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(some android phones: my Pixel can, Samsung can't, although it seems that other Samsungs do have it.)

I installed another app on my S10 to enable this. It's called "Wi-Fi Hotspot" and it works pretty well

Insane to me that Apple still does not support this.

Not that surprising. Unless you’re going to sell access to that hotspot and give Apple a 30% cut, it really wouldn’t interest Tim Cook.

Is it? I can’t picture a real situation where other devices would prefer connecting to mine, running down its battery, instead of directly to the wifi it’s broadcasting.

Besides, at least where I live, 5G/4G is often faster than shared wifi. I’d be surprised if this is used by more than 0.1% of all users.

The situation is almost always “weird networking.” A WiFi hotspot too new for a device you have. Captive authentication you can’t solve on your e-reader (this was the case for me at college). Or, as I’m using one right now, as a simple booster (with a battery plugged in).

Given that this has been available on Android for years, I do not consider it an overly difficult feature for Apple to implement.

I carry a burner Android just for this feature. Great for sharing with my iPhone and iPad on a flight.