Mobile Hotspot broken on Windows 11 pro build 26300.9032 (Hotspot is not working. 0 devices connected. iPhone is endlessly spinning the connection wheel in hotspot mode.)

oleg kaz 0 Reputation points
2026-08-13T07:14:00.0166667+00:00

Hello. I’m having a problem with Windows 11 pro dev 26300.9032 Mobile Hotspot.(router-laptop-hotspot-iPhone)
My specs: Asus Rog Srtix Scar 15 g533QM Intel WI-FI 6 AX200 160MHz(Driver ver:24.20.2.1 date 02/12/2026 from Intel siteimage

)

I’m trying to share my PC’s Wi-Fi connection through Mobile Hotspot to an iPhone

The problem is that the device cannot complete the Wi-Fi connection. It keeps showing “Connecting…” indefinitely. Sometimes Windows Mobile Hotspot shows the device as connected, but the device itself does not actually establish a Wi-Fi connection or get Internet access.

I tested this with VPN completely disabled, including after a fresh Windows restart, so the problem also occurs without any VPN running.

What I checked/tried:

Updated the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 driver to the latest Intel version.

Disabled/enabled Mobile Hotspot several times.

Restarted Windows.

Removed and recreated the Mobile Hotspot connection.

Checked the Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter.

The hotspot adapter gets 192.168.137.1/24.

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) service is running when checked.

Cleared the ARP cache.

Reset the TCP/IP stack with netsh int ip reset.

Tried different phones.

Tried manually setting DNS on the iPhone (1.1.1.1 / 8.8.8.8).

Current adapter state:

Local Area Connection* 10 — Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2 — Up

IPv4:192.168.137.1

However, when the iPhone tries to connect, Get-NetNeighbor does not show the iPhone's IP/MAC address. It only shows the broadcast/multicast entries. The iPhone remains stuck on “Connecting…”.

netsh wlan show hostednetwork also reports:

Hosted network supported: No

and: Status: Not available

Could you please help me diagnose why Windows Mobile Hotspot / Wi-Fi Direct is not allowing the client to complete the Wi-Fi connection?

At this point I would like to solve the Windows Mobile Hotspot connection itself first, without involving the VPN.

Windows Insider program | Windows Insider preview | Internet and connectivity
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  1. Alex-L 12,555 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-16T14:17:13.4+00:00

    Hi oleg kaz

    Thanks for testing that. Since the issue persists on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and Auto, it makes a simple band compatibility problem less likely.

    The fact that the iPhone stays on "Connecting..." and never completes the connection suggests the failure is occurring before DHCP/Internet sharing comes into play.

    As a next step, I'd compare against a previous Dev build (if practical) and also collect a Feedback Hub report with networking traces attached. If other devices (Android, another PC, etc.) show the same behavior, that would further point to a Windows Mobile Hotspot or Wi‑Fi Direct issue rather than an iPhone-specific problem.

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  2. oleg kaz 0 Reputation points
    2026-08-14T07:29:03.4633333+00:00

    Thank you, Alex-L
    I tested the hotspot across 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and any available band options, but the result remained the same each time.
    I haven't rolled back to previous build versions yet.

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  3. Alex-L 12,555 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-13T08:25:54.33+00:00

    Hi oleg kaz

    Based on your diagnostics, the hotspot appears to be failing before the client completes association and obtains an IP address. The Wi‑Fi Direct adapter is present and ICS has assigned 192.168.137.1, so the issue is unlikely to be DNS, routing, or VPN related.

    Since the iPhone remains stuck on "Connecting..." and never appears as a neighbor device, this points more toward a Wi‑Fi Direct/client association problem, a wireless driver issue, or a possible regression in Dev build 26300.9032. Also, Hosted network supported: No is expected on many modern Windows 11 systems and does not indicate a Mobile Hotspot failure.

    As a next step, try switching the hotspot between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and check whether the hotspot worked on an earlier Dev build with the same AX200 adapter and driver. This may help determine whether you're encountering a build-specific issue.

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