iOS14 iPhone USB tethering broken for Linux/OpenWRT

I’ve done this kind of tethering frequently to work around situations where running an Ethernet cable was not possible.

I have a number of old AirPort Express units (the models w/ 2 Ethernet ports) that I have used for this.

Join an existing WiFi network (your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot) and bingo, you’ve got Ethernet ports to plug into another router. Do this as a bridge, that is DHCP off.

I’ve also joined another network with the AX as a router in cases where I needed to connect to a network that requires a Login protocol, like “free” networks at hotels or resorts. Used this successfully as the WAN for an eero Pro system which will NOT let you connect before having logged in.

@Bruce, I acquired an Airport Express to attempt your solution, verified that the model supports bridging the ethernet port, however I can’t get it to recognize the iPhone hotspot as a wifi network. Any tips on how you did this?

I am a full time RV’er and bought a GL-AR-750 S Router which allowed for tethering an iPhone using usb. As of my upgrade to iOS 14 the tethering no longer works. I had also used usb tethering on my Surface Go tablet and I have tried that with IOS 14 and can’t get that to work either.

I, like many would like to have this resolved!!!

I’ve been told by apple that they don’t consider what’s being discussed here, and that we are a tiny minority of users.. If you want them to hear your voice you need to go to apple.com/feedback. I hope everyone with this problem does, since maybe then they will listen.

@dayzed007

AX Join a Wireless Network

I configured the AirPort Express named AX WiFi Bridge to “Join an existing network” as a bridge, so an IP address supplied by the IPhone Hotspot can be the obtained at either the WAN or LAN ethernet ports of the WiFi Bridge.

Since the WiFi on the AX is in use (joined the hotspot) you will have to connect to the AX via Ethernet to manage the AX WiFi Bridge with AirPort Utility on a Mac. 

I have done this with other Mobile hotspots (Karma Go, Netgear MR1100 M1) and to my own home WiFi network simply to provide an Ethernet connection for a device with no WiFi. 

You have to have a password on your iPhone hotspot. The iPhone hotspot will not stay up indefinitely. It seems to tone out after some period of no activity. 

Make sure you can connect to your iPhone Hotspot from some other device just as a test to rule out an error there.

Thanks for the details @bruce. Unfortunately I’m not having the same experience. I can get into config the AX fine, it can see other available wifi’s. Other devices can connect to the secure hotspot of my iPhone, but the AX simple can’t see the hotspot :-(

@dayzed007

1) On my MacBook Pro, I turned off WiFI and disconnected Ethernet from my router

2) Connected to an AirPort Express w/ CAT5e ethernet cable and USB3 - Ethernet Dongle.

3) I can see and configure the AirPort Express

4) I reconfigured this AX from it's previous function as follows:

Internet Tab: Connect Using: DHCP

Wireless Tab: Mode: Join a wireless network ; Name: Bruce iPhone 11P ; Security: WPA/WPA2 Personal ; Password: aaaaaaaa

Updated the AX

After a bit, the AX connected and has been connected since.

Futz with the iPhone a bit: Turn WiFi off and Personal Hotspot will complain and ask if you want to use WiFi. Yes

Good luck. It is doable

macOS 10.14.6 Mojave

iOS 14.1

@dayzed007

The funky hotspot "linked" icon appears in the upper left hand corner of my iPhone own Blue. The IP of the network provided by the hotspot is 172.20.10.x, subnet maskL 255.255.255.240, Router IP 172.20.10.1, my AX IP=172.20.10.3, my USB3 Ethernet adapter is 172.20.10.4

Still working.

I am unable to use tethering on my iPhone with DD-WRT router, this will be a major reason for me NOT TO BUY iPhone 12 as my iPhone 7 is getting old but won't work for anymore if I can't tethering to my router.

Wifi hotspot won't work because iPhone only offer it at 2.4 Ghz and my office is filled with interference and connection speed is terrible.

I don’t understand the question, so I will attempt to elaborate.

It’s easy to tether a MacBook Pro to an iPhone with either WiFi or USB. What I was trying to explain was how you can configure an Apple AirPort Express to connect (tether) to an iPhone Personal Hotspot so that one could use either of the AX Ethernet ports to be the WAN source for another router as a work around for folks that used to do USB tethering of their iPhones to a router for Internet access. iOS 14 has broken USB tethering for virtually all Linux based routers.

So, I did not connect my MacBook Pro to my IPhone Hotspot directly, rather I explained how I used a USB-Ethernet dongle to configure an AirPort Express to connect to the iPhone Hotspot. Since I had turned off both WiFi and Ethernet on my MBP, I was able to prove that the WiFi tethering via the AX was successful.

One could then connect the AX to your home router (Ethernet) as the Internet source for your home network instead of direct iPhone USB tethering which no longer works as of iOS 14

Hi,

I'm a crazy iPhone fan, but this USB tethering options doesn't work at all. One of the best feature in iPhone is USB tethering, then why Apple didn't concentrate this in IOS 14 update.

Please fix this issue ASAP...

Yess i have the same issue. My laptop is running ubuntu 18.04. I have iPhone 8 with iOS 14.1. Since the iOS 14 i am unable to connect my laptop (running on Ubuntu) to the internet with wired USB hotspot from the iPhone

I can confirm that USB tethering (iPhone & iOS 14.1) does not work for me on Ubuntu 20 and Manjaro as well.

However it works fine with Windows 10.

Apple Support basically told me that it's not an issue on their side and they are not aware of this issue with Linux. Asked me to speak to "Linux" support as it is a compatibility issue at their end. Lol

APPLE and the new IOS 14.1 AND IOS 14.2 have broken internet connectivity via USB to routers during a worldwide pandemic which does not help matters even a little. In this case a Linksys WRT-3200ACM which was performing stellarly from an IPhone 6+ until this disaster of OS 14. Not a welcome 2020 surprise. If there are any more Applecalyptic horses on the way ..... Apple?

So guys. It seems that a fix has been found.

https://github.com/libimobiledevice/libimobiledevice/issues/1038

In practice Apple change a piece of protocol and a quick fix (could) exists (https://github.com/jpirko/linux_mlxsw/commit/f33d9e2b48a34e1558b67a473a1fc1d6e793f93c)

Obviously, routers' os vendors have to implement this fix. For example for GL-INET someone has already implemented this one http://download.gl-inet.com/firmware/snapshots/20201126/ for the others (as me) we need to wait for the official patch by our vendor but I hope it's only a matter of time.

Thanks Apple for your support and help your customer during force smart-working due to quarantine and outbreak.

This is the last time I auto-update your FW, and suggest to everyone to switch-off it.