Google is working on improving and ironing out Android 15 for a release later this year. As usual, the new OS version introduces a handful of new features, some of which are not entirely original. Instant Hotspot is one such addition to Android 15, and fresh reports say it won’t be coming to Samsung Galaxy devices.
First things first, what is Android’s new Instant Hotspot feature? In short, it’s a neat little tool that lets an Android tablet or Chromebook instantly connect to a phone’s hotspot network.
f you use an Android tablet or a Chromebook without Wi-Fi in the vicinity of your phone, you’ll see a pop-up asking you whether you want to use your phone’s hotspot network, and the process is seamless.
It sounds convenient as much as it sounds familiar to Galaxy device users. And herein lies the apparent reason why Instant Hotspot isn’t coming to One UI, Google says (via Android Authority).
Samsung’s One UI already has something called Auto Hotspot
If it sounds like you’ve already encountered something like Google’s Instant Hotspot on your Galaxy device, you probably have. Samsung’s One UI boasts a feature called Auto Hotspot, which fulfills the same function as Instant Hotspot.
The difference is that Google’s Instant Hotspot works with any Android tablet and Chromebook, whereas Samsung’s Auto Hotspot only works with Galaxy devices, as long as they share a Samsung account or family group.
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On the bright side, Galaxy device users have had Auto Hotspot for some time, and the fact that they won’t gain access to Google’s version through Android 15 won’t make much of a difference to their experience.
As long as you use Samsung Galaxy devices exclusively, you won’t miss Instant Hotspot whatsoever. However, if you were hoping to utilize the Auto Hotspot feature in One UI with other Android tablet brands or a Chromebook, you might feel left out once Android 15 lands.
Editor’s Note: Samsung might have had to choose between keeping its in-house Auto Hotspot One UI feature — which it developed before Google created Instant Hotspot — or ditching a feature Galaxy device users already have in favor of Google’s alternative.
It’s understandable why Samsung might not be keen on abandoning Auto Hotspot and why it might not want to overcomplicate the user experience by offering both hotspot features at the same time.
However, seeing how Google’s Nearby Share and Samsung’s Quick Share have merged, maybe Samsung’s Auto Hotspot will eventually merge with Google’s Instant Hotspot.
