It seems that the new “Instant Hotspot” feature of Android will not be compatible with Samsung phones. This means that you will not be able to set your Galaxy mobile device as a passwordless hotspot to quickly share data connection with any Android or Chromebook using this option. However, there are still alternatives for these cases.
Google just announced the latest Android feature drop update. Let’s remember that Android feature drops are different from Pixel feature drops. The first brings new features to Android devices of all brands, while the latter only brings exclusive features to Pixel devices. One of the most interesting improvements is the Instant Hotspot feature.
Android’s Instant Hotspot is not compatible with Samsung phones
As its name suggests, Instant Hotspot allows you to set your Android device to quickly share data connection with your other devices without entering a password. A similar feature has been available in Chrome OS for a while now under the name “Instant Tethering.” However, the latest Instant Hotspot also supports tablets, which is especially useful for Wi-Fi-only models when you need to connect them to the internet and there is no Wi-Fi network available.
That said, Android’s Instant Hotspot will not work on Samsung devices. As spotted by Android Authority, Google itself confirmed this in the blog section dedicated to the feature. The reason behind the lack of support from the South Korean giant is unknown. However, the company has its own alternatives.
Samsung has its own alternative, but only for the Galaxy ecosystem
One UI includes the “Auto Hotspot” feature that serves a similar role. However, it is only compatible with devices in the Galaxy ecosystem. Perhaps it was Samsung itself that decided to make its products incompatible with Instant Hotspot to give prominence to Auto Hotspot and its own products.
So, Samsung devices can only share data connection without a password with Samsung tablets and phones. On the other hand, Samsung devices can share data connection without a password with Chromebooks using the Chrome OS Instant Tethering feature. In the case of Windows PCs, Galaxy devices can do it using Link to Windows.
Instant Hotspot will arrive through a Google Play Services update. It will be available on all devices running Android 11 and higher. Except, of course, for Samsung products.
