Bluetooth Tethering on iPhone Made Easy: Share the Internet with a Mac
Tethering your iPhone to your Mac using Bluetooth is easy. However, while Bluetooth is a convenient and wireless way to get internet from your iPhone to your Mac, it is limited to 1 Mbps (Bluetooth 4) or 2 Mbps (Bluetooth 5). If you have fast LTE speeds on your phone, you might get better results with USB or Wi-Fi tethering.
You will be able to use this tethered iPhone connection on your Mac to access the Internet. You can also combine it with a Wi-Fi, wired Ethernet or cellular 4G LTE / 5G dongle connection using the Speedify app. This will get you faster, more stable and secure Internet.
With that said, in this article, we are going to walk you through the steps for tethering your iPhone using Bluetooth.
Quick answer
Should you have a backup 4G, 5G, Starlink, or cable internet connection?
Yes — every internet connection goes down, including Starlink, which drops for ~34 minutes a day on average. A backup connection from a different provider means one outage never takes you fully offline. The most common options are a 4G/5G cellular hotspot, a cable or DSL line, or a second satellite dish.
4G/5G cellular
Works anywhere. Just a SIM or hotspot — no installation needed.
Learn more →Cable / DSL
Best for fixed locations. Different network, so outages rarely overlap.
Learn more →Second Starlink
Adds redundancy and throughput for remote sites or heavy usage.
Learn more →Speedify bonds any two connections into one — automatic failover, more speed, no dropped calls.
Try free →Speedify
Speedify gives you faster, steadier internet by combining Wi-Fi, cellular, and Starlink
Speedify bonds Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, and Starlink into one connection at the same time, giving you more speed, automatic failover when one drops, and AES-256 encryption on every link.
Download Speedify ›More speed
Upload and download speeds combine across every active connection on your device.
Automatic failover
If a connection drops, Speedify moves your traffic to another in milliseconds. Calls stay connected.
Always encrypted
Every link runs through an encrypted tunnel, including public Wi-Fi, cellular, and Starlink.
Speedify Feature · Pair & Share
Speedify Pair & Share: share cellular between your devices, both ways
Most hotspots give. Speedify's Pair & Share gives and takes. Two devices running Speedify pair up and each uses the other's cellular connection simultaneously, so you both get faster uploads, faster downloads, and a steadier connection. No extra hardware, no new data plans, no setup beyond a tap.
Learn how Speedify's Pair & Share works ›More speed
Every device you pair with adds its cellular to yours, and yours to theirs.
Stays connected
If a paired device drops out, Speedify keeps you online on the remaining links.
Always private
Every shared connection runs through AES-256 encryption. Your traffic is yours.
No new gear
Runs on devices already running Speedify, over your local network. Pair once, reconnects automatically.
How to Tether your iPhone to a Mac using Bluetooth
Step 1: First, ensure that your iPhone is paired with your Mac via Bluetooth. You can do this by going to System Preferences > Bluetooth. Then, select your iPhone from the pane that appears. Also take this opportunity to ensure that your Mac’s Bluetooth is turned on.
Step 2: Turn on your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot. To do this, open the Settings app and tap Personal Hotspot. Then toggle the switch on.
Step 3: While you’re in the Settings app, tap Bluetooth from the main menu and toggle the switch on if it isn’t already. You should see your Mac appearing under “My Devices.”
Step 4: Now it’s time to connect your Mac to your iPhone’s network. You can do this one of two ways:
The first method is the simplest: navigate to the upper right-hand corner of the menu bar and click on the Bluetooth icon. (If this icon is not currently displayed, you can activate it by going to System Preferences > Bluetooth.) When you click the icon, a menu will appear. Mouse-over your paired device (iPhone) and click Connect.
Alternatively, you can navigate to System Preferences > Network. Click Bluetooth PAN on the left-hand side. If Bluetooth PAN isn’t visible, click the + button, and select Bluetooth PAN from the interface popup menu.
Finally, select your iPhone from the device popup menu and click Connect.
And that’s all there is to tethering your iPhone to your Mac using Bluetooth!
Now – feel free to toss this tethered iPhone connection into any existing combination of active Internet connections on your Mac. Use Speedify for macOS to combine them.
Get started with Speedify today!
With Speedify you can combine Wi-Fi, 4G / 5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and other satellites into one bonded super-connection to improve livestreaming, video calling, gaming, web browsing, and everything else you do online.
Speed
Stability
Security
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