I live in an area of poor cell coverage and use my phone's hotspot for data for my car. When I loose cell coverage my phone's hotspot automatically turns off. It wouldn't be so bad if it would automatically turn back on when I get back in an area with cell coverage but it doesn't. I've tried setting Timeout to Never but the hotspot still shuts off when I lose cell reception. I can't find any settings to address this.
Is there an app available that would allow me to keep the hotspot turned on when outside of cell coverage?
Phone hotspot usage is completely tied to cellular data service, so if you go to a no cell service area, your hotspot won't work. Wouldn't suggest trying to force it to stay on no matter what because then your phone will be constantly trying to connect to the network and drain your battery.
I understand the hotspot won't work, I just don't want it to turn off when it goes out of range unless it is going to automatically turn back on when back in range. Battery usage isn't a concern since the phone is in a wireless charger when it is in the car.
The problem is the charger is in an awkward spot. I wind up diverting my attention to retrieving the phone and turning the hotspot back on when back in an area with known cell reception while steering with one hand and driving down a twisting canyon road .
It's important that your device works properly and according to your needs. Do you experience issues with your hotspot while being in a steady place? Are any other services being impacted? ~Geo
No, the hotspot only turns off when I go out of cell range or when it times out from non-use (currently set at 20 minutes but I've tried never). Obviously I can't use my cell phone or Google Assistant when out of cell range. Everything works as expected when I'm in range of a cell tower.
Is the hotspot supposed to automatically turn off when I go out of cell range?
If so, is it supposed to automatically turn back on when I get within cell range again?
RKCRLR Thank you for this information. Based on the information you have provided us, the device is turning off the Hotspot when you are out of range to conserve battery. Unfortunately there is no option to change this. ~Peter
I understand there is no option to turn this off. The problem is the logic is faulty - the battery won't go dead if the phone is in a charger.
I was hoping there was an app available to either disable shutting off the hotspot if the phone is being charged or perhaps increase the time before the hotspot turns off when out of cell range. I usually get get back in cell range in about 10 minutes or less when I lose reception.
You mentioned your charger is in an awkward spot earlier and that you frequently drive on a twisting canyon road. What if you get some kind of holder to place the phone in better reach so it can still be plugged into the charger, but not in the bad location? Then at least it's easier to reset the hotspot when you pull off the road to fiddle with the phone. That's too bad the software doesn't recognize the phone is plugged into a continuous power supply and shuts off the hotspot no matter what, BTW.
I like a clean cockpit and use the car's infotainment screen for navigation, etc. but it needs a data source. I don't want to put a phone mount in my car just for this. I have connected a power cord to my phone and placed my phone in the cup holder but I still have to pick it up, unlock the screen (for some stupid reason it also locks the screen when the hotspot shuts off even though I have it set to not lock the screen when in my car), swipe down to get at the small hotspot icon (or use another app on the home screen to turn on the hotspot), and place the phone back down. Not placing the phone in the factory wireless charger would help a little but the process would still be distracting.
I did some digging around, and am surprised Verizon's CS did not mention that mobile hotspots can be bought. While this wouldn't solve the problem of the hotspot shutting itself off if you're outside of cellular coverage, might be easier than going through a multi-step process of turning back on the hotspot capability on a phone? There are also ways to get WiFi in some makes of cars...don't exactly know how this works, but see here:
https://www.verizon.com/support/mobile-hotspot-device-faqs/
https://www.verizon.com/support/connected-car-faqs/#get
Yes, there are ways to get mobile hotspots but they require data separate plans just like another line (and the hardware and the plans aren't cheap). And, yes, my car is capable of its own data plan which isn't cheap either which is why I use my phone's hotspot. Verizon also has an option to share data with another device. I have a device but Verizon doesn't support it and they would still charge an additional $10/month if it did. I already pay for the data, I'm just trying to use it.
Part of the frustration for me is I already pay for full service but can't use it much of the time because of the poor coverage where I live. Paying more for this same service is something I'm not willing to do. And if there was a way to keep the hotspot turned on this would be less of a problem.
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