How Do I Remove Unwanted Devices From My Hotspot?

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If you use a personal hotspot connection, you have likely experienced other users jumping on. So, if you’re wondering how to remove unwanted devices from your hotspot, this article is for you! We have the instructions to get those devices off right now. 

To remove unwanted devices from a hotspot, you can change the hotspot’s password and keep it private. Android devices allow you to remove and block individual devices once they have connected specifically. 

Creating a hotspot is a great way to stream videos and play online games while on the go. However, having too many devices connected can slow down your hotspot’s speed, and unknown devices can leave your information vulnerable.

How Do I See Who is Using My Hotspot?

The first thing you need to know how to do is to view which devices are connected to your hotspot at any time.

To see if someone is connected to your hotspot for iOS devices, first, make sure your personal hotspot is on:

  1. On your lock screen, swipe down from the top right side to view your control center
  2. Long press on the Connectivity area (it has Airplane Mode, your WiFi, and more)
  3. If your Personal Hotspot is on, it will be green and tell you the number of devices connected.

You can also get a history of who is on your iOS device’s hotspot by:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Select “Cellular” or “Mobile Data” (this depends on your carrier)
  3. Scroll down to the list of apps using cellular data
  4. Find “Personal Hotspot” and select it

There will be a list of devices that have joined your personal hotspot and the amount of data they used in your current billing cycle. 

To see how many devices are on your hotspot for Android devices:

  1. Open Settings and select “Connections”
  2. Select “Mobile Hotspot and Tethering” 
  3. If the hotspot is on, you will see a list of connected devices at the bottom of the screen under “Manage Devices.” 

Sometimes, the names of the devices are numerical and alphabetical sequences (the IP and MAC address) that don’t give away the make or model of the device.

However, most of the time, it will show something like “Galaxy A09-0406,” and you can tell a Galaxy phone is connected. 

Knowing which devices are connected to your hotspot is only half the battle. The next step is figuring out how to remove the unwanted devices!

How Do I Remove Devices From My Hotspot?

Alright, let’s talk about removing unwanted devices from your hotspot! 

Essentially, there are two ways to do this:

  • Create a new and private password. 
  • Block specific devices from using the hotspot network. 

Both options will only take a few moments, so you can follow the instructions below and get rid of unwelcome users on your hotspot. 

Create a New Password

The easiest way to control who can or cannot connect to your hotspot is to create a personal and secret password. You should only give it out to those whom you want to allow to use the hotspot.

Using a password is a great way to ensure no unwanted guests can connect. 

So, here’s how to create a new password for your mobile hotspot on iOS devices:

  1. Open your Settings
  2. Go to “Personal Hotspot” 
  3. Select “Wi-Fi Password”
  4. Erase the current password and enter your new password with the mandatory credentials
  5. Tap Done

To create a new password for your mobile hotspot on Android devices:

  1. Open the Settings app and tap “Connections”
  2. Select “Mobile Hotspot & Tethering” (on some phones, you have to click Cellular first.)
  3. Tap “Mobile Hotspot” and tap the three dots for the Menu
  4. Select “Configure Mobile Hotspot”
  5. Select the option labeled “Password” and enter a personal and private password. 
  6. Tap “Save” 

That’s all there is to it! Now, even devices that have previously connected will need to use the new password if they want to pair with your hotspot! 

Block Specific Devices

The next option to remove unwanted devices from your hotspot is to block specific devices. 

While this process is simple, there is one factor to note: The device must be already connected to the hotspot to block it. 

You cannot block specific devices on your iOS devices. The best thing to do is create a new password and only share it with people you know. 

To block specific devices on Android phones:

  1. Open the Settings 
  2. Select “Mobile Hotspot & Tethering” (on some phones, you have to click Cellular first.)
  3. Under “Manage Devices” select “Connected Devices”
  4. Long press the device you want to block.
  5. Select “OK” from the Disconnect prompt that appears. This will put it on your Blocklist.

From now on, that device will never be able to connect to your hotspot unless you manually unblock it by following the same instructions. 

Can I See What Someone is Doing on My Hotspot?

Another question many hotspot users ask is whether or not you can see what someone is doing when connected. 

While it is possible, it’s pretty tricky. To see what someone is doing on their own device while connected to your hotspot, you need to install a network scanner app on their device. 

I have tried a few of these apps, but I don’t recommend them because they’re not easy to configure.

On iPhones and other iOS devices, you can see how much data they use per billing cycle, but that’s it.

Unless you have access to that device and understand tech devices, you cannot see what they are downloading, looking at, or accessing while connected to your hotspot. 

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