Set up a shared internet connection for iPhone and iPad
To ease Wi-Fi bandwidth constraints for iPhone and iPad devices, an internet sharing feature is available. All you need is an Ethernet connection and a Mac with macOS 10.13 or later. With it you can share the computer’s internet connection to many physically connected devices. On your Mac, do one of the following to turn on content caching:
macOS 13 or later: Choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Sharing > Content Caching.
macOS 12.0.1 or earlier: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences > Sharing > Content Caching.
In the Content Caching pane that appears, select the option Internet Connection. In the same pane, you can select specific types of content to cache locally for faster downloads.
Sharing the internet in this manner saves time, local Wi-Fi and bandwidth when using a cart or USB hub and updating several devices at once, compared with each device updating individually over Wi-Fi. It’s particularly useful for installing many large apps while preparing devices for the start of term or a new school year.
Requirements
The following are required for the shared internet connection service:
The Mac must have macOS 10.13 or later installed.
The Mac must be connected to the internet using Ethernet.
A Mac laptop should be plugged into a power source, because the shared internet connection service prevents it from going to sleep.
How to cache content
Connect the Mac to an Ethernet cable, connect the Mac to a USB hub or a cart, or directly connect your devices, then turn on Content Caching > Share Internet connection. Depending on your internet connection, content caching may take some time.
How Content Caching > Share Internet connection works with MDM
Your MDM solution can send a command to your devices to update their operating system and apps with a “requires tethering” option. When the devices are physically connected to the Mac and they request that content from Apple, that content is now cached locally. That content is downloaded by all devices that received the command from your MDM solution and that are physically connected to the Mac with a cart or USB hub.
How Content Caching > Share Internet connection works without MDM
Because the Content Caching > Share Internet connection feature actually shares the internet connection from the Mac, you can initiate a software request for any app or operating system updates on one of the connected devices.