USB Tethering Working on iPhone 3.0

MacRumors · Mar 18, 2009, 03:05 PM

**

One developer was "hacking around" with some carrier bundle files and iPhone 3.0 and somehow managed to activate the tethering preferences. Not only that, he was also able to actually tether his iPhone 3G to his laptop over USB. Based on the preference panel, it appears that you will be able to tether via USB or Bluetooth.

Tethering is a feature that allows you to share your iPhone's internet connection with your laptop, but has not been an allowed feature up until iPhone 3.0. Even with iPhone 3.0, mobile carriers generally charge an extra fee in the U.S. to allow tethering access.

Apple admitted that they had built in tethering support into the 3.0 release but had not yet coordinated with mobile carriers.

Article Link: USB Tethering Working on iPhone 3.0

Small White Car · Mar 18, 2009, 03:07 PM

Well, it's proof that they were telling the truth.

I didn't doubt them, but I'm sure this will convince others who may have been more skeptical.

I'm still betting AT&T will charge another $30 for tethering on top of your normal data plan, so don't hold your breath on this being a popular "killer feature."

TuffLuffJimmy · Mar 18, 2009, 03:08 PM

Awesome! I can't wait, netshare has been too buggy to be really useful.

plumbingandtech · Mar 18, 2009, 03:09 PM

Yep. It's there.

And it will be a separate charge unless ATT and Apple change things compared to ATT's current data plan.

I'll be signing up on day 1 btw. Looking forward to it.

P-Worm · Mar 18, 2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by websyndicate

finally

All this means is that the software is there. It doesn't mean that AT&T is going to allow it.

P-Worm

AngryApple · Mar 18, 2009, 03:10 PM

How much does it usually cost to tether?

arn · Mar 18, 2009, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-Worm

All this means is that the software is there. It doesn't mean that AT&T is going to allow it.

P-Worm

AT&T has tethering options for all other smartphones. I'm sure they'll be happy to take your money

Tethering cost: $30/month extra.

arn

plumbingandtech · Mar 18, 2009, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngryApple

How much does it usually cost to tether?

Appx. 30$ US for the dataplan unless I am mistaken, (this is what I saw for the blackberry at least)

xsecretfiles · Mar 18, 2009, 03:13 PM

lol yup I am 100% this is not going to be free

mac jones · Mar 18, 2009, 03:13 PM

This always made me nervous as the little kiddies hog the airwaves.

I just hope ATT can shut them down by charging for heavy use.

don't know.

But I remember a few years back this was a serious point of contention.

I don't use this feature often , just in emergencies.

So You wouldn't want the 911 lines to be busy when you need them right?

mBox · Mar 18, 2009, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plumbingandtech

Appx. 30$ US for the dataplan unless I am mistaken, (this is what I saw for the blackberry at least)

Rogers Canada has most of us on the 6GB plan which was an extra 30bucks a month. Ive never gone past 1GB ever! To get to 1GB I had leave last.FM on almost every day during work hours. I dont even have time to listen to that much music :P Do I welcome this...uh huh

ricosuave · Mar 18, 2009, 03:16 PM

Does ATT charge extra to surf and email on the blackberry on top of 30 dollars to tether?

fleshman03 · Mar 18, 2009, 03:18 PM

Cool Stuff.

It's not worth $30/month for me, but I could see myself using it if I was in the mountains or something for a few days. Then I'd cancel the tethering service.

arn · Mar 18, 2009, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricosuave

Does ATT charge extra to surf and email on the blackberry on top of 30 dollars to tether?

Yes, the $30 unlimited internet for iPhone is the same rate that they charge for other smartphones.

An additional $30 for tethering on other smartphones. This hasn't been on option for the iPhone yet.

arn

jdechko · Mar 18, 2009, 03:19 PM

I just hope that all of these companies realize that on an "unlimited" plan (even if it is a soft-cap of 5GB) a few hundred megs or even 1 or 2GB of tethered traffic isn't going to make much of a difference and not charge for light tethering. Especially if you're not going over the 5GB soft-cap anyway.

Hopefully the app works without a tethering plan and i can use ~1GB per month tethered without incurring additional charges. Or AT&T can tier their data plans and combine handset and tethered data: $30 for 5GB, $45 for 10GB and $60 for unlimited.

Walter P Henson · Mar 18, 2009, 03:20 PM

How would they charge for use of it if it is already included in the OS on the phone? Would ATT somehow be able to tell that you were tethering to your computer rather than surfing the net in your phone's browser? Or would they simply rely on you going over your "unlimited data" cap of 5 GBs?

IMPMAC · Mar 18, 2009, 03:20 PM

This is O2 UK and its only in the UK and not the US

pmanija · Mar 18, 2009, 03:20 PM

I guess the function is disabled (like emoji ar Street View on iPod touch), so its only matter of time, or a Cydia "plugin" and its active...

bilboa · Mar 18, 2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricosuave

Does ATT charge extra to surf and email on the blackberry on top of 30 dollars to tether?

For AT&T's other smartphones, they charge $30/month for a data plan which you can only use on your phone, and an additional $30/month if you want to tether your phone to your laptop. I see no reason why they'd do anything different for the iPhone.

OriginalMacRat · Mar 18, 2009, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacRumors

Tethering is a feature that allows you to share your iPhone's internet connection with your laptop, but has not been an allowed feature up until iPhone 3.0. Even with iPhone 3.0, mobile carriers generally charge an extra fee in the U.S. to allow tethering access.

T-Mobile US does not charge extra for tethering.

I've been tethering my Macs to my phones on T-Mobile for years.

huntercr · Mar 18, 2009, 03:22 PM

awww.. boo. I was really hoping you could tether over wireless. By that I mean have the iphone act as an AP. Even if it couldn't directly act as an AP, it would be great to have it be able to broadcast itself over Bonjour and then your PC/Mac can see it and use it as a bridge that way.

MasterNile · Mar 18, 2009, 03:22 PM

Has anyone with AT&T and an iPhone running 3.0 beta been able to activate the tethering as well?

erifneerg · Mar 18, 2009, 03:24 PM

now some tethering between my mobile phone and ipod touch.... oh i would love that sooo much. (yes bluetooth will be enable in ipod touch 2g)

JPark · Mar 18, 2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bilboa

For AT&T's other smartphones, they charge $30/month for a data plan which you can only use on your phone, and an additional $30/month if you want to tether your phone to your laptop. I see no reason why they'd do anything different for the iPhone.

I'm hoping they're overcome with a newfound and overwhelming feeling of generosity.

badcrumble · Mar 18, 2009, 03:24 PM

Here comes a big battle between AT&T and jailbreakers.

Mar 18, 2009, 03:05 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	USB Tethering Working on iPhone 3.0 ** One developer was "hacking around" with some carrier bundle files and iPhone 3.0 and somehow managed to activate the tethering preferences. Not only that, he was also able to actually tether his iPhone 3G to his laptop over USB. Based on the preference panel, it appears that you will be able to tether via USB or Bluetooth. Tethering is a feature that allows you to share your iPhone's internet connection with your laptop, but has not been an allowed feature up until iPhone 3.0. Even with iPhone 3.0, mobile carriers generally charge an extra fee in the U.S. to allow tethering access. Apple admitted that they had built in tethering support into the 3.0 release but had not yet coordinated with mobile carriers. Article Link: USB Tethering Working on iPhone 3.0

Mar 18, 2009, 03:08 PM	#3
TuffLuffJimmy macrumors 601 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Portland, OR	Awesome! I can't wait, netshare has been too buggy to be really useful. __________________ "Next PM I get from you about this, and it gets posted as my signature." --LTD

Mar 18, 2009, 03:09 PM	#4
plumbingandtech macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jun 2007	Yep. It's there. And it will be a separate charge unless ATT and Apple change things compared to ATT's current data plan. I'll be signing up on day 1 btw. Looking forward to it. __________________ The Palm Pre is the new Sarah Palin.

Mar 18, 2009, 03:10 PM	#6
AngryApple macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2008	How much does it usually cost to tether? __________________ I love hugs.

Mar 18, 2009, 03:18 PM	#13
fleshman03 macrumors 68000 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Tampa, FL	Cool Stuff. It's not worth $30/month for me, but I could see myself using it if I was in the mountains or something for a few days. Then I'd cancel the tethering service. __________________ Penguin: Early 2008 MacBook Pro C2D @ 2.5GhZ, 2GB, 250GB / iPhone 3GS 32GB Monkey: Early 2006 MacBook Black CD @ 2GhZ, 2GB, 80GB / iPhone 3G 16GB

Mar 18, 2009, 03:07 PM	#2
Small White Car macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Washington DC	Well, it's proof that they were telling the truth. I didn't doubt them, but I'm sure this will convince others who may have been more skeptical. I'm still betting AT&T will charge another $30 for tethering on top of your normal data plan, so don't hold your breath on this being a popular "killer feature."

Mar 18, 2009, 03:13 PM	#9
xsecretfiles macrumors 6502 Join Date: Aug 2008	lol yup I am 100% this is not going to be free

Mar 18, 2009, 03:13 PM	#10
mac jones macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2006	This always made me nervous as the little kiddies hog the airwaves. I just hope ATT can shut them down by charging for heavy use. don't know. But I remember a few years back this was a serious point of contention. I don't use this feature often , just in emergencies. So You wouldn't want the 911 lines to be busy when you need them right?

Mar 18, 2009, 03:16 PM	#12
ricosuave macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: In front of my mac	Does ATT charge extra to surf and email on the blackberry on top of 30 dollars to tether?

Mar 18, 2009, 03:19 PM	#15
jdechko macrumors 68020 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Seattle, WA	I just hope that all of these companies realize that on an "unlimited" plan (even if it is a soft-cap of 5GB) a few hundred megs or even 1 or 2GB of tethered traffic isn't going to make much of a difference and not charge for light tethering. Especially if you're not going over the 5GB soft-cap anyway. Hopefully the app works without a tethering plan and i can use ~1GB per month tethered without incurring additional charges. Or AT&T can tier their data plans and combine handset and tethered data: $30 for 5GB, $45 for 10GB and $60 for unlimited. __________________ 8GB iPhone 3G

Mar 18, 2009, 03:20 PM	#16
Walter P Henson macrumors member Join Date: May 2008	How would they charge for use of it if it is already included in the OS on the phone? Would ATT somehow be able to tell that you were tethering to your computer rather than surfing the net in your phone's browser? Or would they simply rely on you going over your "unlimited data" cap of 5 GBs?

Mar 18, 2009, 03:20 PM	#17
IMPMAC macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2009	This is O2 UK and its only in the UK and not the US __________________ 24" Aluminum iMac, 3.06GHz, 4 GB RAM DDR3, 1 TB HD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 with 512MB memory

Mar 18, 2009, 03:20 PM	#18
pmanija macrumors newbie Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Lithuania	I guess the function is disabled (like emoji ar Street View on iPod touch), so its only matter of time, or a Cydia "plugin" and its active...

Mar 18, 2009, 03:22 PM	#21
huntercr macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2006	awww.. boo. I was really hoping you could tether over wireless. By that I mean have the iphone act as an AP. Even if it couldn't directly act as an AP, it would be great to have it be able to broadcast itself over Bonjour and then your PC/Mac can see it and use it as a bridge that way.

Mar 18, 2009, 03:22 PM	#22
MasterNile macrumors 65816 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX	Has anyone with AT&T and an iPhone running 3.0 beta been able to activate the tethering as well? __________________ 24" Alu iMac, 2.8GHz C2D, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, 2GB RAM; White MacBook, 2.0GHz C2D, 500GB 5400RPM HDD, 4GB RAM; Jailbroken 32GB 2nd Gen iPod Touch

Mar 18, 2009, 03:24 PM	#23
erifneerg macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2008	now some tethering between my mobile phone and ipod touch.... oh i would love that sooo much. (yes bluetooth will be enable in ipod touch 2g)

Mar 18, 2009, 03:24 PM	#25
badcrumble macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2007	Here comes a big battle between AT&T and jailbreakers.

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