Wait, isn’t RNDIS what’s used when you tether your Android’s connection via USB? Or am I mistaking it for something else?
Yes, and it’s still in new phones. They’re being disingenuous saying that it’s android phones don’t use it.
So I may not be able to use ADB and Fastboot anymore after I get the kernel update?
That’s different protocols. This is only about the one being used when you share your phone’s connection via USB (tethering). Neither adb nor fastboot make use of this.
Also, starting with Android 14, there should be an alternative available with NCM.
Yes, with the exception of some that switched to USB CDC NCM already. I seem to be lucky, the Pixel 6 is one of the first to have made the switch.
So if my mint install updates I won’t be able to use USB tethering? Is there a way to update my phone to use USB CDC NCM? Or would I have better luck recompiling my mint install to add the standard they just removed? I’m pretty new to Linux (literally made the switch last November) and I sadly have to use USB tethering when my ISP shits the bed with routing to the US
First you will have to find out about your specific phone model. It seems that different chipset vendors implement different things for tethering.
Someone in the raspberry pi forums checked what his Pi Zero was doing with lsusb -t and someone in an old reddit thread checked his dmesg while connecting the phone and turning on tethering, maybe you can try those things while tethering to see whether currently the RNDIS or the USB CDC driver gets loaded for your phone.
Then we will have to see in which kernel version Greg’s change finally lands. At the earliest it will land in Kernel 6.14 because 6.13 is already on the fifth release candidate so new changes shouldn’t be added anymore. Then you have to find out when your Mint install will move to that kernel. If you are currently on Mint 22 Wilma (supported until 2029), then that’s based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, which is based on the Ubuntu LTS Kernel 6.8.
I’m guessing now, based on past regularities, that Mint 23 will be based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, and that Ubuntu will choose a fresh kernel for their LTS in the beginning of 2026, so probably one that will contain this change by Greg. So it seems to me, that if 1) your phone still needs RNDIS for tethering and 2) you still have that phone in the middle of 2026 and 3) you still have that Mint install you should probably not upgrade to Mint 23, but stay on Mint 22 until its support ends in 2029.
But projecting that far into the future is kind of difficult, maybe distro maintainers will reenable RNDIS if they see it’s still needed, or maybe a future Android Update will force OEMs to use USB CDC.