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How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing

Jun 21, 2014 01:52 AM
Smartphone notification indicating that tethering or hotspot is active.

It used to be easy to hack tethering—root your device and install a third-party or modded tethering app. But snuck in amongst the changes in Android 4.3, a new data-monitoring service of sorts made its debut. There used to be a time when your data connection was yours. You paid for it, so you were free to use it for whatever you wanted. Unfortunately, those days are long gone.

Now, when you have your phone's data connection tethered to another device to provide it with internet service, a tag is sent upstream that labels this traffic as "tethering".

This means that your carrier knows when you've been tethering another device to your phone, and they can block or limit this traffic accordingly. But this is Android we're talking about—throw root privileges at a problem and it becomes a thing of the past. Modify a file, change a setting, and you can tether all you want without your carrier butting in.

What You'll Need

Install FX File Explorer

The central hack in this mod involves adding a single line to a database file. This can be done with an awesome Android app called SQLite Editor, but unfortunately, it's a paid app. So if you're a Mac person or you don't mind paying a few bucks, this is probably the easiest way to edit the database file.

But for a free option, you'll just need to copy this file over to your PC so that you can use one of Windows' many free SQL editors. To get that started, grab FX File Explorer by tapping this link from your Nexus 5.

File Explorer app interface with options to open or uninstall.

Copy the Database File to Your SD Card

After going through FX's initial feature tour, just tap System (root). You'll be asked to give FX root permissions, so grant it those.

File management interface displaying options for documents, downloads, system storage, and cleaning tools on a mobile device.
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
File management interface displaying options for documents, downloads, system storage, and cleaning tools on a mobile device.
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing

Next, FX will ask you if you're sure you'd like to proceed, essentially. Tick the box at the top of the screen that says I understand the risk, then press OK.

Root Access Warning Message on Mobile Device
Root Access Warning - A screen message detailing risks and implications of granting root access for software development and device modification.
Root Access Warning Message on Mobile Device
Root Access Warning - A screen message detailing risks and implications of granting root access for software development and device modification.

From here, tap the folder named data. Inside this folder, find yet another folder named data and tap it.

File management interface showing various folders in a system directory.
File management interface displaying various folders and directories on a device.
File management interface showing various folders in a system directory.
File management interface displaying various folders and directories on a device.

Scroll through this list of folders until you find one named com.android.providers.settings. Open this one, then hit the one inside of it named databases.

How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing

In here, you'll find a file named settings.db—this is the file that you'll need to add a line to. Long-press it, then select Copy from the menu.

How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
Settings menu on a mobile device displaying various options.
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
Settings menu on a mobile device displaying various options.

Next, back out to FX's home page and tap Main Storage. From here, find a folder that you can easily get to once your phone is connected to your PC. Any folder will do the trick, just be sure to remember which one you chose.

Mobile file management application interface displaying storage options and tools.
File management interface displaying various folders on a mobile device.
Mobile file management application interface displaying storage options and tools.
File management interface displaying various folders on a mobile device.

Next, tap the Clipboard button near the top-right of the screen. Select Paste from the next menu.

Folder is empty
Clipboard settings and options displayed on a mobile device.
Folder is empty
Clipboard settings and options displayed on a mobile device.

Connect Your Phone to Your PC & Copy the Database File

Like I said earlier, the whole point of copying that file to your SD card was to make it accessible to your PC for free editing. Just plug your phone into your PC with any USB cable so that it can be accessed from Windows.

From the Windows Start Menu, head to Computer, then browse to the Nexus 5 entry and open the Internal Storage folder.

File directory view showing local and removable storage devices on a Windows computer.

Next, locate the settings.db file that you copied to your SD card in the previous step. Right-click the file and select Cut.

File menu options in a computer directory.

Now, browse to the C: drive on your PC and right-click an empty space. Hit Paste here.

How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing

Download SQLite Browser for PC

There are several free SQL editors for Windows, but the one I'll be demonstrating today is called SQLite Browser. From your Windows PC, click this link to download the installer file.

When the download is finished, click the notification in your web browser. Hit Run on the next screen, then follow the prompts for installation.

Security warning dialog box for unverified software download.

Edit the Database File

Next, open the newly-installed SQLite Browser that you can find under the Start Menu in All Programs. Start by clicking the Open Database button right up top.

Software interface for database management with menu options and data table display.

From the next screen, browse to your C: drive. Select the settings.db file and click Open.

File selection dialog showing a database file named "settings.db."

At this point, you'll be taken back to the SQLite Browser's main screen, where you should click the Browse Data tab.

Database interface displaying structure overview and table information.

From here, click the drop-down menu next to Table and select Global.

SQL database management interface displaying table and column options.

Next, just click the New Record button.

Database management interface showing table structure and data fields.

Take a look at the numbers in the id field above your new entry. They'll be different than the ones pictured here, but click the id field and type in a number that is higher than the last number shown above your entry.

Database management interface displaying table data and query options.

Next, click the Refresh button to load your new entry.

Database management software interface displaying tables and records overview.

Now, click the name field of your new entry and type in tether_dun_required, then press the enter key on your keyboard.

Database management interface with table structure and data displayed.

After that, click the value field of your new entry and enter the number 0. Hit the enter key again when you're finished.

Database management software interface displaying a table and data entries.

To save your new entry, click the Write Changes button near the top of this window. After that, it is safe to close out the SQLite Browser window.

Database management software interface displaying table data and options.

Copy the Edited File Back to Your Phone

Now that you've added the one line to your database file, you just need to put it back on your phone.

Navigate to the C: directory of your computer and right-click the settings.db file. Choose Cut from this menu.

How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing

Next, browse to the folder you pulled this file from on your Nexus 5 using Windows Explorer. Right-click any empty space and select Paste.

How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing

At this point, it's safe to unplug your Nexus 5 from the computer.

Copy the Edited File Back into Its Original Folder

Back on your Nexus 5, open up FX File Explorer again. Navigate to the folder that you just pasted the settings.db file into and long-press it. Select Copy from the menu.

How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
Settings menu with options for managing files and actions.
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
Settings menu with options for managing files and actions.

Now, as outlined in Step 2, head back to the /data/data/ com.android.providers.settings/databases folder where this file originated. Press the Clipboard button at the top-right, then select Overwrite / Merge from the following dialog box.

Clipboard settings interface on a mobile device.
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing
Clipboard settings interface on a mobile device.
How to Tether Your Nexus 5 Without Your Carrier Knowing

Change Your APN Settings

Head to your phone's Settings and tap More... On the next screen, select Mobile Networks.

Mobile device settings menu with options for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, data usage, and device management.
Wireless settings menu on a smartphone displaying options for mobile networks and NFC.
Mobile device settings menu with options for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, data usage, and device management.
Wireless settings menu on a smartphone displaying options for mobile networks and NFC.

Hit Access Point Names, then tap the menu entry that's already selected. It varies by carrier, but yours will have the radial button to the right of it highlighted.

Mobile network settings menu with options for data and access point names.
T-Mobile APN settings on a mobile device.
Mobile network settings menu with options for data and access point names.
T-Mobile APN settings on a mobile device.

Scroll down the next list and tap APN Protocol, then select IPv4.

Access point settings menu on a mobile device.
Settings menu for configuring APN protocol options on a mobile device.
Access point settings menu on a mobile device.
Settings menu for configuring APN protocol options on a mobile device.

Do the same thing for the very next entry in this list, APN roaming protocol. When you're finished with that, tap the three-dot menu button and hit Save.

Access point settings on a mobile device.
APN settings for selecting routing protocol on a mobile device
Settings menu for editing an access point on a mobile device.
Access point settings on a mobile device.
APN settings for selecting routing protocol on a mobile device
Settings menu for editing an access point on a mobile device.

At this point, a simple reboot will make all of your changes take effect. Once you've done that, you can begin enjoying tethered data without your carrier nagging you—just head to Settings -> More... -> Tethering & portable hotspot to set up a connection.

This mod should work with any carrier, but just to be on the safe side, you should monitor your data usage from your carrier's website until you're certain it did the trick.

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.

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