Confirmed: Personal Hotspot feature coming to all iPhones in iOS 4.3

http://www.bgr.com/2011/01/12/confirmed-personal-hotspot-feature-coming-to-all-iphones-in-ios-4-3/

by Void_ • 16 years ago

68 55 16 years ago

bgr.com

yesimahuman• 16 years ago

Any idea if this will be an extra service and cost like tethering? The article is light on details.

irons• 16 years ago

Entirely up to the carriers, just like tethering.

axod2• 16 years ago

It shouldn't be anything to do with the carrier. The carrier should be a pipe. Why is the carrier market in the US so terrible compared to other places? I guess same reason that internet access itself is so bad in the US. The market needs a serious shake up and some real competition.

I'm glad I switched to Android. Personal hotspot has saved me a couple of times in the last year.

RyanMcGreal• 16 years ago

You have to pay extra for tethering on an iPhone?

_djo_• 16 years ago

Only in the US, to my knowledge.

LaGrange• 16 years ago

On Polish Era network it's free but disabled by default. You have to call an actual human being to get it enabled.

mechanical_fish2• 16 years ago

No, you have to pay extra for tethering on AT&T. Though that is effectively the same thing in the USA, at least up to now.

I believe it remains to be seen how many pounds of flesh Verizon will try to extract from iPhone tethering customers.

pedanticfreak2• 16 years ago

It will probably be $20 per month on Verizon. That is what it charges currently for other phones.

Verizon did make this service free on the Palm Pre, so it's possible it could be free for the iPhone 4 as well. But I think that was more because the Palm Pre was unpopular whereas the iPhone will be plenty popular.

extension• 16 years ago

Can I assume that my unlocked iPhone 4 bought straight from Apple will let me use this with any carrier? (in Canada)

ugh• 16 years ago

I would guess that it works the same as tethering. (Well, it is tethering, only via Wi-Fi and not Bluetooth or a cable.)

Carriers can turn tethering on and off so I also wouldn’t expect this to work with every carrier. It has been possible to circumvent these carrier preferences in the past, though. I just don’t know whether that’s still possible and whether that will be possible in the future.

ajg19772• 16 years ago

Afraid not. Unlocked just means you can use whatever GSM carrier you wish. Carrier-dependent features (MMS, tethering) are controlled by IPCC files (known as 'Carrier Updates') which are downloaded depending on the carrier you are using.

In the old days (3.0 and below) you could get access to features unsupported by AT&T (MMS, tethering..) by modifying a carrier file and applying it to your phone via iTunes, no jailbreak required. As of 3.1 however these files are now signed to prevent tampering.

semanticist2• 16 years ago

I just this morning created a new carrier file with APN settings - including turning on tethering - for my iPhone, since my network in the UK apparently fiddled some settings somewhere and my iPhone had no internet access yesterday.

Signing doesn't appear to be an issue.

danudey• 16 years ago

Given that our carriers (Fido, Telus, Bell, Rogers) don't charge extra for tethering (inexplicably), I would imagine this feature isn't going to be restricted on our networks. Your phone's unlockedness, however, doesn't affect the matter at all, as the limitation is determined by the network itself (or rather, by the carrier updates to support the networks themselves).

joebananas• 16 years ago

So I guess 3G iPad sales are about to drop?

dedward• 16 years ago

Probably not... using the iPhone as a wifi AP is going to drain the battery even faster, and one would imagine there are a lot of people who want an ipad but not an iphone.

mcdowall• 16 years ago

I have the iPad Wifi only version, I did purchase an HTC Desire to tether but the battery life was just abysmal so sent it back for an iPhone4. If tethering on my iPhone has any similar type of effect on battery life as it did on my HTC I just won't bother paying the extra tariffs.

AndyParkinson• 16 years ago

I doubt it. While logic might support this, the user experience won't.

The beauty of 3G iPad is the instant on, instant access nature of the connection. Currently getting a connection on my Mac via iPhone tethering takes about 20-30 seconds. I'd rather pay $14.99 and have it all the time, like I do on the iPad. The experience is far superior.

smackfu• 16 years ago

Is "confirmed" really the right word to use when its one anonymous source?

amackera• 16 years ago

But they had a screenshot! </sarcasm>

pedanticfreak2• 16 years ago

Now officially confirmed to be in iOS 4.3 Beta 1 which was released today.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/12/ios-4-3-beta-arrives-for-...

r3demon• 16 years ago

Very nice news! Seems Apple taking competition seriously this time.

drivebyacct2• 16 years ago

Why is this news? I thought this had been available on AT&T for sometime... and Verizon has had this feature for well over a year (really, longer for plain ole tethering) on Android phones.

Or is it just the distinction between tethering and "personal hotspot"? I suppose I'm used to my free "Wireless Tether" as "tethering" where it more meets Apple and Verizon's description of "personal hotspot".

Whatever, they just want to call it that to make it seem more justifiable that VZW's going to charge extra for it.

kordless• 16 years ago

You could tether one computer via cable or Bluetooth. This is up to 5 with wifi.

mechanical_fish2• 16 years ago

And this almost certainly means that I can finally tether the wifi iPad to the iPhone, an inexplicable omission that has always been annoying.

jonknee• 16 years ago

Technically you could then share the connection using your computer, but that requires you to use a computer and have some knowledge. Right from the phone is a definite step up.

jawee• 16 years ago

Not to mention that it´s free on Verizon´s webOS phones. Virtually all of the smartphones that had a wifi card in the Verizon store when I last went had Wifi-tethering, although it usually cost extra. Not to mention that bluetooth and USB tethering has been available for ages, although not as fast (in case of Bluetooth) or convenient.

Void_• 16 years ago

You can't use tethering with iPad.

d2viant• 16 years ago

As an alternative to waiting for this official release, jailbroken iPhones have been able to do this for a while now, with no tethering fees from your carrier.

vinhboy• 16 years ago

The term "HotSpot" bothers me..

1) because its more descriptive to call it WiFi Router 2) calling it HotSpot means they get to tact on another fee for that feature. Maybe something like: $14 - for tethering enabled, another $20 - to enabled HotSpot.

elai• 16 years ago

It's just a name. They could call it wifi router and still charge you $20.

jw84• 16 years ago

I don't understand your train of thought.

quattrofan2• 16 years ago

Where Android leads, iOS follows. Welcome to the future.

xutopia• 16 years ago

I'll remind you that the iPhone paved the way for the generation of smart phones that Android is a part of.

chc• 16 years ago

I think the parent was meant as sort of a "Now the student has become the master!"

quattrofan2• 16 years ago

I agree with that statement, however the situation has now reversed. Disclaimer: I own an iPad and an Android phone. I still prefer Android over iOS, its faster and its more flexible.

tocomment• 16 years ago

Is there anyway to do this with the HTC incredible on Verizon?

Confirmed: Personal Hotspot feature coming to all iPhones in iOS 4.3

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