As a Nintendo Switch owner, I was frustrated when my device couldn’t connect to my iPhone’s hotspot. After a lot of research and testing, I am here to share my experience and the solutions I discovered to help others who may be having the same issue.
In fact, your Switch internet settings, the place you are in, or some software bugs may be the cause for this issue.
In this simple guide, we’ll walk you through all the causes of this problem and how to fix it quickly.
Let’s jump in!
Causes | Solutions | Details |
---|---|---|
Inexact Internet Settings | Change the Hotspot Password and SSID | Remove numbers and special characters from the password and SSID; shorten the SSID and remove spaces. |
Interference Sources | Move to Another Place | Change your location or remove potential interference sources (e.g., other Wi-Fi devices, metal surfaces). |
Software Bugs | Add the Hotspot Manually to Switch | Use “Manual Setup” in Switch’s “Internet Settings” to add the hotspot network with correct SSID and password. |
Change IP from Auto to Manual | Switch to manual IP and bump up the last digit of the IP. | |
Enter the DSN Number Manually | Use another device connected to the hotspot to find the correct DSN number and enter it manually in Switch. | |
Keep Hotspot Settings Open | Keep the iPhone’s hotspot settings window open during the connection process. | |
Connect Another Device to the Hotspot First | Connect another device to the hotspot before connecting the Switch. |
Why Won’t Your Switch Connect to Your iPhone Hotspot?
Connection issues between iPhone and Nintendo Switch are common among users.
Here are some of the possible causes:
Inexact Internet Settings
Most Nintendo Switch connection issues occur because of the inexact setup of the device’s default internet settings.
In fact, the console internet settings aren’t user-friendly regarding hotspot connection. They entail some modifications and changes to get the connection done.
Interference Sources
Your connection attempts may fail because of an interference source in the place. Simply, An interference source may be other Wi-Fi devices, reflective or metal surfaces. These things could hamper your connection.
Software Bugs
Some of the connection issues of Switch happen because of software bugs. In other words, they occur because the device software has some problems when it comes to connecting to an iPhone hotspot.
How to Fix the iPhone-Nintendo Switch Hotspot Connection Issue?
Despite being kind of confusing and having a lot of reasons, this problem has many solutions. Even better, most of the solutions are pretty straightforward.
Here are how to fix it:
Change the Hotspot Password and SSID
Many users report that special characters and even sometimes numbers in their hotspot password were responsible for this connection issue.
So, if your password contains any numbers or special characters, remove them. Create a new password using only regular alphabet letters and try to connect.
Further, if the change in password doesn’t work, try to change the SSID name, in other words, the hotspot name. Shorten it and remove spaces or any special characters from it.
Add the Hotspot Manually to Switch
Sometimes, the hotspot’s network name doesn’t appear on the network list of the Nintendo device.
In other cases, the hotspot doesn’t connect, even if it appears on the list of networks, until you manually enter it.
In both conditions, you must manually add the hotspot network to your Switch. To do so:
- On the “Internet settings” window on Switch, scroll down till you reach “Manual Setup”
- Enter the SSID, which is the network name
- Set the security option to “WPA2-PSK (AES)” and then enter the password
- Scroll down and tap on “Save”
Change the IP from Auto to Manual
Go to the internet settings on the console. Tap on the hotspot network name, and switch the IP from automatic to manual.
After switching to manual, bump up the last digit of the IP. For example, if the last two numbers are .50, make them .51 and connect.
If it doesn’t connect, bump up the last digit one more time to be .52 and try again.
Enter the DSN Number Manually
The problem with the connection may be because of the incorrect hotspot DSN number on your console. DNS is one of the main settings of wireless networks.
To solve it, you’ll need another device connected to the hotspot you’re trying to connect to, and then follow these steps:
Using the Other Device | Find the Needed DSN Number
- Connect the device to the hotspot you’re trying to connect to; if not connected
- Go to “Wi-Fi Settings”
- You’ll find the hotspot name in the device networks list, tap on it
- Scroll down to reach “configure DSN” or the like if your device names it anything else.
- Tap on “configure DSN”
- You’ll find the DSN number you need
On Your Switch Device | Copy the DSN Number from the Other Device
- Go to “Internet Settings”
- Tap on your hotspot network name from the list of networks
- Tap on “Change Settings”
- Scroll down till you reach “DSN Settings” and tap on it
- Change DSN from automatic to manual
- Tap on “Primary DSN”
- Enter the DSN number you’ve found on the other device
- Save and connect
Keep Hotspot Settings Open
Throughout the connection process, until you successfully connect, keep the hotspot settings window of your iPhone open. Don’t let the phone lock.
Many users have tried this, and the problem has been solved unexpectedly.
Connect Another Device to the Hotspot First
Before connecting your Switch console to your iPhone hotspot, connect another device to the same hotspot first.
After the other device successfully accesses the hotspot, connect your Nintendo Switch. You can disconnect the other device anytime after your Switch is connected.
Move to Another Place
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As we mentioned above, your connection attempts may fail because of an interference source in the place.
So, move to another location while trying to connect. Alternatively, remove these possible hampered sources if you can.
The Takeaway
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By now, you clearly know why Nintendo Switch can’t connect to the iPhone hotspot. There are multiple reasons related to settings as well as the environment in which you use the console.
As a result, some settings’ modifications can be incredibly effective. Likewise, some changes in the setup of the surrounding environment.