Knowing how to find WiFi passwords on your iPhone can be a lifesaver. Sure, your phone usually saves the passwords for all the networks you use, allowing you to move seamlessly from WiFi to cell data to WiFi as you go about your daily routine. While this eliminates the need to memorize passwords, there are times when you may need to know what a password actually is.
Perhaps your iPhone won’t connect to WiFi and you need to reenter the password. Maybe you want to add another device to a network or share the WiFi password with a friend or colleague. If you don’t know how to find your saved network passwords, you could be left stranded offline. Thankfully, there are several methods you can use to track down that elusive login information and get online.
Start by finding your iOS version
How easy or hard it is to find WiFi passwords on your iPhone depends on the iOS version you’re using. To find that information, open your iPhone’s Settings app, then tap General > About and look for iOS version. If you’re running iOS 16 or later, you can see WiFi passwords for the network you’re currently connected to, as well as any network you’ve connected to in the past.
Related: 24 hidden iPhone settings that feel like secrets
If you’re using an earlier version of iOS, finding those network passwords will take a bit more work. First, you’ll have to access the WiFi network’s router settings to view the password, which means you’ll need to have the router’s administrative username and password. And since you have to be connected to the network to access the router, you also won’t be able to use an iPhone with an older version of iOS to access passwords for any previously connected networks.
How to use an iPhone to find the WiFi password for a connected network
1. If you have an iPhone with iOS 16 or later, begin by opening the Settings app, then tapping Wi-Fi.
2. The network your phone is connected to will be located under the Wi-Fi switch and have a blue checkmark to its left. Tap the information icon (an “i” in a circle) to the right of the network name.
3. Touch the Password field and enter your passcode or use facial recognition to reveal the WiFi password.
4. If you want to share your WiFi password with someone else, tap Copy, then paste it into a message.
How to find saved WiFi passwords for previous networks
1. Open the Settings app and tap Wi-Fi.
2. Touch the Edit button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Enter your passcode or use facial recognition to proceed.
3. Once in the Edit menu, you’ll see a complete list of WiFi networks you’ve used in the past. Tap the information icon (“i” button) for any of these networks, then click on the Password field to view the password. Touch Copy if you want to paste the password into a message.
How to find a WiFi password using router settings
If you have an older iPhone, you won’t be able to access the WiFi password directly from the phone itself. You’ll need to get into the router settings, which means you’ll need to be connected to the network and know the router’s username and password.
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone, then touch Wi-Fi.
2. Hit the information icon (“i” button) next to the network you want to find the password for.
3. Scroll down until you see the router’s IP address.
4. Press and hold your finger on the IP address to copy it.
5. Open a browser and copy the IP address into the address bar.
6. Enter the router’s administrative username and password to access the router’s settings, including the network password.
7. Navigate to the network’s access settings to find the WiFi password. Exactly where these settings are located will vary depending on the type and brand of router you have.
[Related: Stay connected remotely with the best mobile hotspots and the best hotspot plans.]
FAQs
To share your WiFi password with another device, start by turning on WiFi and Bluetooth on both devices. Make sure that the user you want to share the password with has the email address you use for your Apple ID in their Contacts. Next, make sure the device you’re sharing from is connected to the WiFi network. With the other person’s device, click on the network they want to connect to. A prompt should open on your device giving you the option to share the WiFi password. Tap Share Password.
It is possible to share WiFi passwords between Android and iPhone devices. Start by enabling WiFi and Bluetooth on both devices. Hold the two devices close together, then go to the WiFi settings menu on the Android device and tap the network you want to connect to. A message should appear on the iPhone letting you know that someone is trying to connect to the WiFi network. Tap Share Password to grant the Android device access to the network.
If your iPhone is constantly asking you to re-enter passwords every time you want to connect to a WiFi network, then it probably means your Auto Join setting for that particular network is turned off. Fortunately, this is an easy fix. Open the Settings app on your iPhone, then tap WiFi. Select the network you’re having problems with and enable the Auto-Join option. If that doesn’t fix the problem, try resetting that connection. After selecting the network from the WiFi menu, tap Forget This Network then reconnect to it by manually entering the password.
The post How to find the WiFi password on an iPhone in a few simple steps appeared first on Popular Science.