Nintendo Switch Can’t Connect to iPhone Hotspot (Causes and How to Fix)

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

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.