New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on June 23, 2022) follows:

Pixel phones are the smartphones manufactured by Google. That means they are among the best software-supported mobile devices in the entire industry.

However, there are also some problems that have plagued users for a while and do not receive a solution. For instance, there is a bug that affects the hotspot or tethering behavior of their devices.

More specifically, many Google Pixel users have been facing an ‘authentication error’ message that prevents them from properly using hotspot or tethering to share mobile data to other devices.

‘Authentication error’ message prevents using hotspot or tethering on Google Pixel phones

According to multiple reports, many Google Pixel users are unable to connect other devices to a hotspot generated from their smartphones to share internet through tethering.

When trying to make the connection, they just get an ‘authentication error’ message. This type of message should appear only when entering the wrong identification credentials, but this is not the case.

google-pixel-authentication-error-hotspot-tethering-1
Source

Hotspot not turning on

Recently my Pixel phone has been unable to turn on it’s mobile hotspot, every time I try it says “Authentication error, please try again later” and immediately turns off.

I had spoken to my cell provider, they recommended I change the SIM card since that was from an older phone, I had done that and still no luck, my only conclusion now is that something is up internally but I’m worried about needing to factory reset.
Source

Pixel hotspot authentication error? anyone managed a fix yet?

So I made the mistake of switching my sim card over to Verizon with straight talk and now my hotspot is broken. Tried googling it and basically everyone on this network and total wireless useing a pixel (3a to 6pro) is completely unable to use their hotspot. I’m paying for a service I basically cannot use.
Source

In some cases the hotspot automatically turns off

For other users, the issue occurs differently. In these cases, other devices can connect to the network created by the hotspot, but it will turn off by itself after a few minutes.

google-pixel-authentication-error-hotspot-tethering-2
Source

Hotspot connecting but losing internet immediately?

I’m using a Pixel 4a and I’ve been using my hotspot fairly regularly after a storm knocked down a tree that cut my internet cable. It’s been working fine but after a recent update to my phone, now when I connect to anything it says connected but no internet.
Source

Unable to use mobile hotspot/bluetooth tethering with mobile data.

I’ve had my P6Pro for over a month and a half now and decided to use it as a mobile hotspot/bluetooth tether for my other devices.

Unfortunately, when trying to enable hotspot or bluetooth tethering it says “network unavailable. Please try again later”. Tried resetting my internet settings and all, but it still doesnt work.
Source

A problem that has been present for months

The issue isn’t exactly new to Pixel smartphone users. There have been reports related to the matter for months, but there is still no fix in sight.

google-pixel-authentication-error-hotspot-tethering-3
Source
google-pixel-authentication-error-hotspot-tethering-4
Source

Issue recently filed in Google official issues tracker

However, at the end of May, the issue was filed on the official Google issues tracker, and many have shared their experiences. So, hopefully this will help speed up the development of a definitive fix.

We will update this story as events unfold.

Update 1 (September 01, 2022)

11:31 am (IST): A Google employee has acknowledged the issue with hotspot authentication error on the official issue tracker and said that they are working to resolve it.

We are actively working on this issue. We will provide an update on this at the earliest. (Source)

Update 2 (January 05, 2023)

04:27 pm (IST): It seems that the issue with ‘authentication error’ persists even after January 2023 update as fresh reports continue to pour in.

NOTE: You can also check the Google Pixel Android 12 bugs/issues tracker.

Featured Image: Google

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Jean Leon
1613 Posts

A tech enthusiast since ever. I like to always be up to date on the latest news in the industry and write about it. Twitter: @jean_ERdC

Next article View Article

Google Drive not letting users play videos, throws 'allowed playbacks has been exceeded' error

Google Drive users have been dealing with an issue for years where they get an 'allowed playbacks has been exceeded' error when trying to play videos. And Google has still...
Feb 20, 2024 2 Min Read