FoxFi (WiFi Tether w/o Root)

FoxFi is an app that lets you turn your Android phone into a portable Wi-Fi router and share the Internet connection with other devices. Download FoxFi today if you need to use this feature on a regular basis!

Functionality 3/5

FoxFi now only offers the legacy Wi-FI hotspot mode on some devices that weren’t affected by the recent Android updates. If your phone runs Android 7.0 or higher, you’ll have to use the new Wi-Fi mode. It is a little more difficult to set up, as it requires a proxy server to function. Alternatively, you can install a PdaNet certificate on the connecting devices.

Design 4/5

The design of the FoxFi app is minimalistic and simple. Since FoxFi is basically a tool for sharing your mobile Internet connection efficiently, the design doesn’t matter that much, and it still gets the job done despite not being modern or attractive.

Usability 3/5

The old Wi-Fi mode is pretty straightforward to use - you just activate it and connect your devices. However, it is currently only available on phones running Android 6.0 and lower. If you have a phone that’s on Android Nougat, you can’t use the old mode, so you’ll have to do some tweaking to get the new mode to work. Even so, the “hide tether” feature may not work on new Samsung phones, which essentially makes FoxFi duplicate the Wi-Fi hotspot feature that is built into Android.

However, with an older phone, FoxFi will likely do a great job. The app can be installed on phones that run older versions of Android, including Android 4.0. This allows you to use the old Wi-Fi mode along with the “hide tether” feature if you can get your hands on an old Android phone.

Cross-Platform Use 3/5

You can only use the FoxFi free app on Android devices, which makes sense given the number of restrictions imposed by iOS. Despite that, you can still connect iOS devices to the network created by FoxFi.

In-App Purchases

The free version of the app offers the full functionality but will stop the connection after a fixed time limit, so you can purchase the full version of FoxFi for uninterrupted Internet sharing sessions.

The Bottom Line

FoxFi is a great solution for Android phone users who need to frequently share their mobile Internet with other devices. Despite the limitations introduced in the new Android versions, FoxFi still manages to find a way for you to maintain a wireless network with your phone, even if the whole process got more complicated.