If you’re like most people, you probably have a few Wi-Fi passwords saved on your Android smartphone. If you’re not careful, you could lose them or worse, forget them altogether. Fortunately, there’s a way to share Wi-Fi passwords between Android and any smartphone. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection and an Android phone. Here’s how:
- Open the Settings app on your Android phone and select “Wi-Fi.”
- In the “Wi-Fi networks” section, select the network that your smartphone is connected to. For example, if your smartphone is connected to an AirBnB network, select “AirBnB.”
- In the “Password sharing” section, enter the Wi-Fi password that you want to share with your smartphone. For example, if you have two Wi-Fi passwords for two different AirBnBs networks, enter “airbnb2” and “airbnb1.”
- Click on the “Share” button in the top right corner of the settings screen on your Android phone and wait for your smartphone to connect to the Wi-Fi network and start sharing the passwords with it. Your smartphone will keep track of which Wi-Fi networks it has been connected to so that it can easily share them with other devices that are also connected to that network.
When you’re ready to grant access to your Wi-Fi network, navigating to your handset’s Settings menu. The easiest way to do this is by swiping down from the top of the device’s screen to show the Quick Settings menu. From there, tap on the Gear icon to open the Settings menu.
As each Android smartphone is slightly different, you might need to swipe down a second time to locate the Gear icon.
Alternatively, you can swipe up from the bottom edge of your phone to access the App Drawer. Here, you can locate and open the “Settings” app.
Next, select the “Connections,” “Network & Internet,” or similar option. Again, this menu name might differ depending on the manufacture of your Android handset.
Now, tap on the “Wi-Fi” listing from the top of the menu.
Make sure that you’re connected to the Wi-Fi network that you want to share with others and then either select the network name (SSID) or the corresponding Gear icon.
You’re now in the Advanced Settings menu for the given network. Tap on the “QR Code” or “Share” button. No matter what your smartphone calls the button, it should be represented with a QR code icon.
Note: Some OEMs might require you to input your screen lock password/PIN/pattern/biometrics before it displays a code.
Your Android handset will now generate and show a QR code. Have your guests open the default camera app on their Android smartphone or iPhone and scan the code. A message might pop up, asking if they want to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
Devices that are running Android 10 and later also have an option within the phone’s Wi-Fi Settings menu to scan a QR code.
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