macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ideviceinstallerlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install ideviceinstallerMacPorts ports tree · devel/ideviceinstaller/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ideviceinstaller with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix
Tool for managing apps on iOS devices. Version 1.2.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add ideviceinstallerAlpine Linux edge package indexes · ideviceinstaller · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install ideviceinstallerDebian stable package indexes · ideviceinstaller · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install ideviceinstallerFedora Rawhide package metadata · ideviceinstaller · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#ideviceinstallernixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/id/ideviceinstaller/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Tool for managing apps on iOS devices
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ideviceinstaller
history
Project history and usage
ideviceinstaller is a command-line application for managing apps and app archives on iOS devices through the libimobiledevice stack. It matters to developers and automation users because it provides app install, list, upgrade, and uninstall workflows without Xcode's GUI path.
Project history
The project belongs to libimobiledevice, a free software stack born from the absence of iTunes on Linux for early iPhone hardware. libiphone became libimobiledevice with the goal of communicating with iOS devices using reimplemented native protocols and no bundled Apple libraries.
ideviceinstaller focuses on the installation service of an iOS device. Its README describes support for app packages, carrier bundles, developer .app directories, filtered app listing, plist/XML/JSON output, and use across Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android.
Adoption history
The tool became part of the practical libimobiledevice toolkit used by developers, testers, CI systems, and mobile tooling that needed USB-connected device operations outside Apple's own interfaces. Its packaging across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, and Alpine reflects that cross-platform role.
The broader libimobiledevice site frames command-line utilities as a way to interact with device services without building an application, covering workflows from basic device information through firmware restore; ideviceinstaller occupies the app-management slice of that toolbox.
How it is used
Typical commands list installed bundle identifiers, install app packages, and uninstall apps by bundle identifier. The 1.2.0 release changed the command-line style to subcommands such as install and list, added JSON output, and added options for external sinf and iTunes metadata.
Because it talks to real devices through libimobiledevice and usbmux-style plumbing, package users care about matching library versions, device firmware behavior, and output formats for automation.
Why package nerds care
ideviceinstaller is a high-leverage wrapper around obscure Apple device services. Package maintainers care because it bridges mobile-device protocol libraries, CLI workflows, and OS-specific USB access without needing Apple's proprietary stack.
It is also a good example of a package whose usefulness depends on a family of sibling packages: libimobiledevice, libplist, libusbmuxd, usbmuxd, libimobiledevice-glue, and related utilities tend to move together.
Timeline
- 2007: libimobiledevice development began, according to the project site.
- 2023-07-20: The ideviceinstaller README recorded its documented feature set and usage examples.
- 2025-10-30: ideviceinstaller 1.2.0 was released with subcommands, JSON output, and app-query improvements.
- 2025-10-30: GitHub listed ideviceinstaller 1.2.0 as a release.
Related projects
- libimobiledevice is the direct protocol library dependency. The surrounding stack includes libplist, libusbmuxd, usbmuxd, ifuse, idevicerestore, libirecovery, libideviceactivation, and libimobiledevice-glue.
- In user workflows it overlaps with Xcode device tools and mobile-test frameworks, but its packaging niche is portable command-line access to iOS app installation services.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 3 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 4 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
ideviceinstaller | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.2.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/libimobiledevice/ideviceinstaller
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/libimobiledevice/ideviceinstallernone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ideviceinstaller |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.2.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ideviceinstaller |
| Homepage | https://libimobiledevice.org/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/libimobiledevice/ideviceinstaller |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/libimobiledevice/ideviceinstaller#readme |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://github.com/libimobiledevice/ideviceinstaller/releases/download/1.2.0/ideviceinstaller-1.2.0.tar.bz2 |
| Dependencies | libimobiledevice, libplist, libzip |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, automake, libtool, pkgconf |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | ideviceinstaller |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
ideviceinstaller 1.1.1+git20240518-1+b1
Utility to manage installed applications on an iDevice
https://www.libimobiledevice.org/
sudo apt install ideviceinstaller- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ideviceinstaller
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ideviceinstaller
Nix95%
ideviceinstaller
nix profile install nixpkgs#ideviceinstaller- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ideviceinstaller
Ubuntu apt95%
ideviceinstaller 1.1.1-1build4
Utility to manage installed applications on an iDevice
https://www.libimobiledevice.org/
sudo apt install ideviceinstaller- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ideviceinstaller
apk95%
ideviceinstaller 1.2.0-r0
Manage apps of iOS devices
sudo apk add ideviceinstaller- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ideviceinstaller
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ideviceinstaller
apk95%
ideviceinstaller-doc 1.2.0-r0
Manage apps of iOS devices (documentation)
sudo apk add ideviceinstaller-doc- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ideviceinstaller
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ideviceinstaller
dnf95%
ideviceinstaller 1.2.0-1.fc45
Manage apps of iOS devices
https://www.libimobiledevice.org/
sudo dnf install ideviceinstaller- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ideviceinstaller
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ideviceinstaller
MacPorts95%
ideviceinstaller
sudo port install ideviceinstaller- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ideviceinstaller
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment