I've been using my phone as a hotspot for the last couple of years without any issues. Although my plan has certain tiers that include hotspot functionality, I could keep using it even after changing my subscription. Recently, however, my hotspot stopped working. This happened after I dropped my phone a few times, which caused a tiny chip in the screen and some temporary glitches, but it's been functioning fine since then. The hotspot issue started just before I noticed the screen glitches, and I have since subscribed to a plan that doesn't include hotspot this month. Interestingly, my phone can still connect to Wi-Fi and handle my mobile data fine; it just won't let my computer connect to the hotspot. When I contacted my service provider, they initially told me that my plan didn't cover hotspot usage. After some talks, they allowed hotspot service for the rest of the billing cycle and even added more data to my account, yet I am still unable to connect. Does anyone know if this points more towards a broken feature on my phone or a problem with my service provider? If I can connect through other methods, does that mean the hotspot itself is likely fine? I'm just concerned because if the hotspot is broken, I'll need to replace my phone before the next billing cycle starts.
2 Answers
Honestly, if your phone can still connect to Wi-Fi and other mobile data services work, it's probably more of a software or account issue rather than hardware damage. Dropping the phone shouldn't have selectively disabled just the hotspot capability. Sometimes, just swapping your SIM card into another device temporarily can clarify if the issue is with the phone or the provider. If it still doesn't work on another phone, then your carrier might just need to re-enable hotspot privileges on their side.
It sounds like the main issue might be with your plan rather than your phone. Since both the WiFi and hotspot features utilize the same hardware but are treated differently by the carrier, a glitch in service tiering could definitely be the culprit. Your ability to connect via WiFi but not through mobile data suggests that the hotspot functionality is still enabled but possibly restricted by your provider. Sometimes after switching plans, carriers don’t clear the flags on accounts properly, which can lead to these kinds of problems. It's worth reaching out to customer service again to see if they can dig deeper into your account settings if you haven't already!
That makes a lot of sense! I had a similar issue when I changed plans. They kept telling me everything was fine on their end, but it turned out there was a hang-up that only they could fix.
That's a great idea! I always recommend testing with another device. That way, you'll know for sure where the issue lies.