Local Hotspot

Hello, we are developing hardware that needs to connect to an iPhone via Wi-Fi to send requests to a server. On Android, we have managed to create a programmatic local hotspot within the app to facilitate connection and improve the user experience.

On iOS, however, Personal Hotspot must be manually enabled from the system settings, and the user must manually enter the SSID and password, which significantly degrades the UX.

My questions are:

Is there a workaround, unofficial method, or private API to generate a local hotspot from an app on iOS, similar to what can be done on Android?

Is there an alternative within the MFi program or through specific frameworks to facilitate a quick and automatic connection between the hardware and the iPhone without relying on the manual Personal Hotspot?

Are there any best practices for improving the local Wi-Fi connection experience between an accessory and an iPhone in the absence of hotspot controls?

I would appreciate any guidance, experience, or resources that would help me better understand the feasible options in iOS for scenarios where fast and direct communication between hardware and mobile devices via Wi-Fi is required.

Personal Hotspot must be manually enabled from the system settings

Correct.

Is there a workaround … ?

No.

Is there [an] unofficial method, or private API … ?

The Apple Developer Forums are not the right place for questions like that. What I can say is that, if you find a way around this limitation, please do file a bug about it because the iOS sandbox should prevent apps from changing the user’s Personal Hotspot configuration.

To address your remaining questions I need to clarify this:

we are developing hardware that needs to connect to an iPhone via Wi-Fi to send requests to a server.

Where is this server running? On the iPhone itself? Or on the wider Internet?

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

Local Hotspot
 
 
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