How to share a Wi-Fi QR code in iOS 18 to help your guests

Sharing your Wi-Fi with family, friends, and guests just got easier in iOS 18 with a new QR code feature for hassle-free connections.

With iOS 18, Apple introduced a streamlined way to share Wi-Fi access — no more typing in long, complex passwords. Now, you can generate a secure QR code straight from the Passwords app, making it easy to connect friends or family to your network instantly.

Here's how to set it up and start sharing with a few quick taps.

How to Generate a Wi-Fi QR Code on iOS 18

Before iOS 18 introduced this built-in Wi-Fi QR code feature, users had to rely on custom Shortcuts to create and share Wi-Fi credentials via QR codes. The workaround required setting up a dedicated shortcut that generated a QR code with network details. Now, the Passwords app makes it even easier.

Open the Passwords app.
Next, tap on the Wi-Fi section and select your network.
Finally, tap Show Network QR Code to share the Wi-Fi quickly and easily.

Three iPhone screens showing password management, Wi-Fi network options, and Wi-Fi settings with options to show a QR code or forget the network.

How to Generate a Wi-Fi QR Code on iOS 18

Once the QR code is shown on your screen, other iPhone users can open their camera app and hold their device over the QR code to connect. A prompt will appear on their screen, allowing them to connect to the Wi-Fi network without manually entering the password.

The new QR code sharing feature in iOS 18 makes it much easier to connect others to your network, whether it's for friends, family, or guests. Instead of giving out your Wi-Fi password directly, the QR code offers secure, temporary access, letting people connect without needing to know the password itself.

You could also use this if you maintain a guest network. So for an AirBnB place, for instance, you could take a screen grab from your iPhone and leave a printed version for your guests.

To secure your own network, though, be sure to share the QR code only with trusted people, as anyone with access to it can connect to your Wi-Fi. Occasionally check the Passwords app to update saved networks. If security concerns arise, reset your network password to prevent access with the previous QR code.

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11 Comments

iOS_Guy80 905 comments · 5 Years

About 3 weeks ago

How convenient is that? Thank you for the tip.

tiredskills 43 comments · New User

I stumbled upon this by accident a while back when trying to find a wi-fi password for a family member. Delightful!

mike1 3436 comments · 10 Years

I guess you can also take a screen shot and/or print, so you can keep it handy.

madprof73 4 comments · 8 Years

The QR code doesn't provide a temporary access. It actually encodes a text string containing network name and password, so the end result is exactly the same as giving our guest the password. It's just way more convenient.

ranson 90 comments · 15 Years

Just wow, Andrew. You mentioned Secure or Security 4 times in this article to describe WiFi QR Codes. Please educate yourself.

PSA: Using WiFi QR Codes does not secure your network or improve network security. They are a convenience-only feature.

Here are the facts:

As @madprof73 stated, the QR code is actually an encoded (not encrypted) string of text that includes the network name and password. So saying the QR Code is secure is the same as suggesting a base64 or rot13 encoded string of the WiFi credentials is secure. Anyone can decode the QR code to its text value and see the credentials in plaintext, the same way an iPhone, iPad or Android device decodes the QR code to capture and input the credentials.
Scanning the QR code and connecting to the WiFi stores the WiFi credentials into the user's Keychain, so they can then retrieve the credentials via KeyChain Access at any time
The point of WiFi QR codes then, is simply for users to be able to connect to the WiFi without having to go through the process of manually transcribing the password with the device's virtual keyboard, character-by-character. They ensure that the password is entered correctly, seamlessly and without human error. That's it.
In Andrew's example of an AirBNB rental, the owner would need to provide the credentials in plaintext alongside the QR code anyway, because most people would want to connect their laptop, nintendo switch, etc., which may not support WiFi QR Codes or even have a camera at all.