How to connect your iPhone or iPad to a secured Wi-Fi network without a password

It can be a drag to obtain and enter the Wi-Fi network password for an otherwise free and publicly available network—or even the network at a friend’s house or colleague’s place of work. With an iPhone or iPad running iOS 11 or later, you can avoid entering a password altogether if someone you know is nearby.

A whopping six conditions have to be met, which seems like a lot. However, each of these is straightforward:

• Both devices must have iOS 11 or later or macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later installed.

• You both must have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled.

• The email address used for your Apple ID has to be in their Contacts list.

• Their device must be unlocked.

• The network must use simple WPA2 Personal (password only) networking, not the user name/password style employed with WPA2 Enterprise.

• The other person must have already connected to the network.

Here’s the steps to share a password:

1. Tap the network you want to join on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Your friend, relative, or colleague will see a prompt to share their password. They tap Share Password.

3. The password is securely transmitted to your device, which joins the network.

Apple

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