iPhones and Android phones have a hidden internet sharing feature that’s more secure than a Wi-Fi hotspot — here’s how to use it

2025 was a big year for me. I traveled to cover events like MWC 2025 and IFA 2025, along with plenty of other smartphone launches. One thing I quickly realized while moving between all these places is just how unreliable the internet can be.

Wi-Fi outside my home, even in places like cafes, airports, and malls, is often patchy at best and a privacy risk at worst. Sure, I can rely on a VPN to make it more secure, but the connection being unreliable to begin with still makes it far from ideal for social media, work, or even staying in touch with friends and family back home.

It was only recently that I realized I'd been approaching this the wrong way. My iPhone, and even Android phones, come with a hidden feature that lets you turn your phone into a wired internet connection using USB tethering. It works much like Ethernet and is far more reliable than using your phone as a traditional Wi-Fi hotspot.

Here's why I switched from Wi-Fi hotspot to USB tethering and why I'm not going back (and how you can do it too).

USB wired hotspot sharing is seriously underrated

For months, I've been using my iPhone as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot whenever I travel. I usually pick up an unlimited data plan and turn on Wi-Fi tethering on one of my phones to keep all my devices connected. Recently, though, switching to a wired hotspot has fixed a lot of problems for me.

The biggest improvement has been battery life. Running a Wi-Fi hotspot all day meant I'd need to charge my iPhone during the day, which is especially stressful when you are traveling in a foreign country.

With my iPhone plugged into my Mac via USB and used as a hotspot, it not only shares internet with my laptop but also charges at the same time. That means my iPhone stays topped up while I work, even when hotspot usage is heavy.

Moreover, because it's a wired connection, it's also far more reliable than a Wi-Fi hotspot. You don't have to worry about your laptop's Wi-Fi acting up, speeds dropping because your phone is overheating, or interference from crowded wireless channels.

On top of that, it's also a big win for privacy. Using a wired hotspot means my phone is not broadcasting a Wi-Fi network to everyone around me. My iPhone and the connected device stay secure, without exposing a network name in public spaces. Sure, you can hide the SSID on a Wi-Fi hotspot, but that quickly becomes annoying when connecting new devices.

USB tethering is genuinely one of the most underrated ways to share internet from your phone to your computer. Here's how you can set it up on your devices.

How to use a wired USB hotspot on your iPhone

Setting up USB tethering on an iPhone is almost as simple as turning on a Wi-Fi hotspot, and you can get started in just a few steps. Here's how to do it.

If it does not appear, click the three-dot menu at the bottom, select Add Service, choose iPhone USB from the Interface dropdown, and tap Add. Once added, your Mac will recognize the iPhone as a wired connection, and the internet should start working immediately.

On a Windows PC, connect your iPhone using a USB cable, then install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store. Sign in with the same Apple account used on your iPhone.

Once installed and signed in, your iPhone will work as a USB tethering device without any additional workarounds. You may need to disable Wi-Fi on your PC to ensure it uses the wired connection.

How to set up a wired USB hotspot on Android

If you're using a Google Pixel 10, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, or most other Android phones, you can also get USB tethering up and running in just a few minutes.

From the Interface dropdown, choose your Android device's name and tap Add. Once added, your Mac should recognize your Android phone as a wired Ethernet connection, and the internet should start working.

It's worth noting that this process may not work with all Android phones on macOS. Some Android phones don't support the CDC NCM protocol, which is required for USB tethering to work properly on a Mac, so you'll have to rely on Wi-Fi hotspot on those devices.

That's all you need to turn your phone into a wired internet connection for your computer. Do keep your data limits in mind, though, since not every mobile plan offers unlimited data. If you plan to use this frequently, it may be worth opting for an unlimited data plan to stay fully covered.

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