The key question is whether unlimited data includes hotspot.

The answer is that it often does but with some very important limitations.

Does Unlimited Data Include Personal Hotspot?

Two young adults tethering iPad and iPhone in a field

image credit: Hoxton/Tom Merton/Getty Images

Tethering is the generic name for the feature that Apple callsPersonal Hotspot.

It lets you share your iPhone’s cellular data connection with other devices to get them online.

Most major phone companies include tethering in their monthly plans for no extra charge.

Even better, most carriers offer at least some plans that include unlimited monthly data.

So, yes: unlimited data plans usually do include Personal Hotspot.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Like there must be a catch?

Well, there is.

But they aren’t unlimited in giving you that data at the highest possible speed.

These unlimited data plans have usage caps.

Those plans may have been unlimited, but they didn’t include Personal Hotspot.

The feature didn’t exist yet; it was introduced withiOS 4.

New users could not purchase unlimited data plans.

Since then, phone companies have mostly switched to the system of unlimited data with usage caps described earlier.