UPDATED: iOS 4.3 features: personal hotspot on iPhone 3GS

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

We received a lot of questions and conflicting reports about whether or not the new iOS 4.3 personal hotspot feature would work on iPhone 3GS and the answer -- from a software standpoint as of beta 2 -- is... kinda.

Personal hotspot replaces tethering in the iOS 4.3 Settings system and while iPhone 3GS does indeed show the new Personal Hotspot feature it doesn't show the Wi-Fi option available on iPhone 4. Yup, Bluetooth and USB are the only options, same as were previously available under Tethering.

Now whether or not Apple adds the feature in for iPhone 3GS users when iOS 4.3 goes into general release, and whether individual carriers like AT&T choose to implement it or not we don't know. But as of now, there is Personal Hotspot, just no Wi-Fi, and that means 1 device only, not 5.

For more see our iOS 4.3 walkthrough.

UPDATE: Per comments below, no Wi-Fi option for iPhone 3GS under iOS 4.3 beta 2.

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.