macOS · iOS · Virtualization

New Tool Allows Virtual iPhone Execution on Apple Silicon Macs

A new command-line tool, vphone-cli, enables users to run a virtualized iPhone environment on Apple Silicon Macs using Apple's Virtualization.framework.

News AutomationCompiled 11:06 UTC · 1 min read

A screenshot shows a virtual iPhone running within a macOS terminal. · Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

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vphone-cli

Boot a virtual iPhone via Apple's Virtualization.framework using PCC research VM infrastructure.

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Prerequisites

Host:

Apple Silicon
macOS 15+ (Sequoia)
Xcode + iOS SDK (cross-compiles the guest daemon)
SIP/AMFI relaxation to allow private PV=3 entitlements with unsigned-binary

Dependencies:

brew install python@3.13 aria2 wget gnu-tar openssl@3 ldid-procursus sshpass keystone cmake libusb ipsw zstd

Install

brew install zqxwce/tap/vphone-cli

Build

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Lakr233/vphone-cli.git

./scripts/setup_tools.sh # install deps, build toolchain submodules, create the Python venv
./scripts/build.sh # build + sign vphone-cli, bundle the .app, cross-compile vphoned

cd .build/vphone-cli.app/Contents/MacOS/
vphone-cli --help

Quick Start

One command creates a VM end-to-end (download → patch → DFU restore → CFW install → first boot):

vphone-cli vm create myphone -V jb # -V / --variant

vphone-cli vm launch myphone

Commands

vphone-cli vm create runs the whole pipeline; the individual steps below let you drive it manually or re-run one stage.

Manage

vphone-cli vm list # list VMs (--json for scripting)
vphone-cli vm info myphone # show one VM
vphone-cli vm new myphone # create an empty bundle (cpu/mem/disk options)
vphone-cli vm config myphone --cpu 8 --memory 8192
vphone-cli vm clone myphone myphone-2 # fast APFS clone, fresh device identity
vphone-cli vm export myphone --out myphone.tzst # zstd fast by default (--max = xz -9); --out may be a dir (auto-names .tzst/.txz); skips restore dir + staging files
vphone-cli vm import myphone.tzst --name restored
vphone-cli vm rename myphone iphone16
vphone-cli vm delete iphone16

Build a VM manually (what `vm create` automates)

vphone-cli vm new myphone # 1. empty bundle
vphone-cli fw prepare myphone --iphone-version 26.1 # 2. download + merge IPSWs
vphone-cli fw patch myphone --variant jb # 3. patch the boot chain

vphone-cli vm launch myphone --dfu & # 4. boot into DFU (background)
vphone-cli restore myphone --get-shsh # fetch SHSH
vphone-cli restore myphone # DFU restore
vphone-cli vm stop myphone # stop the DFU boot

vphone-cli cfw install myphone --variant jb # 5. install CFW (host-mount; asks for sudo)
vphone-cli vm launch myphone # 6. first boot

Update to a newer iOS by pointing fw prepare at an IPSW: --iphone-source /path/to.ipsw --cloudos-source /path/to.ipsw.

Firmware Variants

Five patch variants with increasing security bypass — pass one to --variant:

Variant	Boot Chain	CFW	Notes
`less`	4 patches	2 phases	Patchless — keeps iOS mitigations enabled
`regular`	42 patches	10 phases	AMFI/SSV/Img4/TXM bypass
`dev`	53 patches	12 phases	+ TXM entitlement/debug bypass
`jb`	113 patches	14 phases	+ full jailbreak (Sileo, TrollStore auto-install on first boot)
`exp`	141 patches	18 phases	JB superset + anti-VM-detection research patches

See research/0_binary_patch_comparison.md for the per-component breakdown.

Running & Connecting

SSH (jailbreak):ssh -p 22222 mobile@ (password alpine)
SSH (regular/dev):ssh -p 22222 root@
VNC:vnc://:5901

Locations

Everything vphone-cli creates lives under ~/.vphone/ — kept outside the repo and the .app so the signed bundle stays portable. Redirect the whole tree with $VPHONE_ROOT:

Path	Contents
`~/.vphone/`	The per-user data root — override the entire location with `$VPHONE_ROOT`.
`~/.vphone/VMs/`	VM bundles — one directory per VM. This is the library; override with `$VPHONE_LIBRARY_ROOT`.
`~/.vphone/ipsws/`	Downloaded iPhone + cloudOS IPSWs, cached and reused across VMs.
`~/.vphone/tools/`	Cached APFS seal-volume artifacts (`apfs_sealvolume_`) fetched during `fw prepare`.
`~/.vphone/debs/`	Cached `.deb` packages the `jb`/`exp` CFW install lays into the guest (Sileo, apt, …).
`~/.vphone/venv/`	Auto-provisioned Python environment (see Python runtime; override with `$VPHONE_VENV_DIR`).

Precedence: the per-item overrides ($VPHONE_LIBRARY_ROOT, $VPHONE_VENV_DIR) win over $VPHONE_ROOT, which wins over the ~/.vphone default. The ipsws/, tools/, and debs/ caches always sit directly under whichever root is active.

SIP/AMFI Relaxation

Option A — fully disable SIP, then disable AMFI via boot-arg (most permissive).

In Recovery (long-press power → Terminal):

csrutil disable
csrutil allow-research-guests enable

Then reboot into macOS and set the AMFI boot-arg (needs SIP fully off to take effect):

sudo nvram boot-args="amfi_get_out_of_my_way=1 -v" # reboot after

Option B — keep SIP on (debug-only relaxed), then allowlist the binary with amfidont (leaves AMFI enabled system-wide).

In Recovery:

csrutil enable --without debug
csrutil allow-research-guests enable

Then reboot into macOS and:

vphone-amfidont # .build/vphone-cli.app/Contents/Resources/vphone-amfidont for local builds

Tested Environments

Host	iPhone	CloudOS
Mac16,11 27.0b2	`17,3_18.6.2_22G100`	`26.1-23B85`
Mac16,8 26.5.1	`17,3_26.0_23A341`	`26.1-23B85`
Mac16,8 26.5.1	`17,3_26.0.1_23A355`	`26.1-23B85`
Mac16,12 26.3	`17,3_26.1_23B85`	`26.1-23B85`
Mac16,12 26.3	`17,3_26.3_23D127`	`26.1-23B85`
Mac16,12 26.3	`17,3_26.3_23D127`	`26.3-23D128`
Mac16,12 26.3	`17,3_26.3.1_23D8133`	`26.3-23D128`
Mac16,11 26.2	`17,3_26.4_23E246`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,11 26.2	`17,3_26.5_23F77`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,11 27.0b2	`17,3_26.5.2_23F84`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,6 26.4.1	`17,3_26.6_23G71`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,11 27.0b2	`17,3_26.6.1_23G83`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,11 27.0b2	`17,3_27.0_24A5380h`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,6 26.4.1	`17,3_27.0_24A5390f`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,6 26.6.1	`17,3_27.0_24A5408d`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,11 27.0b2	`17,3_27.0_24A5418b`	`26.4-23E5207q`
Mac16,11 27.0b2	`17,3_27.0_24A5424a`	`26.4-23E5207q`

FAQ

zsh: killed ./vphone-cli — AMFI/debug restrictions aren't bypassed; see Prerequisites (amfi_get_out_of_my_way=1 or amfidont).

Virtualization is not available on this hardware — your Mac is itself a VM; PV=3 guest boot can't nest. Use a non-nested macOS 15+ host.

Stuck on "Press home to continue" — connect via VNC and right-click (two-finger click) to simulate the home button.

System apps won't install — during iOS setup, don't pick Japan or the EU as your region (extra regulatory checks the VM can't satisfy); pick e.g. United States.

App crashes on launch with EXC_GUARD / GUARD_TYPE_MACH_PORT — re-patch with vphone-cli fw patch --variant --force-exc-guard, then re-restore/install ( #291). Always on for iOS 18 bases.

Install a .ipa/.tipa — use the running VM's Install menu (drag-drop or file picker).

cfw install hangs re-signing a system binary (e.g. Campo), memory climbing unbounded — known bug in ldid-procursus up to 2.1.5-procursus7 (the current Homebrew stable): bytes(uint64_t) calls __builtin_clzll(0) with no zero-guard, which is undefined behavior, and on this build resolves to a 0-length that underflows an unsigned loop counter — ldid spins writing one byte at a time into a growing buffer instead of terminating. Triggered by any entitlements plist containing an integer value of exactly 0 (some real Apple system binaries have these). Fixed upstream but not yet in a tagged release; rebuild from source: brew install --HEAD ldid-procursus && brew link --overwrite ldid-procursus. Kill the hung ldid process first (sudo kill -9 ) if you already hit it.

Automation

vphone-cli exposes a host control socket (/vphone.sock) for programmatic control — screenshots, touch, swipes, hardware keys, clipboard — each action returning an inline screenshot for AI-driven E2E testing. See vphone-mcp for an MCP server wrapping it.