When a friend comes over to your house for the first time, the first thing they usually ask for is the Wi-Fi password. If you followed proper security protocols, your router’s password is likely a 20-character string of random letters and numbers printed on a tiny sticker underneath the dusty router.
Instead of forcing your friend to type XyZ99!qR4$ manually into their phone, you can use a native iOS feature to securely beam the encrypted password directly from your iPhone to their iPhone in a fraction of a second, completely bypassing the need to ever look at the sticker.
The Prerequisites
Because this feature bypasses a massive security wall, Apple requires a few strict conditions to be met before it will allow the transfer to occur.
- Both devices must be Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, or Mac). You cannot use this feature to share a password with an Android phone.
- Both devices must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
- Both users must have each other’s Apple ID email addresses saved in their respective Contacts apps. (Apple uses this to cryptographically prove that you actually know the person standing in your living room).
- Your iPhone must already be successfully connected to the Wi-Fi network you want to share.
How to Trigger the Password Share
- Ensure your iPhone is unlocked and on the home screen.
- Instruct your friend to open their Settings app, tap on Wi-Fi, and tap the name of your home network from the list.
- Their screen will display the standard “Enter Password” prompt. Tell them to stop and do not type anything.
- Bring your unlocked iPhone physically close to their iPhone (within a foot or two).
- A large card will suddenly slide up from the bottom of your screen that says “Do you want to share the Wi-Fi password for [Network Name] with [Friend’s Name]?”
- Tap the blue Share Password button on your screen.
The password will be instantly, invisibly injected into your friend’s phone over a secure Bluetooth/AirDrop connection. Their “Enter Password” screen will instantly vanish, a blue checkmark will appear next to your network name, and they will be fully connected to the internet.