Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL; Dr
- The new Android Instant Hotspot feature will not be available on Samsung devices.
- Instant Hotspot is a new feature that lets you easily connect your Android tablet or Chromebook to your phone’s hotspot with one tap.
- This capability already existed in Chrome OS in the form of instant tethering, but previously there was no such capability between Android phones and tablets from different brands.
Google just unveiled its latest Android Feature Drop earlier today, and it’s one of the most exciting feature drops I can remember. The two features I’m most excited about are part of the new Play Services Cross-Device Services module, which brings some Apple Continuity-style magic to your Android devices. For example, the new Instant Hotspot feature lets you connect your Android tablet or Chromebook to your phone’s hotspot with one tap. Instant Hotspot works with phones running Android 11 or later, with one notable exception: Samsung devices. According to Google, Instant Hotspot will not be available on Samsung devices.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
If you have an Android tablet or Chromebook that lacks a cellular connection, then you may find yourself in a situation where you need to use your phone’s data connection to get that device online. Most phones support sharing their Internet connection with other devices by creating a mobile hotspot. Since you probably don’t want random people using your data, you’ll need to set a password for your mobile hotspot.
This means that the process of connecting your Wi-Fi-only Android tablet or Chromebook to the Internet requires taking out your phone, turning on its mobile hotspot, finding the mobile hotspot in your device’s Wi-Fi list and finally entering the password you set to connect to it. This whole process can be a hassle when you’re out and about, which is why companies trying to create an ecosystem of devices usually offer some way to instantly connect your Wi-Fi-only devices to your phone’s hotspot.
Chrome OS, for example, has long had an Instant Tethering feature that lets you access the Internet on your Chromebook with one click. All you have to do is pair a cellular-enabled Android phone to your Chromebook, and then when your Chromebook detects that it can’t connect to nearby Wi-Fi networks, it will display a message that you can click to activate instantly and connect to your phone’s hotspot.
Android’s new Instant Hotspot feature offers very similar functionality to Chrome OS’s Instant Tethering, but it also works with Android tablets. This means you can instantly share your Android phone’s hotspot with your Android tablet whenever it needs it, all without ever entering a password. Samsung phones can now share their mobile data connection with Samsung tablets thanks to the company’s Auto Hotspot feature in One UI, but without Instant Hotspot support, they won’t be able to instantly share their mobile data connection with non-Samsung tablets of Samsung.
It’s unclear exactly why Instant Hotspot isn’t available on Samsung devices. The feature is part of Google Play Services, which is available on all Google-certified Android devices, including those from Samsung. It’s likely that Samsung has dropped this particular feature, perhaps to encourage users to buy devices within their ecosystem. Regardless, Samsung users will be able to instantly share their phone’s hotspot with their Chromebooks thanks to the existing Instant Tethering feature. Additionally, they will continue to be able to do the same with any Windows PC via Link to Windows.