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Installation Guide
Last updated: July 16, 2026
Everything you need to go from download to your first automation — about 15 minutes of setup, most of it automatic. Follow the steps in order; each one is required only once.
Before you start
- A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) running a recent version of macOS
- An iPhone and a USB cable
- An Apple ID — a free one is enough, no paid developer account needed
- Around 20 GB of free disk space (Xcode is large)
- Your Icemoon activation code from the dashboard
Install Xcode
Open the App Store on your Mac, search for Xcode, and install it. This is Apple's official development app — Icemoon uses it under the hood to install its automation runner onto your iPhone.
When the download finishes, open Xcode once. It will ask you to accept the license agreement and then show a “Select the platforms you would like to develop for” screen — make sure iOS is checked and let it download. This iOS platform package (shown in Xcode settings as e.g. “iOS 18.5 + iOS 18.6 Simulator”) is required: without it, nothing can be installed on a real iPhone, even though the name only mentions the Simulator.
Sign in to Xcode with your Apple ID
In Xcode, open Settings → Accounts, press +, and sign in with your Apple ID. Icemoon uses this account to sign the automation runner it installs on your phone. A free Apple ID works — you do not need a paid Apple Developer membership.
Install Icemoon
Download AutomationStudio.tar.gz from your dashboard, double-click it to unpack, and drag AutomationStudio.app into your Applications folder.
Because the app is distributed outside the App Store, macOS quarantines it after download. Clear the quarantine once by pasting this into Terminal (Spotlight → type “Terminal”):
xattr -cr /Applications/AutomationStudio.appFirst launch — automatic setup
Open AutomationStudio. On first launch it installs everything else it needs by itself — command line tools, Homebrew, device connectivity libraries, and the automation engine — and shows the progress while it works. This takes a few minutes and needs an internet connection.
macOS may show a system prompt asking to install Command Line Tools, or ask for your Mac password — that's part of the normal setup, confirm it.
Activate your license
When setup finishes, the app asks for your activation code. Copy it from your dashboard, paste it in, and press Activate License. The code binds to your account and this Mac on first use.
Prepare your iPhone
Connect the iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable, then:
- On the phone, tap Trust when asked whether to trust this computer, and enter the phone's passcode.
- Enable Developer Mode: Settings → Privacy & Security → scroll to the bottom → Developer Mode → turn it on. The phone will restart and ask you to confirm once more.
Connect and go
Back in AutomationStudio, your iPhone appears in the device list. The first time you connect a device, the app builds and installs its automation runner onto the phone — this one-time build takes a few minutes. After that, connecting is nearly instant.
That's it — your device is live on the dashboard and ready for automation.
FAQ & troubleshooting
macOS says the app is “damaged and can't be opened”
This is the download quarantine, not actual damage. Open Terminal and run:
xattr -cr /Applications/AutomationStudio.app
Then open the app again. You only need to do this once per download.
Do I really need Xcode and the iOS “Simulator” component?
Yes, both. Apple only allows apps to be installed on an iPhone through its own toolchain, and since Xcode 15 the iOS platform ships as a separate download. Apple bundles the device support files and the Simulator into a single package — there is no way to download it “without the Simulator”. Icemoon never uses the Simulator itself, but the package must be installed or the build for your real iPhone will fail.
Do I need a paid Apple Developer account ($99/year)?
No. A free Apple ID signed into Xcode is enough. Icemoon automatically re-signs and reinstalls the runner when the free signing certificate expires, so you don't need to think about it.
My iPhone shows “Untrusted Developer” when the runner starts
On the phone, open Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, tap the developer entry with your Apple ID, and tap Trust. Then reconnect the device in AutomationStudio.
The first-launch setup seems stuck or failed
The automatic setup downloads several tools and can take a while on a slow connection. Make sure you're online and any macOS password prompts have been answered, then quit and reopen the app — setup resumes where it left off. Still stuck? Email hello@icemoon.app.
Does Icemoon run on Intel Macs?
No — Icemoon is built for Apple Silicon (M1 and newer) only.
How many iPhones can I connect?
That depends on your plan — see pricing. Devices can be swapped from your dashboard at any time.