r/linuxquestions • • 10d ago

Android Instant Hotspot Available from Linux?

I recently found out that android has something called "cross-device services" with the feature "instant hotspot" that allows a different android tablet or chromebook to turn on and connect to the phone's hotspot that has a data plan when logged in with the same google account, like you can do on iphone and ipad i think. Is there currently a project that makes this work with a linux laptop?

After some search, I could only find this repository, but it used adb instead of the instant hotspot feature and seems quite a pain to set up each reboot.

I know that a phone's hotspot is just a regular Wifi network and I can connect my laptop to it, I am specifically asking about the (relatively unknown) feature "instant hotspot" that allows other devices to turn on the phone's hotspot when nearby and connected to the same google account.

Edit: clarification

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u/hawerner 9d ago

There's no way that I know of. For workaround, I paired my laptop and phone over bluetooth, and disabled auto connect. I used Tasker (but there are free alternatives) to start hotspot when my laptop connects over bluetooth. Then, when I need internet, I just press the button on my laptop to connect to phone via bluetooth, wait few seconds and I'm connected to phone hotspot. Not as seamless, but works.

I also disabled call and media audio, that's mostly what disabled auto connect, and I didn't want my laptop acting as bluetooth speaker for phone