Halo eSIMs generally support hotspot and tethering, so in most cases you can share your mobile data connection with other devices such as laptops, tablets, and other phones. Hotspot is provided by the network operator in your destination rather than by Halo, so it is not something we can guarantee on every plan.
How to enable hotspot on iPhone
- Open Settings.
- Tap Personal Hotspot.
- If prompted, choose which line to use for data. Select your Halo eSIM line.
- Toggle Allow Others to Join to on.
- Note the Wi-Fi password shown on the screen.
- On your other device, connect to the hotspot network using that password.
How to enable hotspot on Android
- Open Settings.
- Tap Network and internet (or Connections on Samsung).
- Tap Hotspot and tethering (or Mobile Hotspot).
- Toggle Mobile Hotspot to on.
- Tap the hotspot name to view or change the password.
- On your other device, connect to the hotspot network using that password.
On some Android devices, you may need to select which SIM or eSIM line the hotspot uses. Choose your Halo eSIM line in the hotspot settings.
Data usage with hotspot
Sharing your connection via hotspot uses data faster than using your phone alone. Laptops and tablets tend to consume more data than phones because they load full desktop versions of websites and may run background updates.
A rough guide to hotspot data usage:
| Activity on the connected device | Approximate usage |
|---|---|
| Web browsing | 100-200 MB per hour |
| Email and messaging | 50-100 MB per hour |
| Video calls (Zoom, Teams) | 500-800 MB per hour |
| Video streaming | 1-3 GB per hour |
If you are on a fixed-data plan and plan to use hotspot regularly during your trip, choose a plan with a larger data allowance. On Unlimited plans, hotspot usage counts toward your daily full-speed amount – see Hotspot on Unlimited plans below. Monitor your usage by checking your remaining data.
Hotspot on Unlimited plans
Halo does not apply a separate hotspot cap on Unlimited plans, and we do not meter hotspot data differently from any other data.
Where hotspot is available, it draws on the same daily full-speed amount as all other data use on your device, and it continues to run at the reduced speed once that daily amount is used, until the next daily reset.
This means:
- You do not need to ration hotspot separately. It shares the same daily pool as everything else.
- Connected devices (laptops, tablets) tend to consume data faster than phones. Keep this in mind if you want your full-speed amount to last through the day.
- Where hotspot is available, it continues to work after the daily amount is used, at the reduced speed.
For a full explanation of how Unlimited plans work, see What does Unlimited mean on a Halo plan?.
Tips for hotspot use
- Disable automatic software updates on connected devices before tethering.
- Close background apps and cloud sync services that consume data silently.
- Use the hotspot for essential tasks and save heavy downloads for Wi-Fi.
- Set a hotspot timeout so the connection turns off automatically when idle.