A strong Wi-Fi password is essential for securing your home network, but sharing it can be a somewhat cumbersome experience. Luckily, Apple has made it easy for iPhone and iPad users to share network credentials with little fuss, but has recently made some improvements with iOS 18 to make sharing passwords with anyone easy.
Before iOS 18, when another iPhone or iPad attempted to login to a Wi-Fi network you were connected to, and they were in your contact list, a notification would be sent that would allow you to share the password with them with just a tap. However, this was specific to iOS and iPadOS users, so if someone was trying to connect to your network with a device using a non-Apple operating system, the manual route was the only option.
iOS 18 introduces a new way to easily share a password with another mobile device, regardless of what operating system it’s using (Android). Below, we’ll show you how to view the password of the network you’re currently using, passwords for networks you’ve previously connected to and how to share them.
For more, don’t miss the 10 hidden iOS 18.2 features you need to know about and 8 settings in iOS 18.2 you should change right now.
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Details
View the password for the Wi-Fi network you’re on
This first method allows you to view the password of the Wi-Fi network you’re either currently connected to or have connected to in the past and are near enough to the router for the network to appear in your settings.
If you meet these requirements, go to Settings > Wi-Fi, find the Wi-Fi network you want the password for and tap the information icon. Next, tap Password and use Face ID, Touch ID or enter your passcode to view the Wi-Fi network password. Finally, hit Copy to save the password to your clipboard.
You can view passwords for any Wi-Fi networks you’ve ever connected to, as long as you’re currently connected to it or near enough that it appears under My Networks.
This only works for Wi-Fi networks you’re currently connected to or nearby, but there is a way to find the passwords to all the other Wi-Fi networks you’ve connected to in the past.
How to find stored Wi-Fi passwords
If you want to view every single stored Wi-Fi password on your iPhone, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the Edit button on the top right. A list of your known networks, or every single Wi-Fi network you’ve ever connected to, will appear in alphabetical and numerical order.
To view a password, tap the information icon and then hit Password.
You can copy the password to your clipboard or have the password spoken out loud to you.
Share Wi-Fi password via QR code
Apple finally introduced an incredibly helpful feature that allows you to share Wi-Fi passwords using a QR code — something that’s been baked into Android since version 10. But better late than never, and it only takes a couple of taps to accomplish.
- Go to the Passwords app (iOS 18 only)
- Tap Wi-Fi
- Tap on the network you want to share the password to
- Tap Show Network QR Code
This is useful if you’re trying to share a password with someone who uses an Android phone, someone who’s not in your contact list or multiple people.
This only works for Wi-Fi passwords, not regular passwords.
While it does technically make sense to have this functionality in the Passwords app, we can’t help but wonder why the ability to share Wi-Fi via QR code isn’t also in the dedicated Wi-Fi settings — where the passwords have been all along.