Why the Verizon IPhone's Personal Hotspot Feature Cuts Out During a Call

There aren't a whole lot of features that separate the Verizon iPhone 4 from its AT&T counterpart, but one of the biggest is Verizon's personal hotspot feature. By visiting their Settings menu (and paying a few extra bucks a month for tethering, of course), Verizon iPhone users can connect up to four Wi-Fi enabled devices at a time to their phones. This is a great feature for frequent travelers and anyone who isn't always around an Internet connection.

However, it's not without its problems. Verizon iPhone users who regularly use the personal hotspot feature might be distressed to notice that their phones suddenly stop providing a WiFi connection whenever a phone call comes in.

Here's a look at why the personal hotspot feature drops out during a call and whether Verizon iPhone users can do anything to prevent it.

Verizon and Multitasking. The problem isn't that the Verizon iPhone 4 is incapable of providing two separate services at the same time. It's that Verizon doesn't support simultaneous calls and data services.

You might have recalled ads and tech reviews of the Verizon iPhone that point out the inability to talk and browse the web on the phone at the same time. Well, the personal hotspot service works the same way. If you receive a call while you're using a personal hotspot, the iPhone will automatically switch to the call, severing any WiFi connection to your computer. When the call ends, the iPhone will switch back automatically, and hopefully, you shouldn't have to reenter passwords to start surfing the web again with your laptop, tablet, or whatever you're using with your personal hotspot.

Is It Possible To Prevent Wi-Fi Drops? Picking up a phone call will always stop the personal hotspot feature from working, so unfortunately, there's not much that Verizon owners can do. The good news is that AT&T has been haranguing Verizon in advertisements, pointing out the limitations of Verizon phones that aren't able to multitask during calls. This might eventually compel Verizon to look into ways to make multitasking a reality, at least on the iPhone, and they'll probably start with the personal hotspot feature if they ever get around to this.

However, in the meantime, Verizon iPhone users can either talk on the phone or use their personal hotspots-not both at the same time.

What do you think of the personal hotspot feature on the Verizon iPhone? Have you had problems with the lack of true multitasking on Verizon? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.