iPhone USB Tethering Setup on Windows PC

This article explains how to use Speedify on your Mac to combine the cellular connections of an iPhone and an Android phone at the same time, so you get faster speeds and stay online even if one connection drops.

What You'll Need

• A Mac
• An iPhone with a data plan and Personal Hotspot available
• An Android phone with a data plan
• USB cables for your phones (see the note below for the Android side)

Important: The iPhone part of this guide (Steps 1 and 2) works on any Mac. The Android part (Step 3) tethers over USB, which needs a driver called HoRNDIS. That driver only works on macOS Mojave (10.14) and older, and it does not work at all on Apple Silicon Macs. If your Mac is newer, add the Android one of these ways instead:

• Connect your Mac to your Android's Wi-Fi hotspot. Your Mac's Wi-Fi is free because the iPhone uses the USB port. This is the easiest option.
• Tether your Android over Bluetooth. It works on current versions of macOS.
• Use Speedify's Pair & Share feature to add the Android's cellular connection wirelessly. See the section at the end of this article.

Step 1: Enable Personal Hotspot on your iOS device

A Personal Hotspot lets your iPhone or iPad share its cellular data with other devices over Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth.

Go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot or Settings > Personal Hotspot and flip the switch on.

On this screen you can check the name of the phone (used as the Wi-Fi name) and set the password.

NOTE: If you don't see the Personal Hotspot option, contact your carrier to make sure your plan includes it.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone to your Mac via USB

Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac with a USB cable. If your phone shows a "Trust This Computer?" alert, tap Trust.

Next, open System Preferences and click Network. Select iPhone USB or iPad USB in the list on the left. In the right pane, uncheck the "Disable unless needed" checkbox under Status.

Step 3: Connect your Android device to your Mac and enable USB tethering

(This step only works on macOS Mojave and older. On newer Macs, use one of the options in the note above.)

Your Mac needs extra software to talk to your Android's USB tethering mode.

INSTALL THIRD-PARTY DRIVER

HoRNDIS is a macOS driver that lets your Mac use your Android's USB tethering. Download and installation instructions are here.

ENABLE USB TETHERING

Once the driver is installed, connect your Android to your Mac with a USB cable. On your phone, swipe down from the top of the screen, touch and hold Hotspot, then turn on USB tethering.

Next, on your Mac, open System Preferences and click Network. Select your Android device in the list on the left. In the right pane, uncheck "Disable unless needed" under Status.

Please note: If your Android phone is connected to Wi-Fi while tethering, it will share that Wi-Fi connection instead of its cellular data. To add the phone's cellular connection, turn on mobile data and turn off Wi-Fi on the phone.

NOTE: Some mobile carriers limit tethering or charge extra for it. Check with your carrier first. Some of these steps only work on Android 9 and up.

Step 4: Download and Install Speedify

Download and install Speedify. Once it's running, Speedify finds both phone connections on its own and combines them. You don't need to set anything up. If one connection slows down or drops, Speedify keeps you online with the other.

Alternative: Combine Tethered iPhone and Tethered Android on Mac Easier

Speedify's Pair & Share feature lets your Mac borrow both phones' cellular connections with no cables and no drivers. It works on any Mac that runs Speedify, including the newest ones.

1. Install Speedify on all devices
2. Join the same Wi-Fi or local network
3. Pull up the Pair & Share settings in Speedify and tap on the desired device to send an invitation to pair
4. Tap accept on the other device

Once paired, all devices can share and receive each other's connections at the same time. The more devices you pair with, the more connections you have. Traffic between paired devices is fully encrypted, and you stay in control: set permissions, set limits, or unpair at any time.