A method for establishing a hotspot connection, comprising: receiving, by a first terminal device, a first user operation to trigger turning on a wireless local area network, WLAN, hotspot function, wherein the first terminal device comprises a mobile phone; sending, by the first terminal device, a request message to a second terminal device based on Basic Rate, BR, technology or Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, technology, wherein the request message is used to indicate the first terminal device to be used as a WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device, wherein the request message comprises a WLAN identifier of the first terminal device; in response to receiving the request message by the BR technology or BLE technology, displaying, by the second terminal device, a notification, wherein the notification prompts the user to accept the first terminal device to be used as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device; receiving, by the second terminal device, a second user operation to agree the first terminal device to be used as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device; in response to the second user operation, sending, by the second terminal device, indication information to the first terminal device, wherein the indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device confirms using the first terminal device as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device; after receiving the indication information from the second terminal device, establishing, by the first terminal device serving as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device, a communication connection to the second terminal device. receiving, by a first terminal device, a first user operation to trigger turning on a wireless local area network, WLAN, hotspot function, wherein the first terminal device comprises a mobile phone; sending, by the first terminal device, a request message to a second terminal device based on Basic Rate, BR, technology or Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, technology, wherein the request message is used to indicate the first terminal device to be used as a WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device, wherein the request message comprises a WLAN identifier of the first terminal device; in response to receiving the request message by the BR technology or BLE technology, displaying, by the second terminal device, a notification, wherein the notification prompts the user to accept the first terminal device to be used as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device; receiving, by the second terminal device, a second user operation to agree the first terminal device to be used as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device; in response to the second user operation, sending, by the second terminal device, indication information to the first terminal device, wherein the indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device confirms using the first terminal device as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device; after receiving the indication information from the second terminal device, establishing, by the first terminal device serving as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device, a communication connection to the second terminal device.