This only works once. If I want to share my network connection or transfer files again later, I have to reboot my phone again.
Here are some details:
Phone: FairPhone 5
OS: /e/OS 2.9-t-20250321478215-official-FP5 (Android 13, March 21, 2025), but I had the same issue with previous versions
USB cable: I tried several high-quality USB cables from different manufacturers, all of which support data transfer (incidentally, connection sharing works after rebooting, without changing the cable)
Is there something I’m missing, or should I open an issue on the forge?
Yes, it doesn’t change anything. The sequence is always the same:
Tethering and transfer functions are unavailable.
I turn off my phone, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on, because a hot reboot doesn’t resolve the issue.
Functions are available and operational.
I haven’t checked if I can reproduce the problem by connecting my phone to another machine, but a friend told me yesterday that he had exactly the same problem with his phone (FP5, /e/OS up to date) when he plugged in a USB cable to transfer files.
Are you both aware of the Default USB setting found from activated Developer options?
Like all USB settings this can only be altered with a live / connected_to_PC cable connected.
… maybe the default is not the setting you always want … is this what you see after reboot? … but assuming you both use USB for different jobs one frequently has to change “regular” Settings > USB Preferences for the job in hand.
My friend explained to me how to activate developer mode. Next, I enabled USB debugging mode, and, now, USB tethering and file transfer are available whenever I connect the USB cable.
I don’t understand why this behavior is limited to developer mode. It’s disturbing.
In any case, thank you very much for the solution.
It shouldn’t be like that and I would say it isn’t for every device. I am glad you found a solution for your problem. Please mark the one which was helpful, even if it is your own.
Normally the phone asks you every time for the USB connection type. If you set a default, it won’t ask and will automatically select the default. I have my default set to file transfer since that’s the only type I use.
Everyone uses Wi-Fi hotspot now so connection tethering over USB is not really considered a necessary feature, pretty much like 3mm headset jacks. They’re all but gone now, but it’s still a useful thing to have. Connection tethering is still useful if you need to connect a device lacking Wi-Fi. My desktop computer does not have Wi-Fi, it’s hard-lined, but my laptop does of course and that’s the only device where I might need the phone to provide a connection.
Interestingly before Wi-Fi hotspot became a standard feature in phones, the phone port provided a standard modem interface that would use Windows telephony to provide a dial-up style connection, anyone remember those old dial-up modems? It never worked very good, that was like in the 2G days, about the same speed as a dial-up modem with latency from hell. It worked better when 3G came along, but still pretty insufferable.
A wired connection is still more secure than a Wi-Fi connection. I prefer it whenever possible. Being able to do so is therefore essential for me.
In addition, file transfers were also blocked, which was annoying because I don’t want to rely on a cloud provider to retrieve photos taken with my phone onto my PC.
True, at one point I avoided using Wi-Fi at home because I didn’t want to provide the attack vector. Everything connected to my network was hard lined. However I finally caved some years ago since so many devices expect that kind of connection, the consumer electronics industry forces it on you.
I have a mixed home network (wired and wireless connections). My home is not the place I’m most concerned about. It’s mainly when I’m in public places with lots of people that I try to secure my connections.
That’s right, some devices with only a Wi-Fi interface leave us no choice. But the obligation also comes from the fact that many apartments don’t have a wired network covering all the rooms.
Yes that would be a concern. I mean I have no idea how secure the hotspot is on my phone. The Wi-FI provided by my home router has pages of security settings I can check to make sure it’s sufficiently locked down. The phone has all but none.
In any case it’s not a huge concern, the only time I use my phone’s hotspot is on travel to provide a connection for my laptop, and I don’t travel much. It’s a case of security through obscurity.
