Xcode: "This app could not be installed at this time."

Question

Working with my first application for learning purposes. It goes well but has met into a problem with Xcode. When I try to run the application on the iPhone simulator this message always pops up "This app could not be installed at this time."

What is wrong? There are no errors when trying to build the app. Has tried to clean the build. Reinstall pods. Restarted Xcode. Erased all settings on the simulator device, however, the problems still exist.

The error message does not give me any information. Is there another logfile I could look into or something?

What's wrong, you ask? Xcode is buggy. Quitting Xcode and restarting it often helps. — picciano, Dec 11 '17 at 20:12
Hah! I did find the soultion right after posting this post. The errors was something with a plist file. Found the error in the log file located at ~/Library/Logs/CoreSimulator/ — JoakimSjo, Dec 11 '17 at 20:16
@PureRushh Can you give more details? Maybe describe what happened as an answer to your own question. Might help someone else. — matt, Dec 11 '17 at 20:22
Check the running simulator,delete your app has installed at first.I resolve my problem throngh this way. — 杜彦恺, Oct 18 '18 at 09:01
Force Quit Simulator and Build And Run Xcode it's working !! — Yogesh Patel, Dec 26 '18 at 06:44

score 83 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 11 '17 at 20:49

83

I managed to find the problem. The problem was that I had added some keys to a property list file that was not valid. I found the error by looking in the log file that was located here: ~/Library/Logs/CoreSimulator/

answered Dec 11 '17 at 20:49

JoakimSjo

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Solved my problem which was due to localisation having stalled part way through leaving an Info.plist in the wrong place. – John Dec 14 '17 at 10:02
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Thanks, this was really helpful. Perhaps instead of giving us this useless and frustrating error message, Apple could suggest checking the simulator logs, even if it's left to the developer to identify the exact error. – todd412 Mar 21 '18 at 00:57
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My log had the underlying error that I had a bad key in `Info.plist`. THANK YOU! – Mr Rogers Apr 03 '18 at 20:26
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The file named: `CoreSimulator.log` in ~/Library/Logs/CoreSimulator/ directory. – Almas Adilbek Apr 27 '18 at 04:21
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Ran into this problem again. The simulator log in the Simulator app wasn't reporting any problems. `Simulator -> Debug -> Open System Log...`. Only going to `CoreSimulator.log` with `tail -f ~/Library/Logs/CoreSimulator/CoreSimulator.log` reported the problem. – Mr Rogers May 22 '18 at 17:35

score 79 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 20 '17 at 10:37

79

Reset the simulator:

Hardware -> Erase All content and settings...

Clean your project:

shift+cmd+K

shift+opt+cmd+K

This should fix your issue

answered Dec 20 '17 at 10:37

raed

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FWIW: I only had to clean the project for the app to install again. – technoplato Dec 31 '17 at 18:54
Fixed it for me. How annoying. – Ethan Jun 04 '18 at 18:08
@Ethan totally agree! Happy that I helped – raed Jun 04 '18 at 18:10
FWIW: I only had to reset the simulator for the app to install again :P – sleighty Nov 06 '19 at 21:30

Emy · Answer 3 · 2017-12-18T12:02:09.087

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I know the question has been answered but for others encountering the same issue I suggest following:

Check simulator logs, if its printing something useful. First, selecte simulator then from menu option open Debug -> Open System Logs.
Make sure only 1 simulator is running.
Delete the older version of app from the simulator.
If you importing a custom framework, make sure custom framework->bundle-id is not same as currentAppProject->bundle-id. If you are not sure then simply change the bundle-id of current project.
Also some of the simulators can be buggy -> Simply change the simulator, it may resolve the issue, for me changing the simulator worked.

edited Dec 18 '17 at 12:02

answered Dec 18 '17 at 10:23

Emy

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Deleting the old version of the app from the sim fixed it for me. – Matthew Crenshaw Dec 21 '17 at 03:33
For me the problem arise again. Actually, I was creating Umbrella framework and my both frameworks had same Bundle-Identifiers, changing the bundle id permanently fixed my issue. – Emy Dec 27 '17 at 14:00
In my case, I don't know how they different but the Objective-C project run OK, but Swift doesn't – quangkid Apr 20 '18 at 07:24
In my case "custom framework->bundle-id" was same to the target project. – Muhammad Umair Apr 24 '18 at 10:56

score 5 · Answer 4 · answered Feb 07 '18 at 17:45

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Found issue in ~/Library/Logs/CoreSimulator//MobileInstallation

WatchKit 2 app extension's NSExtension.NSExtensionAttributes.WKAppBundleIdentifier value does not match WatchKit app's bundle ID

answered Feb 07 '18 at 17:45

Antonioni

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Thanks for the tip. I had this issue after I changed the bundle id but for some reason inside the WKAppBundleIdentifier of the Apple Watch app and the Apple Watch extension the ID was not correct – marcomoreira92 Jul 03 '18 at 16:31

score 5 · Answer 5 · answered Feb 25 '18 at 23:12

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For anybody wasting time on this obscure error. If you don't have any relevant logs and all the other answers fail, you might check if you recently added a framework that for some reason (didn't investigated why) can't be embedded, only linked. Happened to me with GoogleMaps for iOS.

answered Feb 25 '18 at 23:12

Rad'Val

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If you try to use a symlink to a framework you can get this error. – sdsykes May 29 '18 at 19:57

score 5 · Answer 6 · answered Apr 03 '18 at 08:35

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I resolved this issue to remove DerivedData from Xcode Preferences. and also Restart the simulator from Hardware.

answered Apr 03 '18 at 08:35

Sonam Maniar

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score 5 · Answer 7 · edited Jun 07 '18 at 10:38

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rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/

edited Jun 07 '18 at 10:38

FelixSFD

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answered Jun 07 '18 at 10:36

lin

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Can you please explain your answer. – Pramod More Jun 07 '18 at 10:49
I think this is to do with Xcode caches; My error dialog message (the topic of this SO thread) included the details that something in a /caches/ folder could not be found; I recognized the command above from a while back (not sure if it was to solve the same problem) and ran it; fixed the problem for me; a useful command to keep in your xcode toolbox for sure. – Reece Dec 11 '18 at 20:01

Aleksi Sjöberg · Answer 8 · 2018-03-17T17:21:25.410

Changing the CFBundleShortVersionString in InfoPlist.strings to match the one in info.plist fixed this for me. I had to use the simulator's "Erase All Content and Settings" after making this change.

Trying to launch on a simulator with iOS 9.0 (instead of 11.2) gave this error instead, which helped me to find more answers on what's apparently the same issue:

The operation couldn’t be completed. (LaunchServicesError error 0.)

score 4 · Answer 9 · answered Apr 13 '18 at 05:14

I was seeing this on all simulators and all devices. Uninstalling the app would work once, but it continued to fail on me.

The fix was to wipe out all my project's pods:

pod deintegrate

And then re-install again:

pod install

This was with XCode 9.3 and iOS 11.2/11.3.

score 3 · Answer 10 · answered Jan 22 '18 at 04:59

3

Just restart simulator to fix it in my case.

answered Jan 22 '18 at 04:59

Luat Vu Dinh

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score 3 · Answer 11 · answered May 23 '18 at 13:32

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Occurred to me when I switched branches with another developer who was using a different version of CocoaPods , Deleting derived data folder worked !

answered May 23 '18 at 13:32

rustylepord

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i had a similar situation, deleting derived data worked for me as well – MikeG Sep 12 '18 at 21:11

score 2 · Answer 12 · answered Jan 04 '18 at 02:59

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Just quite the simulator and start again works for me. In my case the error always occur if I change the bundle identifier and run afterwards the iPhone X simulator.

answered Jan 04 '18 at 02:59

F.Strunk

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score 2 · Answer 13 · answered May 09 '18 at 22:47

I encountered this error, but it had nothing to do with my Info.plist or Cocoapods. I had mistakenly deleted a duplicate NotificationServiceExtension group in my Xcode project, which caused me to end up with a NotificationServiceExtension target that had no source files (I only need one source file to integrate/piggy-back off of the Urban Airship SDK's rich notifications).

After reverting the commit where I deleted the duplicate group and then deleting the correct duplicate group (the one that didn't list the source file as being part of the target), I was able to build and run just fine.

score 2 · Answer 14 · answered Sep 10 '18 at 01:55

To add a bit of additional info here. While Xcode is completely unhelpful about telling you why the app couldn't be installed, the console has quite good error messages. Just launch Console.app (Applications > Utilities > Console) and filter the output by installcoordinationd.

It'll give you something like this that describes the error:

installcoordinationd -[IXSCoordinatedAppInstall _onQueue_acquireAssertionAndDoInstall]_block_invoke: Installation for identifier:com.acme.location-thingy uuid:blah-blah-blah-foo intent:IXCoordinatorIntentInitiating creator/appDRI:InstallCoordination Simple SPI userInitiated:N state:IXAppCoordinationStateWaitingForInstall> failed: Error Domain=MIInstallerErrorDomain Code=99 "WatchKit v3 app has disallowed Info.plist key: NSLocationUsageDescription" UserInfo={LegacyErrorString=WatchKitAppIllegalInfoPlistKey, FunctionName=-[MIExecutableBundle hasOnlyAllowedWatchKitAppInfoPlistKeysForWatchKitVersion:error:], SourceFileLine=1841, NSLocalizedDescription=WatchKit v3 app has disallowed Info.plist key: NSLocationUsageDescription}

Hope this is helpful to someone!

score 2 · Answer 15 · answered Oct 12 '18 at 14:18

I encountered this error while developing my first WatchKit app. Followed guidance from @PureRushh, @Antonioni and others to dump the contents of:

~/Library/Logs/CoreSimulator/CoreSimulator.log

The log contents led me to the error. I'll include the details in case others encounter this error while developing WatchKit apps.

Log message:

com.apple.dt.Xcode[89555] : installApplication:withOptions:error:: Error Domain=IXUserPresentableErrorDomain Code=1 "This app could not be installed at this time." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=This app could not be installed at this time.,NSUnderlyingError=0x7f9ab87d1f20 {Error Domain=MIInstallerErrorDomain Code=101 "WatchKit 2.0 app's bundle ID com.somecompany.AirTime2.watchkitapp is not prefixed by the parent app's bundle ID followed by a '.'; expected prefix com.somecompany.AirTime."

Cause: I had modified the value associated with the BundleIdentifier key in the Info.plist (via General-> Bundle Identifier) of the parent app to match a URL Type (for SSO redirect); however, I failed to update the WatchKit App Info.plist value associated with the WKCompanionAppBundleIdentifier key (see second bold line).

Fix: Modify the WatchKit App Info.plist value for the key WKCompanionAppBundleIdentifier to agree with parent app's bundle ID

score 1 · Answer 16 · answered Dec 18 '17 at 22:42

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You may also want to look under Capabilities for your different targets. I ended up having an issue with my App ID

answered Dec 18 '17 at 22:42

joshuakcockrell

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score 1 · Answer 17 · answered Jan 05 '18 at 11:01

I got this error too. It all started a short time after I let Xcode update my project settings. Specifically on my CocoaPod sub-project. I removed the pods and reinstalled them and that solved my issue. Hope this works for you or others who find this question as well.

score 1 · Answer 18 · answered May 03 '18 at 00:03

Instead of restarting the simulator you can also just delete the app from the simulator. This error is caused when you have made your app ready for production and then attempt to build it on a phone. There are issues when you are trying to build the same app twice (this is also why you don't get this issue when you run in testing mode).

score 1 · Answer 19 · answered Jun 19 '18 at 09:58

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If you importing a custom framework, make sure custom framework->bundle-id is not same as currentAppProject->bundle-id. If you are not sure then simply change the bundle-id of current project. It works for me : )

answered Jun 19 '18 at 09:58

NSKevin

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score 1 · Answer 20 · answered Jun 26 '18 at 16:08

In my case, the message appeared when I was migrating from Cocoapods to Carthage and having the Firebase iOS SDK among my dependencies.

The issue was resolved when I realized that Firebase does NOT need to be among the frameworks that are copied in the carthage copy-frameworks phase.

For more on Firebase and Carthage, see the official documentation.

score 1 · Answer 21 · answered Jan 09 '19 at 11:12

I have faced the same problem like this. but nothing worked for me. Then i noticed one problem in my info.Plist file. The Executable file name was different compare to Schema name in Edit Schema. So make sure This both is same, then try to run your project. It should work.

score 1 · Answer 22 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

If someone is still facing this problem please check these steps. This usually happens when there is some error in your Info.plist. In my case, there were two Supported interface orientations entry.

Follow these steps and you will surely find the solution to this. Most of them are already mentioned above

Simulator > Device > Erase All Content & Settings
Remove duplicate entry of Supported interface orientation or check your plist file for any error
In your Xcode > Product > Clean Build Folder ( Cmd + Shift + K)
Just try to Build & Run the project

I hope you are able to fix this irritating problem after this.

Please check the reference image attached

score 0 · Answer 23 · answered Mar 19 '18 at 11:17

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I had this issue while working with Xcode 9.2. The solution is to simply delete the app and re-install it again.

answered Mar 19 '18 at 11:17

Jayprakash Dubey

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Once the app is installed it will not allow me to reinstall - so this doesn't work for me. – Ethan Jun 04 '18 at 18:00
@Ethan : Why so? – Jayprakash Dubey Jun 05 '18 at 05:18
To be clear i didn’t down vote. But this didn’t work for me. What ended up working was resetting the device and cleaning the build and the project – Ethan Jun 05 '18 at 05:20
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This answer is not wrong, one of the solutions of this issue. I also use it. – Yucel Bayram Jan 27 '20 at 12:24

Murray Sagal · Answer 24 · 2018-10-29T13:36:35.060

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This happened when I had an empty build number set for the target in Xcode 10.0.

edited Oct 29 '18 at 13:36

answered Oct 24 '18 at 21:17

Murray Sagal

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score 0 · Answer 25 · answered Dec 19 '18 at 07:33

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In my case i was trying to run a widget. Scheme settings for widget should be: Run -> Info -> Executable: "Ask on launch"

answered Dec 19 '18 at 07:33

ergunkocak

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score 0 · Answer 26 · edited Jan 17 '19 at 08:58

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Hi Guys just want to let you know that none of the above worked for me.

I was busy working, integrating a dynamic library into my project. I know that the library worked, so I didn't give it a second thought.W hat I did was just to delete the reference to MyLibrary1, recompiled MyLibrary1 and embedded again for a successful build. Hope this helps someone.

Regards Rolf

edited Jan 17 '19 at 08:58

ochs.tobi

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answered Jan 17 '19 at 06:25

Rolf Dubek

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score 0 · Answer 27 · answered May 15 '19 at 08:02

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I delete the files in ~/Library/Logs/CoreSimulator/ but problem still exist. Then I erase all contents and settings and it's ok!

answered May 15 '19 at 08:02

Yvan

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what does "erase all contents and settings" mean...? – Robbie Jan 17 '20 at 23:01
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@Robbie Simulator -> Hardware -> Erase all content and settings... – Yvan Jan 21 '20 at 08:12

score 0 · Answer 28 · answered Jun 19 '20 at 10:01

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When you use letters which is not the alphabet for Display name, this error might occur. For more information take a look at this. Xcode11でCould not hardlink copyってエラーが出る

answered Jun 19 '20 at 10:01

score 0 · Answer 29 · answered Jul 06 '20 at 20:55

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For me moving Xcode to Applications folder resolved the issue. If you did downloaded an Xcode from the web, consider doing so.

answered Jul 06 '20 at 20:55

Vladimir Kuzomenskyi

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score 0 · Answer 30 · answered Aug 11 '20 at 04:31

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Simply delete your application by your self in simulator and re run again. it worked for me.

answered Aug 11 '20 at 04:31

user1911959

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score 0 · Answer 31 · answered Aug 26 '20 at 03:49

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In my case, my app uses app display name in Vietnamese (contain some special characters). I removed old app installed in simulator, then change my app name with only alphabet characters, and it worked!

answered Aug 26 '20 at 03:49

Tà Truhoada

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score 0 · Answer 32 · answered Jun 30 '21 at 20:44

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In my case, the issue was creating a new target with a same bundle ID of an already existing one. After changing it, voila!

answered Jun 30 '21 at 20:44

Bektaş Kart

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Xcode: "This app could not be installed at this time."

32 Answers32

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