Can I share my iMac's internet to iPhone or iPad over USB?

Question

I have an iMac, connected to the Internet via Ethernet, and an iPhone 4. I would like to share the iMac's Internet connection to my iPhone via the USB Cable (because my wife dreams of a wifi-less household).

I've set up Internet Sharing, specifying "sharing from: Ethernet via: USB IPhone", but when I test, the iPhone cannot connect to the Internet. Is there something I need to activate on the iPhone?

iMac, mac os x version: Mountain Lion, 10.8.4 iPhone 4, IOS Version: 6.1

score 39 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 21 '18 at 07:38

39

The method you described will share your Internet connection to your iPhone on recent Macs and iPhones. Specifically, on macOS Sierra, follow the instructions in the Apple Support Article, macOS Sierra: Share the Internet connection on your Mac but choose to share your Internet to computers using iPhone USB.

On your Mac, open System Preferences and click on Sharing.
Enable Internet Sharing by clicking the checkbox.
In the Share your connection from pop-up menu, select Ethernet (or Thunderbolt Ethernet on MacBooks using the Thunderbolt-Ethernet adapter).
In the To computers using list, select iPhone USB.

edited Dec 21 '18 at 07:38

Nimesh Neema

51,809

answered May 22 '17 at 13:43

Samuel

556

5

+1, This worked for me, MacBook Air (early 2015), Mac OS Sierra 10.12.5, shared wifi connection (GoGoInflight) to USB-tethered iPhone 6s running iOS 10.3.2. Thanks for the tip! – Peter Gluck May 30 '17 at 03:28
3

This actually works!! – ascandroli Jun 27 '17 at 09:57
1

i don't know how this works because it never works for me mac os heigh sierra and ios 11 – Muhamed Oct 30 '17 at 06:12
Just as an aside, this will result in double NAT-ing in most cases. It also will not matter in most use cases with an iOS device, but if you wanted to bridge the USB connection to your LAN, you can create a virtual bridge interface with just the network service using your ethernet, then use ifconfig to add the iPhone USB to the bridge. No real benefits to do this (other than slightly improved jitter) but it's an alternate setup that makes some things easier, like monitoring traffic using the Mac. – kumowoon1025 Oct 02 '18 at 06:50
When I tried this on Monterey I get a scary vague warning: "If your computer is connected to a network, turning on Internet sharing may affect the network settings of other computers and disrupt the network. Contact your system administrator before turning on internet sharing.". Can you explain what this might mean more specifically? – scipilot Aug 04 '23 at 10:29

bmike · Answer 2 · 2021-02-28T13:12:09.243

30

This works on macOS 10.12 and iOS 10 without needing a jailbreak or other app.

Later macOS 10.13 enhanced this feature as part of asset caching and Apple Configurator 2 features for multiple iOS devices sharing the Mac network. This is out of the box support, built in to the OS with no extra first party apps or modifications needed.

Before iOS 10 and macOS 10.13, USB tethering only worked in one direction or for one device. Before macOS 10.12 - internet service used to flow out of iOS but not in to iOS from a Mac over USB.

edited Feb 28 '21 at 13:12

answered Aug 29 '13 at 11:38

bmike

235,889

1

Wife unhappy with most-voted being Wi-Fi via Mac. – Tom Roggero Dec 14 '15 at 17:35
There is no technical limitation. With the right program installed on a jailbroken iPhone you could easily do such a reverse-tether through USB. – xApple Apr 06 '17 at 12:11
2

This answer is out of date as of macOS Sierra. – Aaron Brager Sep 22 '17 at 21:50
1

Thanks for the correction @AaronBrager. A major edit was needed. – bmike Sep 23 '17 at 07:43

score 9 · Answer 3 · edited Sep 23 '17 at 07:49

9

Before iOS 10, the only method that existed would be possible with a jailbroken device as Apple didn’t offer this feature before then.

edited Sep 23 '17 at 07:49

bmike

235,889

answered Apr 11 '13 at 00:38

Blake

145

score 6 · Answer 4 · edited Mar 29 '16 at 15:03

6

It is possible by using Apple's development tool what is usually used to intercept app's traffic, but it also do iPhone→Mac→Internet tethering.

Remote Packet Capture for iOS devices is about sniffing apps' traffic, but there is also easy step-by-step guide how to send traffic throught Mac. Just follow paragraphs between "Remote Virtual Interfaces" and "Using tcpdump" headers.

If command rvictl is missing in your computer, you probably need to install the command line tools included in Xcode.

edited Mar 29 '16 at 15:03

Graham Miln

43,776

answered Mar 29 '16 at 14:57

Bobík

191

Can you provide a link or further information about “apple’s development tool” and what how you can do share internet to iPhone using it? – Alex Brown Oct 15 '17 at 21:48
Can you explain how rvictl can be used a proxy for the mobile device's traffic? To me it looks like it is only capable of capturing traffic, not replacing or serving it. – Elist Apr 22 '18 at 10:18

score 3 · Answer 5 · edited Sep 03 '17 at 21:57

3

I can share my MacBook Pro's (macOS Sierra) wi-fi internet connection to my iPhone SE (iOS 10.3.3) without trouble. There's no special setting on the iPhone. Just turn off wi-fi on the phone and it automatically connects to the internet via a USB->Lightning cable to the MacBook Pro.

I had no success with my old iPhone 4S, which could really benefit from internet sharing via USB because its wi-fi antenna periodically craps out, and I have to revive it with a hairdryer and freezer, which can be inconvenient, especially on the road.

edited Sep 03 '17 at 21:57

Monomeeth

64,558

answered Sep 03 '17 at 20:00

Carlos Holguin

31

Ha! I'd love to hear you elaborate on the hairdryer and freezer trick. – jungledev Jun 21 '18 at 09:10

Nay · Answer 6 · 2014-04-08T17:27:52.097

1

You used to be able to do Bluetooth PAN sharing to all iDevices. Now, it appears it works sporadically for iPad device only. Most iPhones are reported as not working. It was working at one point, and Genius Bar verified that it is no longer supported. Apple may view their icloud functionality as trumping and making computer-to-iDevice connections unnecessary.

edited Apr 08 '14 at 17:27

answered Mar 23 '14 at 19:40

Nay

280

score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Dec 03 '16 at 15:58

you can also share IMac Ethernet to Ipad/Iphone over an addtional Ethernet cable, but it requires second Ethernet port /Ethernet Switch, a powered USB Hub and an additional Ethernet Adapter, plus a standard micro/usb cable, as shown here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKp02y4JXVs Not very elegant, but functional. Blutooth Tethering works also, but mainly with Ipads and Android Devices.

score 1 · Answer 8 · edited Aug 01 '21 at 14:45

What you've described works for me (I'm sharing the Mac's Wi-Fi via USB iPhone). But it didn't work until I turned off both Wi-Fi and Mobile Data in my iPhone settings.

With Mobile Data turned off there's no indication in the top bar that anything is connected, but the internet is shared and works well!

This is using an M1 Macbook Air with macOS Big Sur, and iPhone 7 Plus with iOS 14.6.

score 0 · Answer 9 · answered Nov 26 '14 at 15:07

0

You may have to reboot your Mac. Share Ethernet via Wifi (do not tell your wife) When it works, the wifi icon on the Mac is a fan with an exclamation mark on it.

answered Nov 26 '14 at 15:07

baligeko

1

score 0 · Answer 10 · edited Nov 18 '15 at 06:37

0

Yes you can share your ethernet, usb dongle internet with your iphone/ipad devices. Just came across this how-to: How to share a Wi-Fi connection from a Mac to an iPhone. Hope this helps for you and other folks who are facing this issue.

edited Nov 18 '15 at 06:37

klanomath

66,391
9
130
201

answered Nov 18 '15 at 04:10

Dinesh Joshi

11

That link was for sharing a non-wifi connection with an iPhone using the Mac as a wifi router. Not quite an answer to the original question, as the Author wanted a "wifi-less household". – Eric Hu Dec 11 '15 at 08:19

Can I share my iMac's internet to iPhone or iPad over USB?

10 Answers10

This works on macOS 10.12 and iOS 10 without needing a jailbreak or other app.

Linked

Related