It can be a drag to obtain and enter the Wi-Fi network password for an otherwise free and publicly available network—or even the network at a friend’s house or colleague’s place of work. With an iPhone or iPad running iOS 11 or later, you can avoid entering a password altogether if someone you know is nearby.
A whopping six conditions have to be met, which seems like a lot. However, each of these is straightforward:
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Both devices must have iOS 11 or later or macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later installed.
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You both must have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled.
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The email address used for your Apple ID has to be in their Contacts list.
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Their device must be unlocked.
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The network must use simple WPA2 Personal (password only) networking, not the user name/password style employed with WPA2 Enterprise.
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The other person must have already connected to the network.
Here’s the steps to share a password:
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Tap the network you want to join on your iPhone or iPad.
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Your friend, relative, or colleague will see a prompt to share their password. They tap Share Password.
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The password is securely transmitted to your device, which joins the network.
Apple A special sharing pop-over appears in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS to let you share a Wi-Fi password securely with an iPhone or an iPad.
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