Can I combine my Android and iPhone Internet connections on Ubuntu Linux? Yes, with Speedify!

This article explains how to use both your Android phone's and your iPhone's 4G/5G cellular connections at the same time on an Ubuntu Linux computer. By USB tethering both phones and running Speedify, you can combine the two internet connections for faster upload and download speeds and a more reliable connection.

What You'll Need

  • An Ubuntu Linux computer
  • An iPhone with an active cellular data plan
  • An Android phone with an active cellular data plan
  • Two USB cables (one for each phone)
  • Speedify installed on your Ubuntu computer

Let's Get Started

Step 1

Enable Personal Hotspot (Wi-Fi tethering via USB) on your iPhone.

A Personal Hotspot lets you share your iPhone's cellular data connection with other devices. To turn it on:

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Go to Cellular > Personal Hotspot, or Settings > Personal Hotspot depending on your iOS version.
  3. Toggle Personal Hotspot to on.

From this screen you can also confirm the hotspot name and set a password.

Note: If you don't see Personal Hotspot in Settings, contact your carrier to confirm it's included in your plan. For more help, visit Apple's support page for Personal Hotspot.

Step 2

Connect your iPhone to your Ubuntu computer using a USB cable.

Once connected, your iPhone may display an alert asking "Trust This Computer?" Tap Trust to allow the connection. Your Ubuntu computer will detect the tethered iPhone and it will appear as a Wired Connection in the system menu.

Note: There is a known issue where USB tethering from an iPhone running iOS 14 may not work on Ubuntu. Learn more about this issue.

Step 3

Connect your Android phone to your Ubuntu computer using a second USB cable and enable USB tethering.

Once the cable is plugged in, swipe down from the top of your Android phone's screen. Then:

  1. Touch and hold the Hotspot notification.
  2. Turn on USB tethering.

Alternatively, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering and enable USB tethering from there.

Your Ubuntu computer will detect the tethered Android phone and it will also appear as a Wired Connection in the system menu.

Important: If your Android phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network, USB tethering will share the Wi-Fi connection instead of the cellular connection. To make sure Speedify uses your phone's cellular data, turn off Wi-Fi on your Android phone and use mobile data only. For more help, visit Google's support page for USB tethering.

Step 4

Open Speedify on your Ubuntu computer.

If you haven't installed Speedify yet, download and install it here. Once Speedify is running, it will automatically detect both tethered connections and begin combining them. You'll see both internet connections listed in the Speedify dashboard.

You can manage settings, view usage statistics, and apply limits to individual connections by clicking on them from the dashboard or by navigating to the desired connection through the main Settings menu.

Alternative: Combine Connections Wirelessly with Pair & Share

If you'd prefer a wireless approach, Speedify's Pair & Share feature lets you combine 4G/5G cellular connections across multiple devices without any USB cables. Here's how to set it up:

  1. Install Speedify on all devices you want to pair.
  2. Make sure all devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network or local network.
  3. Open Pair & Share settings in Speedify and tap the device you want to pair with to send a pairing invitation.
  4. Accept the invitation on the other device.

Once paired, devices can share and receive each other's connections at the same time. Internet traffic between devices is fully encrypted, and you stay in control of which devices can connect and what limits apply.

Did you know - Speedify can combine more than two internet connections at once, not just the two covered in this article. The more connections you add, the more bandwidth Speedify has to work with for faster upload and download speeds. Learn how to combine multiple internet connections with Speedify.