Android’s iPhone-like instant hotspot is no longer a secret feature

For years now, we Android followers have been a bit jealous of Apple’s Continuity options and seamless integration throughout its ecosystem of gadgets. One of the best one of many bunch is the moment hotspot, the place you don’t should manually arrange a hotspot to share your knowledge connection together with your secondary cellphone or pill after they’re close by — it simply works .

You won’t know, although, that Android has had this similar function since final September. It rolled out as a part of a new “Cross-device services” menu, which got here to many Android telephones in a Play System update. If none of those phrases imply something to you, you’re not alone. Everybody I’ve talked to about it — together with a number of tech journalists and nerdy associates — had no concept about this secret Android prompt hotspot possibility, nor how one can allow it.

However that’s altering now. You now not have to be a tech wizard to delve into Settings > Google > All companies > Cross-device companies > Subsequent > and extra to set it up, as a result of Google has lastly determined to show it on by default if you arrange a brand new Android cellphone.

I observed this variation after I was organising a brand new cellphone, the realme GT 7 Dream Version. However this isn’t restricted to realme, and it must be the case with most new Android telephones from any model going ahead. After I used to be carried out signing in with my Google account on the cellphone, I obtained a notification on my fundamental gadget, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, informing me {that a} new cellphone can now share with me.

The notification got here from Cross-device companies and mentioned that my new realme cellphone can now “discover this [Pixel] gadget and share issues like video calls.” Ah, Google, why are you hiding the ball like that and never mentioning the hotspot? I delved into Cross-device companies on my realme and, after all, they had been already turned on, signed into my account, added to my gadget group, and each present options — name casting and prompt hotspot — had been on, regardless that I hadn’t manually enabled them when organising the cellphone.

So lastly, after many months of a gradual rollout and a foolish section the place these needed to be turned on by the person (test the screenshots above to see the obscure solution to flip it on), Google has determined it’s time to graduate these options and simply allow them for everybody. You’ll be able to flip them off, after all, however the gist is that nobody must dig that deep into obscure settings to find that this feature exists.

With that carried out, it was time to place this to the check. I went out with my Pixel 9 Professional XL and realme GT 7; the previous has my SIM card and full knowledge entry, the latter doesn’t have any connection apart from my house’s Wi-Fi.

After strolling away from my Wi-Fi for a couple of minutes, I took out the realme and tried to make use of it. It took a couple of seconds for the “Use your cellphone’s hotspot” pop-up to point out up, however it did. I tapped it, and similar to that, the cellphone turned on my Pixel 9 Professional XL’s hotspot and linked to it with out me having to even take my Pixel out of my pocket. No password arrange or entry, to handbook connections, nothing. It labored completely.

All through the day, I saved utilizing the realme cellphone, and every time I wanted a connection, I might immediately seize it from my Pixel with out fussing with something apart from that one notification.

And that is what Android customers who arrange a brand new Android cellphone will quickly expertise: an possibility that’s turned on by default and a notification to make use of their close by cellphone’s knowledge after they’re utilizing a secondary, data-less, cellphone or pill.

So long as the 2 gadgets share the identical Google account and are close to one another, this could work seamlessly.

So, Apple Continuity-like options are dwell on Android now, and all’s good on the planet? Nicely, sure and no. I’ve to say a few caveats that I can’t check in my present setup.

First, I believe that your main gadget might want to have Cross-device companies enabled (i.e., you might want to do it manually). If not, your secondary gadget might be enrolled, however it gained’t have any cellphone to share with/from. So, most traditional Android customers gained’t uncover the moment hotspot or cross-device sharing till they’ve arrange no less than two new telephones.

Second, I believe the auto-enrollment in Cross-device companies will solely work when the brand new cellphone you’re making an attempt to arrange ships with a selected minimal model of Play Providers out of the field. So when you purchase a Galaxy S25, for instance, it’s unlikely this may occur in your cellphone. However when you go for the S25 Edge, you may have a greater probability of getting it. With time, although, all newer Android telephones ought to ship with a Play Providers model that turns this on by default out of the field.

And eventually, the eagle eyes amongst you would possibly’ve observed that the primary notification I obtained talked about “discover this gadget.” If you happen to obtained excited, considering that Google is now turning on the Find My Device Network by default and enrolling telephones in it, don’t. I made the identical mistake, however I observed that the “Discover your offline gadgets” setting was nonetheless disabled on the GT 7. Solely “Enable gadget to be situated” was enabled. I reached out to Google, asking for clarification, and was advised that, like all Android telephones, this notification was merely telling me that I can now find the cellphone primarily based on its reported last-known location. Doesn’t imply it’s a part of the community, contributing in all areas, or will be discovered by close by Android telephones appearing as a part of an enormous Bluetooth community.

This was a little bit of a letdown, however I suppose Google is sticking to its weapons with regards to privateness and Discover My System / Discover Hub. It’s a must to choose in and decide the extent of privateness you’re keen to provide away; in any other case, it’s off.

Nonetheless, I’m very excited concerning the prompt hotspot function rolling out by default to extra gadgets and customers. It’s some of the seamless experiences I’ve had between two Android telephones and I would like extra customers to learn from it with out having to dig in to choose into it.