First App.
Your learning space A little progress, every day
CHAPTER 07Lesson 25 of 36

Test it away from your Mac

Your real phone can reveal things a virtual one misses.

On your iPhone7 min read & do
By the end of this lesson

Test the app in everyday use and understand the temporary installation.

Let’s do this

  1. 1
    On your iPhone

    Use it without Xcode watching

    Stop the run in Xcode. Disconnect the cable and open the app from the phone’s Home Screen. Try the main journey with your fingers, the keyboard and the phone held normally.

  2. 2
    On your iPhone

    Check the things that use real hardware

    Try anything that uses the phone itself: camera, photos, sound, or anything that asks permission. Refuse a permission once and see what the app says. A virtual iPhone cannot copy every part of a real one, and it will not show you how fast the app really feels.

  3. 3
    On your iPhone

    Check everyday interruptions

    Lock and unlock the phone, switch to another app and return, then close and reopen your app. For online features, try losing and restoring connectivity. Confirm that important records are still present.

  4. 4
    On your iPhone

    Know why a free build can stop opening

    Personal Team signing expires after seven days. Reconnect the same phone, open the same project and run it again through Xcode. Avoid deleting the app first if you want to keep its local records. This temporary test installation is separate from App Store distribution.

Signing setup sheet with a Team selector, Bundle Identifier field and Set Up button.View larger
Apple’s example: set up signing to run on a physical device. Use your own project’s details.Screenshot source (opens a new tab)

A message for Codex

Help me test my first iPhone app on my real iPhone, launched from the Home Screen without the Xcode debugger. Cover the main journey, keyboard, larger text, permissions relevant to this app, interruptions and saved data. If a free test build has expired, guide me through rebuilding and reinstalling with the same app identity, preserving local records where possible.

Make this message fit your idea.

What you should see

The app works when launched on its own, and you know to reinstall a free test build from Xcode when its signing expires.

If you get stuck

Go at your own pace. There is no test to pass.

Checked 7 September 2026. Screens can change; the official guides below have the latest steps.

Run on a simulator or deviceApple’s free developer account