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iPhone 4S stopped USB tethering after iTunes 11.1 update

As soon as iTunes 11.1 installed on my MBP Lion, my phone stopped USB tethering. It can still use the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth personal hotspots but not the USB option. Updating to iOS7 didn't fix the problem.


Anyone else experiencing this? Got solutions? Thanks!

iPhone 4S, iOS 7

Posted on Sep 18, 2013 6:13 PM

Reply
28 replies

Oct 20, 2013 8:09 PM in response to SkyFires

I lost the usb tethering connection after upgrading my iPhone 4S to iOS 7.0.2 and iTunes to 11.1.1 and MacBook Pro to version 10.7.5.

The Kext Utility solution didn't work for me.

Ironically, the following simple steps did the trick to restore the usb tethering.


1) Unplug usb from iPhone.

2) FORCE shutdown MacBook.

3) Turn off iPhone.

4) Turn on both MacBook and iPhone.

5) Go System Preferences > Network.

6) Plug in iPhone via usb.

7) Click + icon and manually add iPhone. Click gear icon and make it active. Click apply.


Hope this helps someone else with the same problem which I have tried to solve for days after Apple Support couldn't help solve!!!

Nov 24, 2013 9:37 PM in response to l.lim

Although i'm a huge Apple fan and love ios7, i was very disappointed by not seeing my USB iphone tether option any more w/ my 5s and MacBook Air... like the others on this post, i tried various things, including all options in this thread that i could read, w/ no luck.


Then I tried something new: i removed my Mophie protective case (which also acts as extra battery), and plugged my iphone directly into the USB of my Mac, using the newer, smaller USB plug. The Mophie case translates a standard micro USB cable into the newer USB plug that's required for the latest iPhones and iPads, and this translation has always worked for me to charge my iphone from my computer. But for tethering, no luck....


That is, until i plugged the iphone directly into the mac w/ the new USB plug. It works now. So, to tether w/ USB, i just need to get used to removing the Mophie case I guess. Not ideal, but good to know.

Nov 25, 2013 11:14 PM in response to l.lim

Hey Guys


I hope this discussion is still going

I have been having the same problem with usb tethering


I could not unzip the Kext utility so I downloaded the unarchiver

When I tried to unzip I got this message from unarchiver


Kext_ Utility. App v2.5.6.zip. data is corrupted


I press continue and it looks like it opening Kext Utility but nothing happens

So am I doing something wrong?

Nov 26, 2013 1:36 AM in response to l.lim

Thanks Guys

I Redownloaded Kext Utility mentioned earlier in this thread

http://cvad-mac.narod.ru/index/0-4


unzipped it using the unarchiver

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-unarchiver/id425424353


downloaded the AppleUSBEthernethost.kext file

http://www.mediafire.com/download/44rgtt5k6ot0t72/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext.zip

Unzipped it


opened Kext Untility and dragged AppleUSBEthernethostkext file into it


Restarted the computer

Opened up system preferences > network settings


clicked on the + at the bottom of the page and iphone USB option was there (wasn't before)


Clicked Create and then Apply (bottom of box)


And it worked It's great to have this feature back

Feb 14, 2014 9:57 AM in response to l.lim

In the event anyone in engineering is listening, several people have identified the source of the problem and it's reported in the kernel and system logs (see below). It should be trivial enough to put some focus to this because we know where the issue is. I've posted this because it's becoming annoying. I've put off the iTumes and other Updates for several months because I didn't want to spend my life debugging your work and here I am. If this were the first time an update torched my tethering functionality, I'd be more forgiving but everytime you go to a major revision of iTunes it foobars my USBEthernet driver.


Please, please improve your regression testing on this stuff. Updating iTunes added no functionality or feature I was missing. In fact, it's crippled my machine as I'm dependent on the tethering. I know I could use BT or Wifi but I don't want to.


Kind regards.


system.log:


Feb 14 11:55:13 achilles com.apple.kextd[14]: Failed to load /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext - (libkern/kext) link error.

Feb 14 11:55:13 achilles com.apple.kextd[14]: Load com.apple.macos.driver.AppleUSBEthernetHost failed; removing personalities from kernel.



kernel.log:


Feb 14 11:55:14 achilles kernel[0]: kxld[com.apple.macos.driver.AppleUSBEthernetHost]: The super class vtable '__ZTV20IOEthernetController' for vtable '__ZTV20AppleUSBEthernetHost' is out of date. Make sure your kext has been built against the correct headers.Feb 14 11:55:14: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Feb 14 11:55:14 achilles kernel[0]: Can't load kext com.apple.macos.driver.AppleUSBEthernetHost - link failed.

Feb 14 11:55:14 achilles kernel[0]: Failed to load executable for kext com.apple.macos.driver.AppleUSBEthernetHost.Feb 14 11:55:14 achilles kernel[0]: Kext com.apple.macos.driver.AppleUSBEthernetHost failed to load (0xdc008016).Feb 14 11:55:14 achilles kernel[0]: Failed to load kext com.apple.macos.driver.AppleUSBEthernetHost (error 0xdc008016).

Feb 14, 2014 10:50 AM in response to Barry A.

Update: Problem Solved


I put back the iTunes 10.x kernel driver AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext. Performed a manual load with kextload and no complaining. Turned on Personal Hotspot on my iPhone and voila!! Tethering is working again.


Okay, the simple fix for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about or aren't comfortable with the Terminal and shell, go download the last version of iTunes for your OS (i.e. SnowLeopard, Lion, etc.) prior to the 11.x update; I assume it was 10.x and reinstall iTunes. It'll put the driver in the right place.


If you don't want to do that or you want to use 11.x,

1. extract AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext from the install package for the previous version of iTunes

2. Backup original if you want to restore the broken version at some point

mv /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext /System/LibraryExtensions/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext.ORIG

3. Move the extracted driver into place

cp -rp AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext /System/Library/Extentions


Voila!! Connect your phone and verify your Personal Hotspot is active again.

Mar 2, 2014 3:55 PM in response to robertfromsyd

Worked for me, THANK YOU!!


My config:

- An old Iphone 3GS, IOS 6.1.3.

- MacBook Air - Mac OSX Lion 10.7.5

- ITunes 11.1.5.

- ITunes opened the iphone normaly, but the iphone was shown as "not connected" on network preferences.




Before this, I had tried to (without success):

- DIDN'T WORK: remove "AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext" from /System/Library/Extensions and reinstall itunes. The file (actualy a directory) had been replaced, but the iphone still seen "not connected".

- DIDN'T WORK: reset network settings on iphone - didn't work.


But with the steps by robertfromsyd everything went well:

1) download, install and run "Kext Utility":

1.1) download "Kext_Utility.app.v2.5.7.zip" from http://cvad-mac.narod.ru/index/0-4.

1.2) Unzip it (simply double click).

1.3) Copy "Kext Utility.app" to apps folder.

1.4) Run "Kext Utility".

1.5) Wait the message "Enjoy... " for about 2 minutes.


2) download and install the working version of "AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext"

2.1) dowload "AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext.zip" from http://www.mediafire.com/download/44rgtt5k6ot0t72/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext.zip

2.2) Unzip it (just double click).

2.3) Drag and drop "AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext" on the running "Kext Utility" window.

2.4) Wait the file to be installed and the cache to be cleaned (i think the message is "Enjoy" again).


3) Reboot.


And all done.


Thank you again, robertfromsyd 🙂

iPhone 4S stopped USB tethering after iTunes 11.1 update

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