Android USB Tethering Setup on macOS

This article explains how to tether your Android phone to your Mac over USB, so Speedify can use your phone's 4G/5G cellular connection alongside your Mac's Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection.

Note: Whether your Mac can use your Android phone over USB depends on the phone. Some Android phones, such as the Google Pixel 6 and later, tether over USB as a standard Ethernet-style connection that macOS supports without any extra software. Many other Android phones use a USB tethering method (RNDIS) that macOS doesn't support. The only driver for those, HoRNDIS, works only on macOS Mojave (10.14) and older, and not on Apple Silicon Macs. If your Mac doesn't see your phone, connect to your Android phone's Wi-Fi hotspot or use Speedify's Pair & Share feature instead.

What You'll Need

An Android phone with an active 4G/5G cellular connection
A USB cable to connect your Android phone to your Mac
Speedify installed on your Mac

Let's Get Started

Step 1

Connect your Android phone to your Mac with the USB cable.

Step 2

Turn on USB tethering on your Android phone. Open the Settings app, tap Network & internet, then tap Hotspot & tethering. Turn on USB tethering. The option only becomes available once the phone is connected to a computer, and the menu names can differ slightly between phone makers.

USB tethering turned on in Android Hotspot & tethering settings

Step 3

On your Mac, open System Settings and click Network. If your phone works with macOS over USB, it shows up as a new connection. It's often listed as a wired (Ethernet) connection rather than under your phone's name, and Speedify may list it as an Ethernet connection too.

Once the connection is active, Speedify detects it and starts combining it with your other connections for faster upload and download speeds.

If no new connection appears, your phone uses a USB tethering method macOS doesn't support. Use the Wi-Fi hotspot or Pair & Share options below instead. On macOS Mojave and older, you can also install the free HoRNDIS driver.

Speedify's Pair & Share feature shares your Android phone's 4G/5G cellular connection with your Mac over your local network, with no USB cable or extra adapters needed. You can also connect your Mac to your Android phone's Wi-Fi hotspot.

Learn more about setting up Pair & Share on your Mac.

Did you know - Speedify works on routers too, so every device on your network can benefit from faster upload and download speeds without needing to install anything on each device individually. Learn more about Speedify for Routers.