How to share your Android’s Wi-Fi with your Chromebook

Interoperability between devices makes for a better user experience. Apple is known for its interoperability, but Google has added some great features to link devices running its operating systems. This means Android devices, Chromebooks, and their accessories have features that work in tandem to give you a great experience. One useful feature is sharing Wi-Fi connections between a Chromebook and an Android device. This guide walks you through how to use this interconnection feature.

Share Wi-Fi Using the Chromebook Phone Hub

The Chromebook Phone Hub allows you to connect your Android phone to your Chromebook and share features and information between them. One of the things you can share through this feature is an internet connection. To do so:

If you’ve already connected your Android phone and Chromebook before, skip steps 2 through 8.

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your Android phone and your Chromebook.
2. On your Chromebook, select the time in the lower-right corner of the screen.
3. Select the settings gear in the lower-right corner to go to the Settings app.

   

4. Choose Connected devices on the left.
5. Next to Android phone, tap the Set up button.

   

6. Select your phone from the Select a device drop-down menu and tap Connect.

   

7. Enter your Google account password and tap Done.
8. On the All set screen, tap Done.

   

9. Select the arrow to the right of your Android phone.

   

10. At the bottom of the page, turn on the Wi-Fi Sync toggle.

    

After confirming this toggle is turned on, you will share Wi-Fi connections between your Android phone and Chromebook using the Wi-Fi Sync feature. Wi-Fi Sync saves logins to Wi-Fi networks across your devices. You don’t have to log in again on another device if you’re logged in to a Wi-Fi network on one of your devices.

Share Wi-Fi using Quick Share

You don’t have to use Wi-Fi Sync to share Wi-Fi networks. You can also share them with Quick Share.

The steps below are for a Google Pixel phone running Android 14. These steps are similar for other Android phones, but the names and layouts of certain items may vary.

1. On your Android phone, pull down the notification shade to get to the quick settings menu.
2. Find the Internet tile and tap it.
3. Select the settings gear next to the Wi-Fi network you want to share.

   

   

4. Select Share.
5. Verify your identity through biometrics or your PIN.
6. Tap the Quick Share button.

   

   

7. Select your Chromebook from your list of devices.

   

8. Your Chromebook prompts you to accept or decline the sharing request. Click Accept.

   

9. Your Chromebook receives the Wi-Fi network and can access it.

   

Quick Share makes it easy to share Wi-Fi networks with your other devices.

Bonus: Share your Android phone’s cellular connection to your Chromebook

If you aren’t near a Wi-Fi connection but want to connect to the internet, use your phone’s hotspot on your Chromebook.

1. Tap the time in the lower-right corner of the screen.
2. Select the Network tile in the upper-left corner of the quick settings menu.

   

3. Under the Mobile data section, tap the name of your phone.

   

Doing this turns on your phone’s hotspot and automatically connects to it. You can also activate this by selecting the phone icon in the lower-right corner of the screen and tapping the Hotspot option.

Make the internet easy on your Chromebook

An internet connection allows you to access a plethora of data and features on your devices. By sharing internet connections between your Android phone and your Chromebook, you can access all these features while only logging in to the internet on one device across your account. Even if you don’t have access to an internet connection, you can still use many Chromebook features offline.