A real iPhone

A real iPhone is watch only for now. The window shows its live screen, and the React Native app's data comes through Metro as on a simulator. Input goes on the phone itself: Parallax does not tap or type on an iPhone yet.

What worksCopy Anchor Link

• The live picture in the window, over a USB data cable, through Parallax's own capture helper, which ships inside the desktop app.
• The app's data: the Inspector, the screen's tree, logs, network, state, navigation and performance, because they go through Metro.
• Pointing at an element: a pick on the picture finds the component, because it reads React, not input.
• For the agent: device_list, device_screenshot and every app_* tool.

What does not work yetCopy Anchor Link

• Taps, swipes and typing, from the window or from the agent. The column says "Watch only: tap and type on the phone itself."
• device_tap, device_swipe, device_type and device_ui on an iPhone answer with one clear refusal. device_boot cannot boot or shut down a phone.

Connect the iPhoneCopy Anchor Link

No Apple account is needed and nothing is installed on the phone.

1. Plug the iPhone into the Mac with a cable that carries data.
2. Unlock it and tap Trust when it asks whether to trust this computer.
3. Turn on Developer Mode (Settings > Privacy & Security > Developer Mode) and restart the phone when it asks.

The iPhone then shows in the window's device menu under iPhones with the Real phone chip, and in device_list. An iPhone reached only over Wi-Fi has no picture: plug it in.

Metro on another port (React Native 0.86)Copy Anchor Link

React Native 0.86 on a real iPhone goes to Metro on port 8081 whatever RCT_METRO_PORT says. When your Metro runs on another port, start the app from Xcode with the launch argument:

-RCT_jsLocation <your Mac's IP address>:<port>

doctor has a row for it. Parallax does not install or launch your app on the phone.

Checked onCopy Anchor Link

An iPhone 13 with iOS 26.7, Xcode 27.0, React Native 0.86. The first frame came about 3 s after picking the phone. Not checked yet: unplugging and plugging the phone back in while the window shows it.