Step 6: Your Phone

Run it on your real device.

Where We Are

The app works in the simulator. Let's put it on your actual iPhone.

Connect Your iPhone

1. Plug your iPhone into your Mac with a cable
2. Unlock your iPhone and tap "Trust This Computer" if prompted
3. In Xcode, click the device selector at the top (where it says "iPhone 15" or similar)
4. Select your iPhone from the list

Sign the App

Xcode needs to know who you are:

1. Go to Xcode → Settings → Accounts
2. Add your Apple ID if it's not there
3. In your project settings, under "Signing & Capabilities", select your Apple ID as the Team
4. Xcode will handle the rest

Run It

Press Cmd + R or click Play.

The first time, your iPhone might say "Untrusted Developer". Fix it:

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings → General → VPN & Device Management
2. Find your developer profile
3. Tap "Trust"

Try again. Your app should launch on your phone.

Use It for Real

Unplug the cable. The app stays on your phone.

Try using it for a day. Track some real habits. See how it feels. Notice what you'd change.

Checkpoint

By now you should have:

• App running on your real iPhone
• Developer profile trusted
• Using it untethered

What You Learned

• Running apps on real hardware
• Code signing basics
• The difference between simulator and real device
• Using your own creation daily

Exercises

1. Connect your iPhone, set your Apple ID as the Team under Signing & Capabilities, and run the app on your device.
2. If you hit "Untrusted Developer", trust your profile under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, then relaunch.
3. Unplug the cable and use HabitTracker for a full day with real habits — jot down one thing you'd change. You'll use that idea in Step 7.