This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Apple’s most popular product.
Apple’s iOS 16 includes plenty of cool features to enhance how you use your iPhone, but one of the most useful additions is a simpler way to find and give out your Wi-Fi password. It’s a feature that’s been available on Android for years, and is way more flexible than Apple’s previous method for sharing Wi-Fi network access.
Before iOS 16, sharing a Wi-Fi network was only available between Apple devices and doesn’t actually show what the password is. For instance, if you wanted to connect your Nintendo Switch or smart TV to the internet this way, it wouldn’t work unless you had the actual written password.
Fortunately, this latest feature lets you easily go into your settings, find a Wi-Fi network and view the Wi-Fi password. You can then copy and paste it into a text message or email and easily share it with anyone else who needs it. Here’s how. (Here’s also how to find stored Wi-Fi passwords on your Mac.)
How to view a saved Wi-Fi password on iOS 16
For this to work, you must be either connected to the Wi-Fi network or have connected to it in the past and be near enough to the router for the network to appear in your settings. If you meet these requirements, launch the Settings application on your iPhone running iOS 16 and do the following:
1. Go to Wi-Fi.
2. Find the Wi-Fi network you want the password for and tap on the blue information icon to the right of the network name.
3. Tap on Password and use Face ID, Touch ID or enter your passcode to view the password.
4. Finally, hit Copy to save the password to your clipboard.
You can then paste the Wi-Fi network password into a text message or email to share it with someone, or just tell them the password.