Many of us use our smartphones as the primary method for streaming and viewing content online. They are always on, can be used anywhere, and are near us frequently. They are the ultimate entertainment device we can access on a whim. However, there may be times when you want to share your phone’s network connection with other devices. You can easily use your AT&T phone data as a hotspot on one of the best Chromebooks for a better big-screen experience. In this guide, we show you how to activate and use the personal hotspot feature.

Make sure your AT&T plan supports personal hotspots

Although hotspots are common in this always-connected world of smartphones, double-check that your data plan supports the feature. According to the official AT&T support page, all AT&T Unlimited plans include hotspot data by default. They also show that AT&T 4GB, Mobile Share, and Prepaid monthly plans are supported from $35 to $75. Check the details of your data plan on your bill to see which one you have and how much free hotspot data you get. You can visit AT&T’s wireless plan page if your plan isn’t supported.

How to activate a personal hotspot on your smartphone

The steps to using a personal hotspot on your phone vary slightly depending on the device, but the process is typically similar. Once you turn on the feature, your phone provides a new wireless network to share with others. You can then connect your other devices to your phone’s hotspot and use them on the same network. In the sections below, we show you how to activate a personal hotspot using some of the most popular Android smartphones.

Activate a hotspot using a Google Pixel phone

To turn on a personal hotspot on a Google Pixel phone, do the following:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Go to the Network & internet section.
3. Tap Hotspot & tethering.

4. Flip the Wi-Fi hotspot setting switch to the on position.

5. Tap the Wi-Fi hotspot section.
6. Select Hotspot password.

Activate a hotspot using a Samsung Galaxy phone

To turn on a personal hotspot on a Samsung Galaxy phone, do the following:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Tap on the Connections section.
3. Go to Mobile Hotspot and Tethering.

4. Flip the Mobile Hotspot switch to the on position.
5. Tap the Mobile Hotspot section.
6. Locate the hotspot password near the top.

How to use your personal hotspot on other devices

Now that you’ve activated the personal hotspot feature on your AT&T phone, it’s time to share your data plan with other devices. The hotspot appears under your Wi-Fi networks and is called something related to your device name by default.

To connect other devices to your new personal hotspot, check out the following:

1. Go to the Wi-Fi settings on another device.
2. Select the new Wi-Fi network hotspot from your phone. It should be labeled as your device name, making it easy to identify.
3. Enter the password for your hotspot and then connect to that network.

4. You can now share the data from your AT&T phone with the new device.

Sharing your data plan with a hotspot is easy

Using your phone to stream videos and surf the web is excellent, but sometimes you might want a big-screen experience. Be it a laptop, tablet, or Chromebook, sharing your phone’s data plan via a hotspot is simple regardless of your device. As long as you have a compatible phone plan, all it takes is the flip of a switch and a few taps to activate the wireless personal hotspot feature. From there, you can keep the default network settings and password or change them how you see fit sometime later, depending on your needs.

Since you’ll be consuming data from your phone plan via a hotspot, learn how to check your data use on your Android phone or tablet. We show you how to keep tabs on your data so that you don’t run out or are charged extra without realizing it.