Verizon Phone Plans

My family is currently looking into getting a new Verizon phone plan. We’ve been looking at the unlimited plans and my dad spoke with someone yesterday on a chat on their website. The person there suggested that he get a higher tier plan because it has mobile hotspot data and he needs a hotspot for work. I noticed that even though I use the hotspot on my iPhone right now it doesn’t show up as using any mobile hotspot data. Can Verizon tell that you’re using a hotspot on your phone even if it’s just the phone specific hotspot app? Does he really need a higher tier plan? Thank you