How to share your mobile data with someone else's phone
Turn on the personal hotspot on the phone that has the data, and the other phone joins it like any Wi-Fi network. It shares whichever line is set for mobile data, so with a travel eSIM that line has to be the eSIM. The other phone needs no eSIM of its own and keeps its own number and WhatsApp.
Work out how much data you needOne data plan, two phones
Apple is explicit that Personal Hotspot uses the line you select for mobile data when the iPhone has two SIMs. Android works the same way. So before you share anything, set the travel eSIM as the data line. If your usual SIM is still the data line, you would be sharing your home operator's roaming data instead of the plan you bought.
The phone that joins does not need a plan abroad at all. It sees your phone as a Wi-Fi network, connects with the password and gets online through you. Its owner keeps their own number, and WhatsApp, Telegram or FaceTime work on their account as usual. One limit to know: Apple notes that you can only share the mobile connection. An iPhone connected to the hotel Wi-Fi cannot pass that Wi-Fi on as a hotspot.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
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How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Turning it on with an iPhone
- Settings › Mobile Data › Set Up Personal Hotspot the first time, then follow the steps.
- After that, Settings › Personal Hotspot to switch it on or off and choose who can join.
- The password is under Settings › Mobile Data › Personal Hotspot › Wi-Fi Password.
- The network name is your iPhone's name. To change it, go to Settings › General › About › Name.
On the other phone, open the Wi-Fi list, pick your iPhone and type the password. An Apple device signed in to the same Apple Account does not need it. If you are in a Family Sharing group, you can let family members join automatically. Apple adds that the number of devices that can connect at once depends on the operator and the iPhone model.
Turning it on with Android
- Google Pixel: Settings › Network & internet › Hotspot & tethering › Wi-Fi hotspot. Tap the hotspot to see or change its name and password.
- Samsung Galaxy: Settings › Connections › Mobile Hotspot and Tethering › Mobile Hotspot. Configure changes the name, password and band, and the QR code option lets the other phone join by scanning it.
- Other brands: search for hotspot in Settings.
Google says up to 10 other devices can connect to a Pixel hotspot. Both brands switch the hotspot off on their own when nothing is connected, to save battery: on a Pixel it is the Turn off hotspot automatically option, and on a Samsung it is in the Advanced settings. If your companion keeps losing the connection after a break, that is usually why.
When the other phone cannot connect
- The travel eSIM is not the data line, or mobile data is off on it. There is nothing to share.
- Data Saver is on. Google asks you to turn it off before sharing over Wi-Fi on a Pixel.
- The hotspot option is missing. Apple says that means the line does not include it and points to the operator; Samsung notes that a tethering plan may be needed. Work phones can also have it blocked by company policy.
- On a Samsung, turning on the hotspot turns off the phone's own Wi-Fi. That is normal, not a fault.
If the hotspot is on and the other phone still sees nothing, switch Wi-Fi off and on again on the phone that is joining, and keep the two within a few metres while it connects.
Sharing without running out of battery or data
A hotspot keeps the phone's radios busy the whole time. Google lists tethering among the things to avoid when you want the battery to last and suggests plugging in while you share; Samsung warns that it drains the battery and that the phone can get warm. A power bank in the bag makes a long day of sharing much easier.
Data is the other half. Everything the second phone does counts against your plan, including the photo backups and app updates it may start the moment it finds a connection. Ask your companion to pause those, using the tips in the guides for iPhone and Android. If you share with a laptop instead, read the laptop hotspot guide. Hotspot is allowed on Snoozim eSIMs, and the data calculator lets you say you will share, so the pack you pick covers two people.
Does the other phone need its own eSIM?
No. It connects to your hotspot as a Wi-Fi network and uses your data. It needs nothing installed.
How many devices can join my hotspot?
Google says up to 10 on a Pixel. Apple says it depends on the operator and the iPhone model.
Will my companion's WhatsApp keep their number?
Yes. WhatsApp belongs to their account, so it keeps their number while it uses your connection.
Can I share the hotel Wi-Fi through my hotspot?
Not with an iPhone: Apple says Personal Hotspot only shares the mobile connection. The other phone can simply join the hotel Wi-Fi itself.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
Work out how much data you need