The Current Problem: The RNDIS Bottleneck
Currently, Nothing OS (like many traditional Android distributions) relies on RNDIS when a user toggles “USB Tethering”. While this provides a plug-and-play experience on Windows, it introduces severe cross-platform limitations:
Zero Native macOS Support: Apple’s macOS has never natively supported RNDIS. Mac users are forced to rely entirely on Wi-Fi hotspots (which drain battery and cause thermal throttling) because modern Apple Silicon (M-series) Macs completely block legacy third-party kernel extensions like HoRNDIS due to security architecture.
Security & Obsolescence: The mainstream Linux kernel community has actively moved to deprecate RNDIS drivers because the protocol is old, unmaintained, and carries unfixable security vulnerabilities when interacting with untrusted USB hosts.
The Solution: Follow the Pixel Blueprint (Migrate to CDC-NCM)
Starting with the Pixel 6 series, Google completely dropped RNDIS in stock Android and moved entirely to CDC-NCM.
By migrating Nothing OS’s USB gadget configuration (configfs) to favor a standard-compliant CDC-NCM driver setup, Nothing Phone devices will gain immediate, massive benefits:
Native macOS/Linux Plug-and-Play: macOS natively supports CDC-NCM out of the box. Plugging a Nothing Phone into a MacBook via USB-C will instantly establish a stable, low-latency, high-speed wired internet bridge without requiring any third-party drivers.
Modern Windows Compatibility: Windows 10 and Windows 11 include native, built-in drivers for NCM devices (UsbNcm Host Device), ensuring that Windows users retain tethering capabilities on modern machines.
Better Efficiency: CDC-NCM provides significantly lower CPU overhead and superior throughput speeds compared to the clunky RNDIS wrapper, meaning cooler phone temperatures and less battery drain during heavy tethering sessions.
Why This Fits Nothing’s Vision
Nothing prides itself on clean, forward-thinking software engineering and building bridges across tech ecosystems (as seen with Nothing Technology’s focus on seamless integration). A massive segment of the tech, developer, and creator communities rely heavily on Mac hardware on the go. Providing a reliable, native, wired internet bridge would immensely elevate the premium, “it just works” experience of Nothing OS.
Since Android’s core kernel already includes the foundational code for NCM gadget allocation, implementing this change would require minimal overhead for the OS team but would solve a multi-year headache for cross-platform users.
Thank you for considering this modernization update!
