iloader
iOS Sideloading Companion
About
Info about iloaderAbout iloader
iloader is a free and open-source iOS sideloading companion designed to make installing SideStore and other IPA apps as easy as possible.
Features
- Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS
- Automatically installs and helps setup SideStore
- Place RPPairing and Lockdown Pairing files into apps like StikDebug or Protokolle
- Get intelligent fixes and suggestions for common errors
- Install any IPA application
- See and manage development certificates and App IDs
- Open source and MIT licensed
- Localized into multiple languages
- View and export logs
- Connect to devices wirelessly or via USB
And more!
If you're curious about how iloader works, check out the technical details section.
iloader is designed to be safe and unlikely to cause issues, but we are not responsible for damage to devices, data, or Apple accounts.
We are not responsible for any misuse of iloader; please ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Here and the GitHub repository are the only places iloader is officially distributed. Do not download iloader from any other sources. iloader will always be free to download and will never sell apps or certificates. If you encounter a site selling iloader or its services, it is not official and likely a scam.
GitHub
Report
a Bug
SideStore Guide
Website Source
See my other projects!
Download
Choose a buildDownload iloader
Here and the GitHub repository are the only places iloader is officially distributed. Do not download iloader from any other sources.
All builds, including Linux ARM builds are available on the GitHub releases page.
Linux (x86_64)
Requires usbmuxd (likely bundled with your distro)
iloader-next
The next Beta version of iloaderiloader-next
iloader-next is the next major version of iloader, currently in development. It is complete rewrite of iloader bringing many new features and improvements.
Key New Features
- A web version of iloader (no download required!)
- A completed new user interface designed to be as easy to understand as possible
- More stability and quality-of-life improvements (progress bars, better error messages, etc.)
- Wireless Pairing (WIP, iOS 27+)
Web Version/Desktop Version
iloader-next will be available as both a web version and a desktop version.
Due to Windows and browser limitations, the web version will only be available on MacOS and Linux in chromium browsers.
It's important to note that the web version brings with it some security risks, so please read the warnings on the website before using it. The desktop version remains recommended.
The desktop version will be available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Beta Testing
iloader-next is currently in beta testing. It's source code is not available yet, and only the web version is available for testing.
iloader-next Beta is currently live at beta.iloader.app! Please note that this is a beta version, and will have bugs or issues. If you encounter any issues, please report them on the Discord to help us improve!
FAQ
Frequently asked questionsFrequently Asked Questions
Q. Where do I download iloader? A. This website and the GitHub repository linked below are the only official sources.
Q. Is iloader free? A. Yes. iloader is free and open source.
Q. Is iloader safe? A. Obviously I'm going to say yes, but you should be cautious with this type of software, since it is directly handling your Apple ID credentials. iloader is well-established in the community, but feel free to verify its safety yourself by reviewing the source code! Builds are uploaded directly by GitHub actions so you can be sure they match the code in the repository.
Q. What platforms are supported? A. iloader supports Windows, Linux (arm and x86_64), and macOS.
Q. What can iloader install? A. iloader automatically sets up SideStore or LiveContainer+SideStore, but can also import any IPA.
Q. How do I get help with iloader? A. iloader will offer suggestions to resolve most common errors, but if you need more help, you can join the discord!
Q. Can you add [random feature]? A. iloader is currently only receiving important bug fixes as the next major version, iloader-next, is in development.
Credits
Contributors and moreContributors
While developed primarily by me, nab138, iloader is only possible because of the large community of open-source developers, contributors, users, and more involved with sideloading. Thank you all!
Special Thanks
Translators
You can contribute translations here.
Technical Details
How iloader worksHow iloader works
Summary
Sideloading is something Apple is publicly against, so you might think that doing it requires some sort of hack or exploit. In reality, Apple needs to provide some way to sideload apps for the sake of app developers. If you wanted to make a new iPhone app, you need some way to test it on your own device before publishing it to the app store.
Apple built this functionality into Xcode, their app development tool. Using reverse engineering work done by the community, iloader, SideStore, and other sideloaders are able to emulate Xcode and sideload arbitrary apps onto your device!
The process
- First, iloader acquires information about a fake Mac from an anisette server. This is why a Mac shows up in your Apple ID devices when you use iloader. If iloader hasn't logged in from this computer before, it provisions with the anisette server to get a new fake Mac identity, called an adi.pb, which can be reused for future logins. This is why you have to log in with 2FA the first time you use iloader, but not subsequent times.
- Next, iloader uses this information to log in to your Apple ID using Apple's GrandSlam authentication protocol. This is a multi-step process that uses the Secure Remote Password (SRP) protocol to securely transmit your password and 2FA code to Apple. This is process is structured as a loop, where iloader sends a request to Apple and Apple responds with the current state. This state may tell iloader it needs to send a 2FA code, that it logged in successfully, or maybe that something failed.
- Once logged in, iloader acquires a token for Xcode, which it can then use to create a developer session.
- When sideloading an app, iloader has to register an app ID and app group, assign the app id to the group, and download provisioning profiles for the app. It does all of this using Apple's APIs, just like Xcode would.
- iloader also has to acquire a development certificate to sign the app with. If iloader doesn't have one stored, it has to create a new one and send a certificate signing request (CSR) to Apple and have it signed.
- iloader then uses the provisioning profile and certificate to sign the app with apple-codesign-quick.
- The signed app can then be transferred to the device using AFC (Apple File Conduit). Once it is transferred, the idevice library can tell the Installation Proxy to install the app.
