U.S. Carriers Blocking Android Tethering Apps. Unbranded Phones OK

Android phones running Android OS 2.2 (Froyo) or newer have a built-in tethering feature. Tethering lets you share an Android phone’s 3G or 4G wireless data service with another device over a USB cable, Bluetooth or WiFi. This is extremely useful if you have a WiFi-only tablet or notebook. However, phones running older versions of Android do not have this feature. And, carriers have been requiring payment for tethering service. The workaround to these problems is to use a third party app that provides tethering.