Ever been at an airport or a crowded coffee shop and seen five different Wi-Fi networks all named "iPhone"? It's annoying. You're trying to find your own connection, but you're staring at a digital sea of identical labels. Honestly, leaving your default name as "iPhone" or "Samsung-SM-G998B" is a bit of a security risk too. It basically tells everyone around you exactly what hardware you're carrying.
Learning how to change name for personal hotspot settings is one of those small digital hygiene tasks that makes life way smoother. It takes about thirty seconds. Maybe forty if you’re a slow typer. But there’s a catch. On an iPhone, your hotspot name is tied to your entire device name. If you change it for Wi-Fi, you’re also changing how your phone appears in Bluetooth lists, AirDrop, and even your iCloud backup logs. Android is a bit more flexible, letting you decouple your broadcast name from your actual phone identity.
Let's get into the weeds of how this actually works across different ecosystems.
The iOS Quirk: Why Your Hotspot Name is Also Your Identity
Apple loves simplicity. Sometimes they love it too much. On an iPhone, there isn't a specific button that says "Change Hotspot Name." Instead, the phone broadcasts whatever the device is named in the general settings. This is a common point of confusion. Users go into the "Personal Hotspot" menu looking for a rename option and find nothing but a password toggle.
To fix this, you have to go to Settings, then General, then About. At the very top, you’ll see Name. Tap that. Delete "John’s iPhone" and call it something distinct. "FBI Surveillance Van" is a classic, though maybe a bit played out in 2026. "Get Your Own Data" is a personal favorite.
Once you change it here, it updates everywhere. Your MacBook will see the new name. Your car’s Bluetooth will see the new name. It’s a global change for the device. If you use AirDrop frequently, keep in mind that your friends will now see this new name when they try to send you a photo.
Why does this matter for connectivity?
Sometimes, if you have a very long name with weird emojis or special characters like & or $, older laptops or cheap IoT devices might struggle to connect. Stick to alphanumeric characters if you want 100% compatibility. I've seen cases where a stray apostrophe in a name caused a Windows 10 laptop to loop the "Checking network requirements" screen indefinitely. It’s rare, but it happens.
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Android’s Way: Granular Control and SSID Settings
Android is different. It treats the hotspot name as an SSID (Service Set Identifier), just like a home router does. This is great because you can keep your phone's name as "Pixel 8 Pro" for your internal files but broadcast "Free Public Wi-Fi" to the world as a joke.
The path varies slightly depending on whether you're using a Samsung Galaxy, a Pixel, or a OnePlus, but the logic is the same. Usually, you’re going to Settings > Network & Internet > Hotspot & Tethering. From there, tap on Wi-Fi Hotspot.
You'll see a field specifically labeled Hotspot name. Tap it, change it, and hit save.
A Note on the 6GHz Band
If you have a newer flagship phone, you might see an option for "Extend Compatibility" or "AP Band." Modern phones can broadcast on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or even 6GHz (Wi-Fi 6E/7). If you change your name but your tablet can’t see the network, it’s probably because you’re broadcasting on 5GHz or 6GHz and the receiver is old. Switching the band back to 2.4GHz usually solves this, though your speeds will take a massive hit.
The Security Aspect Most People Ignore
When you consider how to change name for personal hotspot configurations, don't just think about the name. Think about the visibility. Both Android and iOS have a "Hidden SSID" or "Hidden Network" option.
Is it worth it? Probably not for most people.
Hiding your hotspot name sounds like a great security feature. If they can't see you, they can't hack you, right? Not exactly. A hidden network still broadcasts "probes." Hackers with basic sniffing tools like Kismet or Wireshark can see the network anyway. Plus, hiding the name makes it much harder for your own devices to reconnect automatically. It drains your battery faster because the phone and laptop have to "yell" for each other constantly to stay synced.
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Instead of hiding the name, just use a strong WPA3 password.
Troubleshooting the "Name Change Won't Stick" Bug
You changed the name. You hit save. But your laptop still sees the old name. This drives people crazy.
This usually isn't a problem with the phone; it's a "cache" issue on the receiving device. Your computer remembers the MAC address (the hardware ID) of your phone. It associates that MAC address with the old name. To force a refresh:
- Turn off the hotspot on your phone.
- Go to your computer's Wi-Fi settings and "Forget" the old network.
- Toggle Airplane Mode on your phone for five seconds.
- Turn the hotspot back on.
- Your computer should now scan and find the new name.
Windows and macOS: The "Host" Side of the Equation
Sometimes you aren't sharing data from a phone. You might be using your Windows laptop as a bridge to share a wired hotel internet connection with your iPad.
On Windows 11, search for "Mobile Hotspot" in the Start menu. There is an "Edit" button right under the network properties. You can change the name and password there. Microsoft is actually better than Apple here; the hotspot name is completely independent of the Computer Name you set during Windows installation.
On a Mac, it's under System Settings > General > Sharing. You have to click the "i" icon next to Internet Sharing. Note that macOS is very picky about names. If you use a name that's too long, it might just fail to start the service without telling you why. Keep it under 32 characters.
Practical Steps for a Better Connection
Changing the name is just step one. If you want your hotspot to actually be usable, there are three things you should do immediately after renaming it:
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Check your Timeout Settings. Both Android and iOS have a feature that turns off the hotspot if no devices are connected. On Android, you can usually disable this. On iPhone, it’s hard-coded to be aggressive to save battery. If you’re wondering why your connection keeps dropping, it’s likely because your laptop went to sleep for a minute and the iPhone decided to kill the broadcast.
Update your Security Protocol. If your phone gives you the choice between WPA2 and WPA3, choose WPA3. It’s significantly more secure against "brute force" attacks where someone tries to guess your password using software. However, if you have an older Kindle or a legacy printer, they might not be able to connect to WPA3.
Mind the Data Cap. Renaming the network won't save your data. Most "Unlimited" plans actually have a very specific "Hotspot Allowance"—usually 15GB to 50GB. Once you hit that, your carrier will throttle your speed to 2G or 3G levels, which is basically unusable for anything other than text emails. Check your carrier app (MyVerizon, AT&T, etc.) to see how much of your hotspot bucket you’ve used before you start streaming Netflix on a renamed network.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Open your phone settings right now and verify what your device is broadcasting as.
- Change the name to something unique but professional enough that you won't be embarrassed if a coworker sees it.
- Update your password to a 12-character string that includes at least one number and one symbol.
- Restart your phone after the name change to ensure the broadcast buffer is cleared.