Tether reaches iMessage, SMS and notifications on Linux through a clean-room Bluetooth implementation

Sources: primary, discussion
Summary: Tether now covers iMessage, SMS, notifications and contact sync alongside its earlier file transfer, clipboard sync and OTP handling, which is the part of Apple Continuity a Linux user with an iPhone otherwise loses. The author states the transport is mTLS between iOS and Linux with both sides required to agree before communication, and that the Bluetooth work is a clean-room C++ implementation written against published protocol documentation rather than derived from the existing ancs4linux and BlueFerry code, so the project stays MIT rather than GPL. OTP autofill runs through browser and mail WebExtensions, which the author states work only for Firefox-family and Thunderbird-family clients. The post is dated 2026-08-23 and its Hacker News submission dates to 2026-08-24, so this is an older item still on the front page rather than a release published today.
Why it matters: A Linux desktop paired with an iPhone gets the Continuity features Apple ships no client for, under a license that permits reuse.