Share Mobile Data From Android to Android With a QR Code

If you have two Android phones and only one of them has mobile data, you can share that connection by scanning a QR code. This guide explains how that works with Tether Link Utility: what you need, what the QR code actually contains, the steps on each phone, and what to check if something doesn't connect.

What you need

• A server phone: the Android phone with mobile data, running Android 8 or newer, with Tether Link Utility installed.
• A client phone: the Android phone that should use that data, also with Tether Link Utility installed. Automatic Wi-Fi joining needs Android 10 or newer on the client.
• Mobile data turned on on the server phone. Data used by the client counts toward the server phone's mobile plan, so check your carrier's tethering terms.

How the connection works

When you start the server, the app asks Android for a LocalOnlyHotspot: a Wi-Fi network created by the system, with a network name and password that Android generates. At the same time, the app runs a SOCKS5 proxy on the phone. Devices that join that Wi-Fi network send their traffic to the proxy, and the proxy forwards it over the phone's mobile data connection.

On the client phone, the app uses Android's VpnService to create a local VPN interface. That interface sends the phone's traffic to the proxy on the server phone. There is no remote server in between: the "VPN" here is only a local routing mechanism, and the traffic goes from the client phone to the server phone and then out through its mobile data.

Steps on the server phone

1. Open Tether Link Utility and tap START SERVER.
2. Allow the permissions Android asks for. Starting a hotspot requires the location permission on older Android versions and the nearby Wi-Fi devices permission on Android 13 and newer.
3. Wait until the screen shows the IP address and port.
4. Tap Show QR Code.

Steps on the client phone

1. Open Tether Link Utility and tap Scan QR Code · Connect to Server.
2. Point the camera at the QR code on the server phone.
3. On Android 10 and newer, the app asks the system to join the server's Wi-Fi. Android may show a prompt asking you to confirm the connection. Accept it.
4. Android then asks you to allow the VPN connection the first time. This is the local VpnService interface described above. Accept it.
5. When the status shows connected, apps on the client phone use the server phone's mobile data.

What the QR code contains

The QR code is a short text string with the proxy address and the Wi-Fi details, in this form:

socks5://IP:PORT?ssid=NETWORK_NAME&pass=PASSWORD#TetherLink

If the hotspot uses WPA3, &sec=wpa3 is added. The same text is printed under the QR code, so you can read the values and type them in by hand on a device that can't scan it. Because the QR code includes the Wi-Fi password, only show it to people you want to share your connection with.

Using your phone's own hotspot

If you turn on your phone's system hotspot yourself (Mobile Hotspot on Android, Personal Hotspot on iPhone) instead of letting the app start one, tap WI-FI in the app and save the hotspot's name and password once. They are stored only on your device and the app doesn't change your hotspot. The details are added to the QR code, so other devices can join the network by scanning it. On iPhone, the password is in Settings > Personal Hotspot. When the Android app starts its own hotspot automatically, you can skip this.

Troubleshooting

• The server doesn't start. Check that location (or nearby Wi-Fi devices on Android 13+) permission is granted. If the phone's regular Mobile Hotspot is already on, the app can't start its own hotspot and runs the server over the regular one instead. Either turn the regular hotspot off and let the app create its own, or keep it on and save its name and password once under WI-FI so the QR code includes them.
• The client doesn't join the Wi-Fi. Look for a system prompt or notification asking you to confirm the network. If you dismissed it, scan the QR code again.
• Client on Android 9 or older. Automatic joining isn't available. Connect to the Wi-Fi network manually using the network name and password shown in the QR text, then scan the code or enter the IP and port.
• It connected before but stopped working. The server phone's IP address can change when the hotspot restarts. The app shows a notice when this happens. Show the new QR code and scan it again.
• Connected but slow. Speed depends on the server phone's mobile signal, your plan and network conditions. Keeping both phones close together helps the Wi-Fi link.

Limits to know about

• The free version allows 1 connected device at a time and shows ads. Pro allows up to 5 devices and removes ads.
• All traffic from connected devices uses the server phone's mobile data and counts toward its plan. Carriers set their own rules for tethering and hotspot use, so check your plan's terms.
• Keep the server phone charged. Running a hotspot and a proxy uses more battery than normal use.

If you want to connect a laptop or an iPhone instead of a second Android phone, see How to Set Up a SOCKS5 Proxy on Windows, macOS & iOS.