The mobile hotspot feature allows us to turn our smartphone’s mobile internet connection into a shareable WiFi network. One thing we personally like about the mobile hotspot is we can use it as a backup if the home WiFi connection starts having problems and needs troubleshooting.
That said, even the mobile hotspot can go down and doesn’t work properly sometimes. Very recent complaints we saw were from Samsung S21 users. They kept complaining all their Galaxy S21 mobile hotspot is not working, which can be annoying and frustrating.
But don’t worry because, in this guide, we will show you actual solutions you can try to resolve the mobile hotspot issue on your Samsung Galaxy S21, regardless of the model you have. More specifically, this guide will answer if the mobile hotspot on your Galaxy S21;
- Doesn’t turn on
- Turns on, but you cannot connect to it
- Is visible and can be connected to, but there is no internet connection
Let’s get started.
Note: Solutions in this guide will work on any Samsung Galaxy S21 model (S21, S21 Plus, S21 Fe, and S21 Ultra models.)
Editor’s note: We created these instructions using a Samsung Galaxy S21 running Android 13. Depending on your device’s software version, some steps and menu positions may look slightly different.
Why is the Samsung S21 hotspot not working?
Your hotspot connection on Galaxy S21 might not work because of the following reasons (It can be one or a few depending on your case)
- A temporary glitch (A restart might work)
- Misconfigurations in the hotspot settings
- Faults within the Android operating system
- Mobile data doesn’t work, or the power saving mode prevents data sharing
- Third-party apps blocking the connection
- Hardware issues (Rare to happen)
The list can even go further. However, we highlighted the causes that make the mobile hotspot not work most of the time.
You do not need to worry about the reasons or why suddenly the mobile hotspot stopped working on your Samsung S21. The solutions given right below should work for all causes.
Let’s get into the solutions!
How to fix Samsung Galaxy S21 mobile hotspot not working
First, we will start with some basic troubleshooting steps to resolve potential temporary glitches on your Samsung Galaxy S21 that could prevent the mobile hotspot from working correctly.
Then, we will show you the advanced troubleshooting to fix android system issues (a.k.a bugs), network problems, and third-party apps from interfering with the mobile hotspot on your Galaxy S21. Let’s begin.
Fix 01: Restart your Galaxy S21
Restarting your device is a simple yet powerful solution to fix temporary glitches on your device. Once you proceed with the restart, your device will boot all the system processes to a fresh state.
Tip: On the other hand, restarting your device can fix potential future problems that could happen too. It is because due to the heavy usage of your phone without giving it a restart, a sudden glitch can cause a chain of issues.
To restart your device, either press and hold the power button until you get the power options. Then, tap on the restart button twice, or press and hold the power + volume down keys together and release them once your device got turned off.
Fix 02: Change bandwidth to 2.4 GHz in hotspot settings
If you have changed a critical setting like the band setting inside the mobile hotspot settings, some devices won’t be able to connect to your hotspot. To adjust these settings, follow these steps;
- Swipe down the notification bar
- Tap and hold the Mobile hotspot icon
- See if the band is selected to 5 GHz. If so, tap on the “configure” option
- Now tap on “band” and select 2.4 GHz
Fix 03: Reset network settings
This solution has a higher chance of working if you are able to connect to your hotspot using but cannot access the internet. This could happen if there is no signal or problems with the network settings. So here we reset network settings to defaults to fix it.
Here is how to do that;
- Go to Settings
- Tap on General management
- Tap on Reset
- Tap on Reset network settings
- Confirm to reset the network settings
- Once it is completed, restart your device
Fix 04: Check blocked connections
In the mobile hotspot feature, there is an option to block certain connected devices and prevent them from using the hotspot network connection. If you have accidentally blocked a device, it won’t be able to access the internet even though you able to connect it to the network.
To check and remove blocked connections, follow these steps;
- Open Settings
- Tap on hotspot settings
- Tap on blocked devices
- Make sure the device you want to connect with the hotspot isn’t blacklisted there. If it is, then remove that device from the list
- Restart your phone
Fix 05: Turn off the power saver/data saver
The power and data saving features on your Galaxy S21 are designed to minimize the background apps using the internet connection of the device (WiFi/Mobile data). There is a possibility that the hotspot service getting blocked by accessing the internet once the power/data saving modes are enabled on your Galaxy S21.
To fix this and make sure there aren’t any power/data saving modes interfering with the mobile hotspot, you have to turn it off when you want to use mobile hotspot.
To turn off power saving mode:
- Swipe down the notification bar and tap on the power saving mode (Make sure the two modes aren’t highlighted, if so, it is not enabled, and you don’t need to do anything).
To turn off data saving mode:
- Go to Settings
- Tap on Connections
- Tap on Data usage, and then tap on Data saver
- Turn it off
Once you have turned off both settings, restart your device and see if the mobile hotspot works without any issues.
Fix 06: Uninstall third-party apps that interfere with the mobile hotspot
If you have ever downloaded a third-party app to enable/control mobile hotspots/data, it is time to uninstall them.
There is only a handful of such apps that are optimized for your Galaxy S21. Therefore, chances are high that supporting apps can cause the mobile hotspot not working issue.
Go to Settings > Apps, then select and tap on the Uninstall button to remove it from your device.
Fix 07: Do a software update or Reset your device
If the hotspot issue first started to appear after installing a software update, then there are two things you can do;
- Factory reset your device, or
- Check for updates, again.
Since it is a bit tedious to do a factory data reset, the best option might be the software update. However, if you have updated your device very recently, you will have to wait until another software update rolls out.
Lucky for you, we have a separate software update tracker for Samsung Galaxy S21 devices. There you can check when an update is rolling out and what is included in it.
To factory reset your Galaxy S21, follow the steps below. (Make sure to take a back up before proceeding to avoid data loss)
- Go to Settings > General management
- Tap on Reset
- Tap on Factory data reset
- Enter the lock screen password or draw the pattern if you have set up a screen lock before
- Confirm
Conclusion
If you have correctly followed the above solutions, your Samsung S21 mobile hotspot issue should be fixed now. If you still experience problems, contact Samsung customer support, or take your device to the nearest Samsung service center to check for any hardware issues causing the hotspot to not work.
If you have any questions or need help regarding this guide, leave a comment below.
Have a nice day!