How to install unsigned apps on iPhone and iPad without jailbreak

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

According to Apple, the only source of iOS apps is the App Store. As you can imagine, this is not the case. There are many applications from third-party developers that, for one reason or another, did not make it to the App Store, as well as various open source software that is distributed free of charge. This article will discuss how to legally install all this on your iPhone or iPad.

The installation itself is not difficult, but it consists of several stages and will require careful attention from you. We need a Mac with OS X 10.10+ installed, an Apple developer account, Xcode 7, and the source code of the application we are going to install. Go!

Create a developer account

Don't be alarmed, it's free. Moreover, you can turn a regular Apple ID into a developer account that you already have. Follow the link, log in or create a new one, agreeing to the terms.

Install Xcode

The Xcode development environment, which you need to compile and install the application on your device, is also free. Find it in the Mac App Store and download it.

Linking a developer account in Xcode

Next, you need to add your developer account to Xcode. Go to the settings and on the Accounts tab, type in your username and password.

We find the sources of the required application

In fact, we are going to create an application now. Just writing code from scratch is not necessary, because you can use ready-made application source codes that are freely available. The only thing left to do is to compile and install such code on an iPhone or iPad.

A lot of source code can be found on GitHub or Bitbucket, as well as on individual developer sites for specific applications. Offhand, I can name the Game Boy Advance emulator, Plum-O-Meter, Kodi media player.

We'll walk you through the installation process using the popular f.lux utility that many of you use on your Mac as an example. Now the source archive has been removed from the official site due to Apple's requirements, but a copy of it can be found in the discussion on Reddit (if you have any difficulties, leave your email in the comments - I'll send you my copy).

Compiling the application

Now we need to turn the code into a finished program that can be installed on the device. To do this, do the following:

1. Extract all the archive files into a separate folder and open the iflux.xcodeproj file in Xcode.

2. Add any text to the Bundle Identifier field after com.justgetflux.iflux to make the identifier unique, and just below, in the Team field, select our developer account.

3. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using a cable and select it in the Product → Destination menu.

4. After that, a warning about the absence of a profile on the device will appear. We fix the error by clicking the Fix Issue button.

5. It remains to press Cmd + R (or the Play button on the panel) to compile and install the program on the device.

6. The application icon will appear on the desktop of the device, but Xcode will not be able to launch it until we activate the profile. To do this, go to Settings → General → Device Management, select our developer profile and click Trust.

That's it, our application is installed. As you can see, it starts up and is fully functional. Notifications, geolocation and everything else works just like any app from the App Store.

This is a general principle, but any other application can be installed in the same way. However, if the developer releases a new version, then you will have to download and install it manually. But the process will take much less time, since you will already have all the necessary permissions and profiles.