How to Fix Bluetooth Tethering on the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3
A lot of people have been emailing me and asking how they can use Bluetooth tethering on their T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 (most of them coming from our How to Flash a Custom ROM on the Galaxy Gear procedure and wanting to connect the Gear to their Galaxy Note 3). My response at first was, “go to settings and turn it on”. Soon though, I realized that T-Mobile has actually taken out the Bluetooth tethering feature from their version of the Galaxy Note 3. Why, you ask? Good freaking question. They are the only carrier that did this and, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why the did. Regardless though, thanks to an XDA developer (as usual) there is a custom ROM you can flash to get it back.
Admittedly, your average Galaxy Note 3 owner, won’t need to use this procedure, but those using the Gear and our custom ROM procedure will if they want to get internet on the Gear. So here it is for you guys that asked.
Thanks for sending it in!
I. Root the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3
1. Head to our How to Root the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 video, finish it, and return here to continue.
II. Flash a Custom Recovery on the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3
1. Head to our How to Flash a Custom Recovery on the Galaxy Note 3 (when you choose your custom CWM recovery, choose the one at the top that says n900t-cwm-recovery-6.0.4.5(1116).tar), finish it, and return here to continue.
III. Flash the Custom ROM with Bluetooth Tethering Enabled
1. Download the ROM file from the developer’s page here and save it to your Desktop of you computer (it’s the link under Android File Host that says Dragonsair). Don’t forget to thank or donate to the developer if this ends up helping you!
2. Head to this procedure and just do Section IV to figure out how to flash a custom ROM and use the ROM .zip file you downloaded in the step above instead of searching our ROM Repository in step one and continue with that until it is flashed and you’re device reboots.
3. After that you should have a ROM that has the bluetooth tethering open now available. Enjoy!
If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers of the ROM here.
perfect but what about for the galaxy s4 . in particular I have sprint sph-L720 what can I do to enable Bluetooth Tethering so far im ruuning null 14 perfectly on my gear thank you. I really HOPE you could help me out thank you.
It should just be in settings, no?
It is on settings like to turn on the Bluetooth Tethering but now how do I pair it with my gear once again im running null14 and my galaxy s4 its not rooted its just stock so I don’t know how am I going to connect it to the gear or what steps to fallow any idea?.
Here you go! https://theunlockr.com/2013/11/27/use-galaxy-gear-android-devices/
Does this work with note 3 on other carriers? (specifically Rogers in Canada)
Ok Im running null 15 on my gear do I have to put a custom rom on my tmobile s4 and so which 1 do I use cause Bluetooth tethering is not on my phone
Hi I need something like this on samsung galaxy s4. I’m on rogers Canada 1337m running 4.3.1 samsung and there is no bluetooth tether option. will this work on my phone if I flash it? If not is there something I can flash so I can connect Internet via bluetooth on my gear? please help.
Please forgive me, AT&T also locked their Note 3 down with bluetooth tethering and custom roms are more difficult due to a locked boot-loader (at this time). I actually DOWNGRADED to a note 2 just so I didn’t feel so chained up.