac & i)
In the past, many Mac owners would have been on the go with a small hotspot box from Huawei, ZTE, or Netgear to access the internet away from a Wi-Fi network. Now, however, most users have switched directly to the iPhone: thanks to the personal hotspot function that has been integrated for years, you can connect directly to the Apple cell phone that you usually have with you anyway – and use its data volume. However, there is one problem that has probably annoyed users for at least as long: until now, Apple did not provide the option to do this automatically. This means that if you are without Wi-Fi coverage, you always have to wait for your personal hotspot to appear – and then click on it to establish the connection.
Not just pointing, but connecting directly
With macOS 26, Apple is finally changing this: Apple is now providing the option of auto-join in the Wi-Fi settings. This means that, just as with regular Wi-Fi networks, which the Mac connects to automatically, this is now also implemented for the Personal Hotspot. Under the "Notify me of networks" section, you will find the advanced feature "Request access to hotspots." Instead of just offering to connect to a personal hotspot ("notify"), you can also set the connection to "automatic."
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To prevent the Personal Hotspot from pushing itself to the front of the line, this only happens if there are no known Wi-Fi networks (i.e., those you have already joined) nearby. For example, if you always want to use your iPhone's personal hotspot at the airport, you may want to clean up your list of Wi-Fi networks in advance and delete the airport Wi-Fi you used previously. This is because the function is called: "Allow this Mac to automatically detect personal hotspots nearby when no Wi-Fi is available." "No Wi-Fi" means "no known Wi-Fi" – otherwise the function would never start.
No more annoying requests
Now you might say that you should have simply clicked to establish the connection as soon as the message appeared. However, the automatic connection speeds up the start of hotspot use considerably. In addition, the notification was not always reliable, or you clicked on it when it appeared and then had to manually call up the network again via the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar.
It remains to be seen how well the new feature works in practice, as macOS 26 is not yet running smoothly in all areas. However, Apple has now implemented a "quality of life" feature that many users have wanted for a long time with the automatic personal hotspot.
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