Android: Share Wi-Fi Hotspot Password via QR Code

Wi-Fi hotspot passwords on Android often mix uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols, since the system generates them automatically for security. Typing that string manually on someone else's phone or a laptop invites errors, especially when the receiving device has autocorrect turned on.

Android's hotspot settings include a built-in QR code generator that encodes the network name and password together. The connecting device only needs a camera or QR scanner app to read the code and join the network without any manual input.

To find it: Tap on Settings ➔ Tap on Network & internet ➔ Tap on Hotspot & tethering ➔ Tap on Wi-Fi hotspot ➔ Tap on QR code. From that screen you can let other devices scan the QR code or share it.

This method works no matter how complex the password is, since no characters get typed at all. It also avoids sending the password as plain text through chat apps.

The QR code only works while the hotspot stays active and both devices are close enough for the camera to read it, since the code carries no signal on its own. If someone needs access from a distance, sharing the plain-text password remains the only option.

Forwarding a screenshot of the QR code carries the same risk as sharing the password directly, since anyone who opens the image can decode it.