Your Nothing Phone (2a) gets online with no trouble, but the second you switch on the hotspot, the laptop or tablet you want to share with either never finds the network or connects and then sits there with no internet. It is a frustrating wall to hit, because the feature looks like it should just work and the phone gives you almost no clue about what went wrong. The good news is that the Phone (2a) fully supports Wi-Fi hotspot tethering, along with USB and Bluetooth tethering, so the fix is almost always a setting, a stale radio, or your data plan rather than broken hardware.
Work through the steps below in order. They are arranged from the quickest and safest checks to the more involved ones, so you can stop as soon as your connection comes back instead of jumping straight to a reset.
Check what your hotspot is actually trying to share
A hotspot does not create internet; it only reshares the connection your phone already has. If the Phone (2a) itself cannot reach the internet, every connected device will fail no matter how many times you flip the toggle. So the first move is to confirm the source connection is alive and that your plan even allows you to share it.
- 1.Confirm mobile data is on at Settings > Network & internet > SIMs Card > Data Preferences, or that the phone is connected to a working Wi-Fi network.
- 2.Check that your data plan has not hit its limit for the month, since an exhausted allowance leaves the hotspot with nothing to pass along.
- 3.Confirm with your carrier that tethering is included on your plan. Some carriers limit hotspot use, charge extra for it, or do not support it at all, which can block sharing even when your own browsing works fine.
Toggle the right hotspot switch off and back on
The single most common reason a hotspot misbehaves is a stuck software state, and a clean off then on cycle clears it more often than you would expect. The key is to use the exact Nothing OS path so you are toggling the hotspot itself, not Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- 1.Go to Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot and tethering > WiFi hotspot and switch it off.
- 2.Wait a few seconds, then switch it back on.
- 3.If a connecting device cannot find the network or type the password, tap the QR code option so the other device can scan and join directly.
Cycle Airplane mode to reset the radios
If the toggle alone did not help, the underlying wireless radios may be in a confused state. Turn Airplane Mode on, leave it for a moment, then turn it off before trying the Wi-Fi hotspot again. This forces the phone to re-initialize its connections from scratch, which often clears a hotspot that refuses to start.
Adjust the hotspot security mode
Some hotspots fail to turn on, or refuse connections from older devices, because of the encryption setting. When the Wi-Fi hotspot will not start, the official guidance is to change its encryption mode and reboot before testing again.
- 1.Open Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot and tethering > WiFi hotspot and look for the security or encryption option.
- 2.Change the encryption mode to WPA2-Personal, or to None if WPA2-Personal still fails.
- 3.Restart the phone, then try turning the Wi-Fi hotspot on again.
Switching to WPA2-Personal also helps when the problem is on the other side, since older laptops, handhelds, and smart devices sometimes cannot connect to newer security modes, and stepping the encryption down lets them join.
Give the phone a normal restart
A standard reboot is one of the simplest and most effective hotspot fixes, and for good reason. It clears temporary network glitches, frees up memory, and reloads the networking stack cleanly. Power the phone off and back on, then check Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot and tethering > WiFi hotspot to see whether the hotspot now turns on and holds.
Force restart if the phone is frozen or unresponsive
If the screen is stuck, the settings menu is unresponsive, or the phone will not power down normally, you need a forced restart instead of a regular one. Use the Phone (2a) sequence exactly as written below.
- 1.Hold the Power and Volume up buttons simultaneously until the Nothing logo appears on the display.
- 2.If that does not work, press and hold the power button for 15 seconds or more to force the phone to restart.
A force restart does not erase any of your data; it simply cuts power and brings the system back up, which can clear a deeper hang that a normal reboot cannot.
Use USB or Bluetooth tethering to isolate the fault
If the Wi-Fi hotspot still will not cooperate, switching to a different tethering method is a smart diagnostic. The Phone (2a) supports USB tethering and Bluetooth tethering as well, and if one of those works while the Wi-Fi hotspot does not, you have narrowed the problem down to the Wi-Fi hotspot radio or its configuration rather than your data connection.
- 1.Open Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering > USB tethering and enable it.
- 2.Connect the phone to a computer with the USB cable; the phone must be connected to Wi-Fi or have a SIM with available data for this to share anything.
- 3.To try Bluetooth instead, enable Bluetooth tethering under Settings > Network & Internet > Hotspot and Tethering, then pair the other device.
If these alternate methods get the other device online but the Wi-Fi hotspot keeps failing, focus your remaining effort on the Wi-Fi hotspot settings, especially the security mode step above, and on a software update.
Re-seat or swap the SIM and recheck mobile data
Because the hotspot leans entirely on the phone's underlying connection, a flaky SIM or a quietly disabled data switch will look exactly like a broken hotspot. It is worth ruling out the SIM directly.
- 1.Power the phone down, remove the SIM, reinsert it firmly, and power back on. If you have another SIM available, test with it to see whether the issue follows the SIM or stays with the phone.
- 2.Confirm mobile data is on for the SIM at Settings > Network & internet > SIMs Card > Data Preferences, and check any roaming or usage limits that might be cutting off data.
Update Nothing OS to the latest version
The Phone (2a) launched on Nothing OS 2.5 (Android 14) and is upgradable to Nothing OS 3.0 (Android 15), and Nothing supports it with three years of major Android updates and four years of security updates. Hotspot and networking bugs are exactly the kind of thing these updates fix, so installing the newest build is one of the highest-value steps you can take.
- 1.Go to Settings > System > System Update and let the phone check for a new version.
- 2.If an update is available, download it over a stable Wi-Fi network with the battery charged or the phone on charge.
- 3.Do not press the power button or interact with the phone during the upgrade; it will restart automatically to finish installing. Wait for it to complete fully.
Factory reset as a last resort, then contact Nothing
If you have worked through everything above and the hotspot still refuses to function, a factory reset clears out any corrupted system settings that targeted fixes could not reach. This is a heavy step, so treat it as the final option rather than an early one.
Warning: a factory reset erases your apps, contacts, SMS, and other data, and that data cannot be recovered. Back everything up first, including third-party app chats such as WhatsApp, and be ready to verify your lock-screen or Google account password during the process.
- 1.Back up your data and account information.
- 2.Go to Settings > System > Reset Options > Erase all Data and follow the prompts.
- 3.Set the phone back up and test the hotspot again before reinstalling everything.
If the hotspot still fails even after a clean reset, the issue may be beyond a settings fix. At that point, reach out to the Nothing support team through the official Nothing Support Centre so they can take a closer look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do devices connect to my hotspot but get no internet?
A hotspot only reshares the connection the phone already has, so it cannot pass along internet it does not have. If mobile data is off, your data allowance is used up, or your carrier blocks tethering on your plan, devices can join the network yet show no internet. Confirm mobile data at Settings > Network & internet > SIMs Card > Data Preferences and check that your plan allows tethering.
Do I need my carrier to allow tethering?
Yes. Some carriers limit hotspot use, charge extra for it, or do not support it on certain plans, which can stop sharing even when your own mobile data works. Check with your carrier that hotspot and tethering are included before assuming the phone is at fault.
Can I share my connection without using the Wi-Fi hotspot?
Yes. The Phone (2a) also supports USB tethering at Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering > USB tethering, then connect with a USB cable, and Bluetooth tethering under Settings > Network & Internet > Hotspot and Tethering. Both still require the phone to have a working internet source through Wi-Fi or a SIM with available data.
Will a factory reset delete my data?
Yes. Erasing all data through Settings > System > Reset Options > Erase all Data removes apps, contacts, SMS, and other data permanently, and it cannot be restored. Always back up first, including third-party app chats, and keep your lock-screen or Google account password handy for verification.
