iOS physical device

Connect a real iPhone or iPad — developer mode, the Apple team picker, signing, and the free-account limits.

Real iPhones and iPads are supported from desktop app v1.8.0, on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Connect Device → iOS → your device → pick your Apple team

Platforms	iOS (physical device, from v1.8.0)
Requires	Xcode, a USB cable, Developer Mode on the device, an Apple developer team
Free Apple team	Profiles expire after 7 days, and there's a cap on sideloaded apps
App build	Must be a real-device build — a simulator build won't install
Watch out	You have to trust the developer certificate on the device before anything runs

Prerequisites

• Drizz desktop app v1.8.0 or later, signed in

• Xcode installed and opened once — see iOS simulator setup

• An Apple development team, free or paid

• An iPhone or iPad, unlocked, with a USB cable

• A real-device build of the app under test

Set up the device

1. Install Xcode on your Mac and open it once. See iOS simulator setup.

2. Connect the device by USB.

3. Tap Trust when the device asks whether to trust this computer.

4. Enable Developer Mode on the device: Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode.

5. Restart the device when prompted. Developer Mode does not take effect until the restart.

6. In Drizz Desktop, open Connect Device and select your device.

7. Select your Apple development team in the team picker.

8. Click connect. Drizz signs WebDriverAgent and installs it onto the device.

9. Trust the developer certificate on the device: Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → your certificate → Trust.

10. Confirm the device panel shows the device as connected.

Until the certificate is trusted at step 9, iOS refuses to launch anything Drizz installed, and the connection fails with a signing error that does not name the Trust step.

Apple team types

Drizz labels free and paid teams in the picker and warns when a free team is selected. These limits are Apple's, not Drizz's.

Limit	Free team	Paid team
Provisioning profile lifetime	7 days, then re-sign by reconnecting from Drizz	Standard Apple Developer Program duration
Sideloaded app cap	Capped — reached quickly on a shared test device	Higher
Paid-account entitlements	Unavailable	Available

Installing your app

Rule	Consequence
The build must be a real-device build	A simulator build will not install on hardware. Drizz names this reason in the error rather than failing generically
An App Store copy blocks a sideloaded build of the same bundle ID	iOS will not let a self-signed build replace an App Store install. Uninstall the store version from the device first

iOS test plans on the Drizz device cloud also require a real-device build.

Common mistakes

What you do	What happens
Skip the Trust step on the device	The connection fails with a signing error. Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → Trust
Enable Developer Mode but not restart	Developer Mode doesn't take effect until the restart
Use a simulator build on hardware	It won't install. Drizz names the reason — build for a real device
Sideload over an App Store install of the same app	Blocked by iOS. Uninstall the store version first
Use a free Apple team for an ongoing suite	It breaks every 7 days when the profile expires. Use a paid account
Unplug the device mid-run	The session dies. Keep it connected and unlocked for the whole run
Leave the device locked	Drizz checks lock state and refuses a locked device

Next

• iOS simulator setup

• Real Android device

• Report an issue

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Last updated: 6 August 2026