Can I combine Starlink Internet with my Android phone's Internet connection on my Mac? You can, with Speedify

This article explains how to use Speedify on your Mac to combine your Starlink internet connection with your Android phone's 4G/5G cellular connection for faster upload and download speeds and a more reliable connection overall.

What You'll Need

• An Android phone with an active 4G/5G cellular data plan
• A USB cable to connect your Android phone to your Mac
• A Starlink dish set up and broadcasting a Wi-Fi network
• Speedify installed on your Mac

Note: Some mobile carriers limit or charge extra for tethering. Check with your carrier before getting started. Also, if your Android phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network while USB tethered, macOS will use that Wi-Fi connection, not your cellular connection. To share your 4G/5G cellular connection specifically, enable mobile data and turn off Wi-Fi on your Android phone.

Let's Get Started

Step 1

Connect your Mac to your Starlink Wi-Fi network.

Click the Wi-Fi icon in your Mac's menu bar. If Wi-Fi is off, choose Turn Wi-Fi On. Select the Wi-Fi network associated with your Starlink connection and enter your password.

You should see the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar change to indicate an active connection. If you need help, visit Apple's support page for connecting to Wi-Fi.

Step 2

Install the HoRNDIS driver on your Mac.

macOS does not natively support USB tethering (Universal Serial Bus tethering) from Android phones, so you'll need to install a third-party driver called HoRNDIS. This driver allows your Mac to recognize your Android phone's USB tethering mode as a network connection.

Download and install HoRNDIS following the instructions on the HoRNDIS website.

Note: HoRNDIS support for macOS Catalina (v10.15) is still in beta and newer versions of macOS don't support Android USB tethering at all.

Step 3

Connect your Android phone to your Mac and enable USB tethering.

Plug your Android phone into your Mac using a USB cable. On your Android phone, swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification shade. Touch and hold Hotspot, then turn on USB tethering.

If you need help locating the USB tethering option, visit Google's support page on tethering.

Next, on your Mac, go to System Preferences > Network and select your Android phone from the list on the left. In the right pane, make sure the Disable unless needed checkbox under Status is unchecked.

You should see your Android phone listed as an active network interface.

Step 4

Download, install, and open Speedify.

If you haven't already, download and install Speedify on your Mac. Once Speedify is running, it will automatically detect both your Starlink Wi-Fi connection and your tethered Android phone's cellular connection, then combine them into one faster, more reliable connection.