How to easily share Wi-Fi password on Android and iOS

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If you’ve had a guest go to your house for any length of time, there’s a reasonable chance that they’ll ask you for your Wi-Fi password, which might start a spooky dance of you trying to remember what it is or reading out a complex string of numbers, letters, and symbols.

Of course, you can always buy a Wi-Fi pass-through tag or write it on a sticky note that you can quickly direct guests to, but that’s not always the most convenient solution; If your password is long or contains hard-to-read symbols (is that an O or a 0?), it can be difficult to connect your friends and family.

It’s worth noting that if you often have people you don’t know well or large groups over, you should really look into setting up a temporary or guest Wi-Fi, which many routers allow you to do. This path is significantly more secure than handing over your password to anyone who enters your home.

However, for people you trust, both Google and Apple have built-in ways to share your Wi-Fi password quickly and securely. Here’s how to use it.

The easiest way to share your password with your Android phone is to create a QR code that people can scan to automatically join the network. If you have a Pixel phone or most other Android phones:

  • go to the settings > Network and the Internet > WIFI.
  • Click the settings gear next to your network.
  • Hit the share button and authenticate yourself. A screen should appear with the QR code, Wi-Fi name, and password.
Gif demonstrates the process of sharing a Wi-Fi network using the standard Android user interface.

Due to the wide range of Android skins and versions, the path to Wi-Fi settings may be slightly different. For example, the process on a Samsung phone is a little different.

  • go to the settings > links > WIFI.
  • Click on Cog settings.
  • Faucet QR code in the lower left corner. The Samsung QR code does not include the typed password.

As long as the person’s phone is relatively up-to-date, it should be able to scan the QR code to automatically join the network. And yes, it even works for people trying to access your Wi-Fi using your iPhone.

If scanning the code doesn’t work for any reason, you can have the person enter the password manually.

Since iOS 11, Apple has included an easy way to share your password with other iPhone, iPad, and Mac users. To use it, make sure both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on — by default, the toggles are in Control Center, which you can access by swiping down from the top-right corner on a phone with Face ID or from the bottom on a phone with a Home button. You will also have to be connected to the network they are trying to connect to.

  • Tell the person to go to settings > WIFI. Then tap on your network.
  • On your device, you should see a popup asking if you want to share your password. tapping on Share the password The button should start the process of getting it online.
Gif showing a card

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If you don’t see the prompt, it may be because Apple requires that the person asking for the password must have your Apple ID email saved in the Contacts app and vice versa. So, if you are having problems, you can go to settingsclick your name at the top, and check to make sure the email addresses listed are added to each other’s contact cards.

However, at this point it will probably be easier to show them the password and have them type it in. If you do not know it indirectly and are running iOS 16 or later, you can access the password by going to settings > WIFItapping on blue I next to your connected network, then tapping password field. After you authenticate yourself, you will be able to see your password.

You could theoretically copy and paste it into a message and send it to the person you’re trying to share your Wi-Fi with. Personally, I’d much rather show them the screen and have them type it in so my password doesn’t go through SMS or some other messaging service, but feel free to do your own thing.

Unfortunately, while not surprising, iOS currently has no built-in way to easily share your password with someone using Android. If you want to share your password with them, you will have to follow the manual steps given above.

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