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Tether 1.2

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@subhashhhhhh subhashhhhhh released this 03 Oct 07:35
· 81 commits to main since this release
v1.2
528a614

What's New in Tether 1.2

🌐 Rock-Solid Discovery Across All Wi-Fi Routers

Many common home and fiber ONT routers (Syrotech, Realtek, TP-Link, Netgear, etc.) quietly drop or filter UDP subnet broadcasts (192.168.1.255:1716) at the hardware switch level even when AP isolation is disabled. Tether 1.2 introduces multi-tier discovery that works regardless of router broadcast filtering:

  • Darwin Kernel ARP Inspection: Reads local ARP routing neighbors directly via Darwin kernel sysctl without spawning child processes.
  • Instant Subnet Sweep: Conducts an ultra-lightweight, non-blocking UDP sweep across your local /24 network in ~6ms on launch and on-demand refresh.
  • Peer IP Cache: Automatically persists and directly contacts recently connected peers on reconnect.

🎯 "Add by IP" Direct Connection

If you are on an enterprise network, public Wi-Fi, or a router with extreme multicast filtering, you can now click the new "Add by IP" button (network icon in the toolbar) to connect directly to your phone or tablet's local IP address.

🔔 In-Window Pairing Prompt & Fingerprint Verification

  • Added a prominent Glassmorphic pairing request banner inside the main application window.
  • Displays device name, SHA-256 verification key fingerprint, and Accept / Reject action buttons right within the detail view so you never miss a pairing request if macOS notifications are silenced.

🛠️ Stability & Connection Fixes

  • Fixed an edge case where incoming TCP connection renegotiation during initial discovery could prematurely clear pending pairing state.
  • Improved sidebar device selection fallback to prioritize available devices awaiting pairing.

⚡️ Resource Footprint

  • DMG Size: ~2.5 MB (vs 90 MB official KDE Connect DMG)
  • Installed Size: 5.0 MB (vs 370 MB official client)
  • Idle Overhead: 0.0% CPU and ~15 MB RAM

📦 Installation & Gatekeeper Note

Since Tether is an open-source indie app and not notarized through a paid Apple Developer account ($99/year), macOS Gatekeeper may present a dialog stating that the app "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified".

To launch Tether:

  1. Standard macOS Method:
    • Drag Tether.app to /Applications.
    • Open Tether. If blocked, open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
    • Scroll down to the Security section and click Open Anyway.
  2. Terminal Command: 
    xattr -cr /Applications/Tether.app
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