Darwin Build Environment Help Center

Can't use your Mac to extract the iOS SDK?

append delete Pierre-Marie Baty

This question comes around more and more often.

If for whatever reason you can't use your Mac to migrate the iOS SDK (for example: hard disk full, no space left to install Xcode), there are websites on which you can rent remote access to a Mac. Some of them offer free tryouts, enough for you to install Xcode and migrate the necessary files from there.

https://www.macincloud.com is one of them

https://www.virtualmacosx.com is another one

A Google search will probably give other alternatives...

The iOS SDK can't legally be redistributed by Apple's restriction (cf. Xcode EULA), so please don't ask around for someone to send you a compressed SDK archive. Thank you for your understanding.

P.S. I am not affiliated with any of the links above, I'm just forwarding information that I received from some users who found this workaround.

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append delete #1. Pierre-Marie Baty

Here's another useful tip.

Say you do have a Mac, but unfortunately it's too old to install the recent Xcode of which you need the iOS SDK to build and publish your app.

The workaround is to simply download the latest Xcode installer archive from Apple in the form of a .xib file, then extract it on your Mac (you'll get a Xcode.app with a greyed icon because your Mac won't be allowed to run it); move it in your Applications folder anyway, and run the builder's Migration Assistant. It'll make no difference and everything will happen as if that version of Xcode was actually installed on your Mac.

Happy building,

:: @Pierre-Marie Baty added on 03 Jun ’23 · 11:22

*edit* Download links to Xcode .xib files : https://xcodereleases.com

append delete #2. Sokharev

Hello, would like to add that https://scaleway.com/ offers pretty cheap mac m1 (2.4 euro per 24 hours minimal, than machine can be deleted) to extract sdk from. VNC works very slow(almost unusable) but SSH works well and good for getting SDK.
Btw, you mentioned good way to get sdk from file. So it's theoretically possible to get sdk from xcode image files without mac?
I've researched a bit and found following:
1. here the list of xcode downloads (updateble and permanent )
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10335747/how-to-download-xcode-dmg-or-xip-file
2. i've downloaded and extracted xip...but as i understand inside xip file there'is tricky container with pbzx signature...i've found some ways to extract(may be wrong) but didn't tried
https://gist.github.com/bruienne/ec5205408b9e52bd5cfc
= but is it really possible to extract sdk from this big file?

:: @Sokharev added on 19 Jan ’22 · 08:51

Here another more clean try to unpack xip file (but in linux!)
https://gist.github.com/phracker/1944ce190e01963c550566b749bd2b54

append delete #3. Pierre-Marie Baty

Yep. These tools (xar, pbzx, cpio) can also be compiled on Windows (modulo a bit of porting). I might give that a go someday.

#4. developer

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append delete #5. developer

Hi, Can you please let me know how to extract .xib files on a windows pc?

append delete #6. juan

Hello In my case using an old mac for xcode 16.2 works all ok, but when i send to apple for approval then the app store developer page says me that i'm using a beta or outdated xcode or SDK version, and because of that i cannot send it, i'm using the last stable 16.2

Maybe i have to update or reinstall something on unity? unity purchasing maybe? i'm using unity 2019.3.38f1 with last stable xcode 16.2 version.

append delete #7. Pierre-Marie Baty

@developer: use the "unxip.exe" tool I built for that purpose. You'll find it in the Toolchain subdirectory of the builder. But you will not be able to use an Apple SDK from that .xip file just by copying the <platform>.sdk directory. Some changes need to be made to it, that's the purpose of the Migration Assistant scripts.

@juan: Were there error messages or warnings that appeared when you migrated your iOS SDK ? If not, then it maybe means Apple not only checks for the Xcode and SDK version, but also for the version of macOS that's supposed to have built your app. In this case, try changing the contents of the "osx-build" and "osx-version" files in your SDK to more recent (and mutually consistent) values. They reflect the version number and build number of the Mac from which your SDK was taken. Let me know if this method solves your problem.

append delete #8. gamer

I installed the latest version of project builder (Version 3.70.3). I want to extract .xib file on windows 10. When I try to install unxip.exe file from toolchain subdirectory nothing happens. How do I Install unxip.exe?

append delete #9. Pierre-Marie Baty

@gamer: you don't. It's a command line tool, not an installable program with a GUI. But if you read what I wrote above, you'll understand that you cannot obtain a working Apple SDK by just unpacking the Xcode .xib file. You are required to use the Migration Assistant, and run it on macOS.

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