iPhone 17 Pro Max disconnects from iPhone 7 Plus Personal Hotspot when screen locks

iPhone Personal Hotspot disconnects when

Title: iPhone 17 Pro Max disconnects from iPhone 7 Plus hotspot when screen locks

Question:

My iPhone 17 Pro Max running iOS 27.0.1 disconnects from my iPhone 7 Plus Personal Hotspot about 10 seconds after the iPhone 17 screen locks.

The connection stays active when I use a Samsung hotspot, even when the iPhone 17 screen is locked.

I have already tried changing the hotspot name. Low Data Mode is off, and both devices are running their latest available software.

What could cause this issue? Is there a known compatibility problem between these two iPhones?

Posted on Oct 13, 2026 11:37 PM

1 reply

Level 9 (74,110 points)

Oct 14, 2026 4:23 AM in response to mahmood_abadi

Hi there

Please try this

Enable "Maximize Compatibility" on the iPhone 7 Plus:
- On the iPhone 7 Plus acting as the hotspot, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and toggle on Maximize Compatibility. This forces the hotspot to use a 2.4 GHz band with more forgiving power-management and handshake timings.
Keep the Hotspot Screen Open
- Leave the Personal Hotspot settings screen active on the iPhone 7 Plus while tethering, or adjust Auto-Lock to Never temporarily under Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock on the host device.
Forget and Reconnect the Network:
- On your iPhone 17 Pro Max, go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the (i) icon next to the iPhone 7 Plus hotspot, select Forget This Network, and reconnect from scratch.
Check Low Power Mode:
- Ensure Low Power Mode is turned off on both devices (via Settings > Battery), as it heavily throttles background wireless and CPU activity.