Skip to content
Tech News
← Back to articles

iOS 26.4 has convenient change for iPhone personal hotspot users

read original get Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter → more articles
Why This Matters

iOS 26.4 introduces a valuable update for iPhone users who rely on personal hotspots, providing clear, device-specific data usage statistics directly within the Settings app. This enhancement helps users better monitor and manage their cellular data, which is crucial for those with limited plans or sharing connections with others. The update simplifies data tracking, promoting more informed usage and potentially avoiding overage charges.

Key Takeaways

iOS 26.4 launched last week, packing a wide array of new features, including a change for personal hotspot that makes it easy to see who’s using your data.

Personal Hotspot menu in Settings gets more informative in iOS 26.4

Until I went all-in on cellular iPads in the last couple years, I relied on personal hotspot on my iPhone all the time.

I would connect my iPad or MacBook to my iPhone’s cellular connection whenever I worked outside of the house.

But I always had to be very careful about data usage. I’ve historically stuck with cellular plans that offer set amounts of data, since they tend to be much more affordable.

In iOS 26.4’s Settings app though, you’ll now find convenient data usage statistics on a per-device basis right inside the Personal Hotspot menu.

Go to Settings ⇾ Personal Hotspot, and at the bottom of the screen you’ll see a Data Usage menu. This only appears when you have used your hotspot recently.

Inside the Data Usage menu, you’ll get a breakdown of how much data has been used per device via hotspot. You can reset this data by resetting your overall cellular usage statistics inside Settings ⇾ Cellular.

This is great for tracking usage across your own devices, or if you regularly let others connect to your hotspot.

Though I never realized it before, Apple apparently used to keep this data in a different place in Settings. But despite being a longtime iPhone user who has written about iOS for years, I never knew it existed. I suspect I’m not alone in that.

... continue reading