When someone at a café asks "what's the Wi-Fi password again?" or a friend drops by your house and needs to get on your network, reading out a long alphanumeric string is awkward at best. iPhone has a one-tap feature for sharing Wi-Fi passwords to nearby iPhones and a built-in QR code option for handing the network off to Android users safely.
This guide covers iPhone-to-iPhone sharing, iPhone-to-Mac/iPad, iPhone-to-Android (via QR code), and how to recover a Wi-Fi password you've forgotten. Troubleshooting for the moments when sharing doesn't work is at the end.
Table of Contents
- Requirements for Wi-Fi Password Sharing
- Sharing iPhone to iPhone
- Sharing From iPhone to Mac and iPad
- Sharing From iPhone to Android
- Recovering a Wi-Fi Password Later
- Wrap-Up
Requirements for Wi-Fi Password Sharing
A few conditions need to be met before sharing will work at all.
Supported OS Versions and Settings
Wi-Fi password sharing requires iOS 11 or later on iPhone/iPad and macOS High Sierra or later on Mac. On both devices, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be on, and Personal Hotspot must be off. If Wi-Fi is off, the sharing prompt simply won't appear.
Why Contacts Matter
Sharing only works between people who already know each other on paper — each device must have the other person's Apple ID email or phone number saved in Contacts. That's why "I can share with family and close friends, but it doesn't work with someone I just met" is the typical experience. If you want to use it with a coworker, swap Apple ID emails and save them in Contacts ahead of time.
Sharing iPhone to iPhone
iPhone-to-iPhone sharing is the simplest case — just step physically close to someone already connected.
On the Receiving iPhone
On the receiving iPhone, open Settings → Wi-Fi, tap the network name you want to join, and leave the password entry screen open. At this point, position the sending iPhone within a few centimeters.
On the Sending iPhone
With the sending iPhone (already on that network) close to the receiver's password entry screen, a sheet labeled "Share Your Wi-Fi" slides up from the bottom. Tap Share Password. The password fills in on the receiving device automatically, and the connection completes.
Troubleshooting
If the sheet never appears, run through this checklist:
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on for both devices
- The other person's Apple ID email is saved in Contacts
- The sending iPhone is currently connected to that network (not just connected to it in the past)
- Both devices are unlocked
If those all check out, toggling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi off then on, on both devices, usually fixes it.
Sharing From iPhone to Mac and iPad
Across Apple devices, the same flow works for Mac and iPad.
Sharing to a Mac
On the Mac, click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar and pick the network — this opens the password prompt. Provided the sending iPhone is unlocked and nearby, a "Share Your Wi-Fi" notification appears on the iPhone. Tap it, and the Mac's password field auto-fills.
Sharing to an iPad
Same flow as iPhone-to-iPhone. Open Settings → Wi-Fi on the iPad, tap the network to reveal the password prompt, and bring the iPhone close. Tap Share Password on the iPhone. Note that iPhone to Apple Watch sharing is not supported — the watch will sync Wi-Fi configuration via its normal pairing with the iPhone.
Sharing From iPhone to Android
Apple's instant sharing doesn't work with Android, so a QR code is the cleanest workaround.
Show a QR Code and Let Them Scan It
On iOS 16 or later, open Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the currently connected network → Password → authenticate with Face ID/Touch ID → tap the QR code button. A QR code with the Wi-Fi credentials embedded appears. Have the Android user scan it with the standard camera app or Google Lens — they connect without typing the password.
Third-Party Apps for QR Creation
On iOS 15 or older, or when you want to manually enter the SSID and password to make a QR code, free apps like Visual Codes and QR Code Generator can produce Wi-Fi QR codes. Punch in the SSID and password, generate the code, and the Android side works the same way. If you have frequent visitors, printing the QR code and putting it near the entrance is genuinely useful.
Recovering a Wi-Fi Password Later
The "I'm on my home Wi-Fi but I've forgotten the password" situation is more common than you'd think.
Showing the Password on the iPhone Itself
On iOS 16 or later, go to Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the currently connected network → Password and authenticate with Face ID / Touch ID. The current Wi-Fi password is displayed. There's a copy button, so you can paste it straight into Notes or a message.
Looking It Up From Mac Keychain Access
If you have iCloud Keychain enabled, Mac's Keychain Access app can surface every Wi-Fi password you've ever connected to. Open the System keychain, search by network name, and check Show password — Keychain prompts for your Mac login password and reveals it. Networks you only ever connected to from iPhone are visible here too, as long as you're signed in with the same Apple ID.
Wrap-Up
iPhone-to-iPhone Wi-Fi password sharing is a few-seconds-flat operation that genuinely earns its keep. For Android users, the QR code route keeps the password from ever being read aloud, which is safer too.
The single feature I notice the most as the host of frequent visitors: no more reading out a 20-character password. Once Contacts and Bluetooth are configured properly, the rest is automatic.
