Now that most of the Galaxy Nexus owners in the building are all running official Jelly Bean (Android 4.1), the reports of “FoxFi no longer works!” are starting to flood in. We aren’t exactly sure what changed in Jelly Bean to cause some tethering apps to quit working, FoxFi being the most notable, but that’s the card we were dealt. So rather than spending the next 3 days testing each and every tethering app, we thought we would turn directly to the DL community, a group of people that probably tether a heck of a lot more than us home office dwellers, and ask which app they picked up?

We gave you a wireless tethering option that doesn’t require root from SVTP, but it’s also $15. ClockworkMod Tether should work just fine, but it’s a USB tethering service rather than wireless. Barnacle is a free wireless option, but it requires root.

What tethering app are you currently using? Anything in particular standing out as being reasonably priced and stable? Please share your recommendations in the comments.

Question of the Day: What Tethering App are You Using With Jelly Bean? is a post from: Droid Life

We received a tip about a WiFi and USB tethering application made by SVTP, which as Android users, we love. For those who tend to have troubles with FoxFi, you may want to give this one a try. There are two versions: free and professional. The difference between the two is quite large actually, seeing as how the paid version is a whopping $15. That price tag may seem a bit outrageous, but for software that just works and allows for free tethering, it’s up to you whether you think that price is worth it. 

Best piece of advice I could give is to try out the free version first to see if it works best for you. The free version allows for two days of free tethering, then you are limited to just 5 minutes of tethering once per day. Kind of a downer, but sometimes that’s all you need. Plus, a one-time $15 fee is better in the big scheme of things than the $30 per month most carriers charge. Try it out and let us know if you like it over FoxFi.

Play Link ($14.99)

Cheers Stew!

All in One WiFi Hotspot and USB Tether by SVTP, an Alternative to FoxFi is a post from: Droid Life

We understand that not everyone is interested in rooting their Android device. While doing so usually introduces you to a whole new world of phone fun, some just do not have the time or simply do not care. One thing is clear though, they still want a wireless tethering solution that doesn’t include calling up Verizon and forking out another $30 a month. That’s where “Wifi Hotspot and USB Tether” comes into play. There are both free and full versions of the app that according to our readers, both work with the Galaxy Nexus. It even has a snazzy little toggle widget to get you up and tethering in seconds. Oh, and the developer offers a 5-day warranty of sorts to get you a refund if you can’t seem to get the app working correctly.

Worth a shot, I’d say.

Market Links:  Free | Full ($9.99)

Cheers Scott and everyone else that sent this in!

Looking for a WiFi Tether App that Doesn’t Require Root Access? Here You Go is a post from: Droid Life

The title pretty much tells you all that you need to know with this one. Many of you were looking for a tethering option, and the folks behind the ever-famous Wireless Tether have released their latest experimental version that works flawlessly with a rooted Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. If you still haven’t rooted, you can find the instructions in our Guide to the Galaxy Nexus.

Download:  wifi_tether_v3_1-pre110.apk | More info

Install just like you do any other app that isn’t from the market. Download, tap to install, and install.

Cheers Steve!

Wireless Tether Updated, Now Works With Rooted Galaxy Nexus LTE is a post from: Droid Life

Back in April, we discovered that Verizon was starting to block apps that they deemed to be unacceptable or that violated contract terms.  Tethering apps were the first and most noticeably removed, but what if the situation is deeper than just blocking?  What we mean by that is, what if you bought (yes, used your hard-earned money) an app that they are now blocking?  Can you no longer receive updates to that app?  What if you change phones and go into the market to load up everything that you had previously purchased? Are those blocked apps no longer available?

It’s an interesting (more like painful) conversation that should probably be made much more public than it is as of right now.  What started this latest round was the screenshot you are seeing above from a Reddit user who went into his market to update EasyTether only to be welcomed with the message in yellow.  He is unable to load the latest update to the app because his carrier (Verizon) will not allow it.  Now, EasyTether is a $9.99 app that he paid for, but that he is no longer allowed to use? Yikes.

There is a work-around though, as if to soften some of the blow.  If you flip your phone into Airplane mode and then turn on wifi, you should be able to update.  

On a related note, how about free WiFi tethering on the Bionic?

So, in an attempt to dig further into the situation, I pulled up as many of the activated phones I have and came up with varying results on the blocked app market front.  My Bionic (which is rooted only) is able to see every single app known to man, though.  I even installed Wireless Tether straight from the market, however, Verizon has a sneaky new way of tying it into the built-in wireless tether app in Android which needs a work-around in order to work. The video below will get you up in no time (root required):

Click here to view the embedded video.

*Note – we have no way to tell if Verizon is still able to check your tethering usage after doing this, so do this all at your own risk.

Via:  Reddit, Droid Matters

Verizon Blocks Updates to Apps That They Don’t Approve of? How About Bionic Tethering Instructions to Ease the Pain? is a post from: Droid Life

There has been a lot of talk around these parts over the last few weeks that has to do with the wireless tethering situation on Verizon with certain devices like the DROIDX.  We’ve posted work-arounds for whatever block they’ve implemented and complaints have been filed with the FCC, but it looks like all we really needed was a little CyanogenMod 7 to get it going.  According to reader Ryan, he’s had no issues with a tethering block now that he has flashed the new CM7 for DX that we posted yesterday morning.  His proof is above.

To download the latest version (since it has been pulled from the market), head here.

Cheers Ryan!

Wireless Tether Appears to Work on CM7 for the DROIDX is a post from: Droid Life

It was just last week that we reported on a new blocking method that Verizon had enabled to stop rooted DROIDX users with Gingerbread from using select wireless tether apps.  Today though, thanks to one of our fabulous readers, we have a work-around for the DROIDX (possibly other devices) that appears to get you up and running in just a matter of minutes.  Hopefully this gives you a little bit of time while that FCC complaint over this very same subject is being looked at.    

Instructions:

1.  First, you’ll need to download this new Wireless Tether beta. [more info]
2.  Open up the app after installing, and headed into Settings.
3.  Under Device-Profile, search for “Motorola DroidX (CDMA)” or “Motorola Droid2″ and select it.
4.  Then scroll down to find “Change preferred DNS.”
5.  Change the DNS to 4.2.2.2.
6.  Then change the “alternate DNS” to 4.2.2.1.
7.  Turn on Wireless Tether and connect any device you like.

Update:  I had originally thought that the DNS server made a difference, but it doesn’t.  The key here appears to be step 3 where you specify the DROIDX under Device-Profile.  So, feel free to continue to use DNS 8.8.8.8 which is Google’s public server.

*Note – If this works on any other devices, please feel free to leave that in the comments.

Cheers DroidRooterX!

Tip: DROIDX and 2 Gingerbread Wireless Tether Work-Around (Updated) is a post from: Droid Life

Oh baby.  The blocking of tethering apps by Verizon just got very real after a complaint was filed today through the FCC by Free Press which could potentially impact the future of LTE.  This has been one of those hot subjects around Droid Life over the last few weeks, so we couldn’t help but smile a little when we saw a group of this magnitude taking it straight to the top.

As you may recall, we first reported news that tethering apps had either been removed or purposefully blocked from being viewed and downloaded to Verizon devices.  The move wasn’t necessarily a surprise since we know that Verizon likes to force you into purchasing an additional mobile hotspot service on top of your data plan, but the move was bold.  And then just last week we noticed that even if you had managed to load up a third party app from outside the market to tether, that Verizon was blocking you from doing so.

People grew angry at this for a number of reasons – and the complaint filed today by Free Press pretty much touches on them all.  

We pulled some points out to highlight the arguments they have given to the FCC over blocking tethering apps on LTE (which is where their arguments stands strongest):

• Verizon’s actions in cutting off access to tethering applications unlawfully “limit” and“restrict the ability” of its customers “to use the devices and applications of their choice.” This practice [blocking tethering apps] restricts consumer choice and hinders innovation regardless of which carrier adopts such policies, but when Verizon Wireless employs these restrictions in connection with its LTE network, it also violates the Federal Communications Commission’s rules.  When Verizon purchased the spectrum licenses associated with its LTE network, it agreed that it would not “deny, limit, or restrict” the ability of its users to access the applications and devices of their choosing.
• Removing applications from the Android Market severely limits and restricts their distribution. Removing [tethering] applications from the Android Market severely restricts their use.  [Meaning they are harder to find than other apps in the market, therefore are not as easily available as all apps should be.]
• Mobile broadband providers, including Verizon, offer their own expensive tetheringservices that compete with the free and low-cost options offered in the Android Market. Mobile broadband providers have a financial stake in limiting access to third-party tethering applications. As noted above, many tethering applications are available for free or for a modest fee.  By contrast, when Verizon introduced the Droid, it charged $30 per month for tethering service on top of its $30 per month “unlimited” data plan.

I don’t know that I would get overly excited about this news just yet, but at the same time, we’ll all be wanting to pay close attention to how this unfolds.  I will say though that not only would a ruling to either side by the FCC change the way data is handled on Verizon, it would also likely change the entire smartphone industry in the U.S.

Some thoughts that come to my mind immediately are:

• Let’s say the FCC tells Verizon it can no longer force us into mobile hotspot plans.  What does that do to our monthly data  bills?  We were already expecting higher data prices this summer with LTE, but can you imagine what they would look like if tethering became uncontrolled?
• And what if the FCC says, “We think Verizon is fine in doing this.”  Good bye tethering for life.

So, what do you guys think?

Via:  Free Press [PDF], PCWorld

Cheers Corey!

Tethering Complaint Filed Against Verizon with FCC by Free Press is a post from: Droid Life

Your days of free tethering with a Verizon phone may have come to an end this weekend (at least on certain devices).  Our inbox filled up with reports of users who received a warning message (pictured above) in place of the website they were trying to reach while tethering.  We’re not surprised by this at all, especially after seeing Wireless Tether get the stiff arm from Big Red at the end of April, but that doesn’t mean we have to be happy about it.  If you want to use Wireless Tether going forward on a DROIDX or Thunderbolt with Gingerbread, you’ll have to fork out $20 a month for a 2GB plan.

And I’d go into arguments on why I think this move is garbage, but we all get it, don’t we? Most of us feel like we should be able to use our “unlimited” data any way we see fit and Verizon isn’t about to let us have that much control.  They will argue that using our devices to load up data-intensive web pages or streams would harm their network if done by a massive amount of people, but we all don’t care and want to do it anyway.  It’s an argument we can’t and never will win unfortunately.

Anyone tried any of the other tethering apps lately?

*Note - From what I can tell, this is only affecting Gingerbread builds that attempt to run Wireless Tether and not other tethering apps.  My Thunderbolt and DROIDX both popped up the message above and are running 2.3.  I also used the non-Market Wireless Tether.

*Note 2 - Barnacle appears to work still.

Cheers Mike, T and everyone else!

Verizon Enables New Wireless Tether Block, Asks That You Purchase a Plan is a post from: Droid Life

If you aren’t sure what that picture is saying, let me attempt to break it down for you.  After receiving a tip that Verizon may be blocking Wireless Tether from the market, I decided to do a little digging on the variety of devices I own.  Sure enough, from all of my phones, including the Nexus S I have running on AT&T, I was unable to find Wireless Tether in the market.  So to see what was really going on, I jumped into the browser-based Android Market to see if I could find the app and definitely did.  But what you are seeing, is my list of devices, all of which cannot accept this app.

Now, we’ve known for some time now that carriers were going to start cracking down on tethering, and you know what, it makes sense that they would.  In fact, AT&T has been warning users that were illegally tethering over the last week, so it wouldn’t surprise us if Verizon was jumping on board with that program.  And if these quick couple of searches that I performed this morning mean anything, then it looks like your days of “stealing data” are about to come to an end.

Anyone else able to find Wireless Tether?  Let me know your phone and carrier please.

Cheers AC!

Is Wireless Tether About to Get the Android Axe? Carriers Finally Starting to Block it? is a post from: Droid Life