RNDISaurus
No workarounds
Many Android phones tether only over RNDIS, and macOS has no driver for it. Until now, getting one meant giving something up.
Android USB tethering on your Mac.
RNDISaurus is a native RNDIS driver for Mac. Plug in your Android phone, turn on USB tethering, and you're online. No kernel extension, no Terminal, and your Mac's security stays on.
Highlights
Native
Built with DriverKit, Apple's framework for drivers that run outside the kernel. Your phone appears in System Settings like an Ethernet adapter.
Security stays on
No kernel extension, no Reduced Security, no Terminal commands. System Integrity Protection stays on.
Nothing left running
The driver starts when you plug in your phone and stops when you unplug it.
Every phone at a glance
See each connected phone's link, address and traffic.
| RNDISaurus | Kernel extension | Command-line tool | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Security and SIP stay on | Yes | Reduced Security on Apple silicon | Yes |
| Nothing runs in the kernel or as root | Yes | Runs in the kernel | Runs as root |
| From the Mac App Store | Yes | No | No |
| A real network adapter in System Settings | Yes | Yes | Virtual, not in System Settings |
Coming from HoRNDIS? Here's how to switch. Not sure your phone needs a driver? Find out.
Get started
- Open RNDISaurus and click Activate Driver.
- Allow it in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions › Driver Extensions (on macOS 14, Privacy & Security).
- Plug in your phone and turn on USB tethering.
Supported devices
Android phones and Linux devices that tether over RNDIS, from these makers:
- Amazon
- ASUS
- Fairphone
- HMD
- HTC
- Huawei
- Lenovo
- LG
- MediaTek
- Meizu
- Motorola
- Nokia
- OnePlus
- OPPO and realme
- Qualcomm
- Rockchip
- Samsung
- Sony
- TCL and Alcatel
- Toshiba
- Unisoc
- Xiaomi
- ZTE
Apple approves drivers maker by maker. Is yours missing? Request it.
The driver is open source
The driver is published on GitHub under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, with every release. The app is closed source.
Successor in spirit to HoRNDIS by Joshua Wise, and informed by David Brownell's Linux RNDIS drivers, ReRNDIS and TetherKit (prostec-labs, XiaoMiku01).
FAQ
Does my phone need RNDISaurus?
Only if it tethers over RNDIS. iPhones and phones that use NCM, like recent Pixels, work on a Mac without it, and RNDISaurus tells you when that's the case. How to tell.
My phone's maker isn't listed.
macOS only lets RNDISaurus drive devices from makers Apple has approved. Request yours so it can be part of the next request to Apple. The same goes for Linux gadgets using the Linux Foundation or NetChip IDs, such as a Raspberry Pi.
Do I need to keep the app open?
No. The driver works on its own, and the app can install driver updates in the background.
I used HoRNDIS.
Remove it, or any other RNDIS driver, before activating RNDISaurus. How to remove HoRNDIS.
Can I try it before buying?
Yes, with the public beta on TestFlight.
Something isn't working.
Support covers what each status in the app means. To report a problem, open Window › Diagnostics, click Copy Diagnostics, and paste the report into a GitHub issue or an email to info@n4h4.com, with your phone's model.