Xcode error “Could not find Developer Disk Image”

Question

When attempting to run a build on a connected iOS device in Xcode I get the error:

Could not find Developer Disk Image

I saw that there was a public beta for Xcode, so I installed it.

One of the new features is that you don't need to have a Developer Program Account Dingus to upload your app directly to your iPhone.

However, on my iPhone 4s, I also did a public beta update to iOS 8.4, problem being, that there's no Developer Disk Image available for it.

Where do I to find it or how can it be fixed?

Answer 1

I am facing the same issue on Xcode 7.3 or Older version of your Xcode and my device version is iOS 10 or newer version of your OS.

This error is shown when your Xcode is old and the related device you are using is updated to latest version.

We can solve this issue by following the below steps:

Method 1:-

• Right click on Xcode 7.3 or version of your Xcode, now select "Show Package Contents", "Contents", "Developer", "Platforms","iPhoneOS.Platform", "Device Support".

• Now check there is latest version of developer disk image(folder) like 12.1 or newest version(folder) in your case. Copy the latest version and Paste in the same Folder Device Support.

• In my case I have 12.1 is the latest folder. Now it will generate the copy of that version like 12.1 copy or newest version(folder)copy in your case.

• Now Change the name of copy folder to your latest version of iPhone like. In mine case, I have 12.1(Folder)copy and rename it into 12.4. As you can see in the above screenshot. You can change it according to your latest version of phone. I need it for 12.4 so i just rename the folder to 12.4.

• Now your Xcode has a new developer disk image. Close the finder now, and quit your Xcode. Open your Xcode and the error will be gone. Now you can connect your latest device to old Xcode versions.

                        **OR**
  

Method 2:-

First of all, download the latest Xcode Version. No Need to install the latest Xcode.

We can solve this issue by following the below steps:

• Right click on Xcode 8 or Newer version of your Xcode, select "Show Package Contents", "Contents", "Developer", "Platforms", "iPhoneOS.Platform", "Device Support"
• Copy the 10.0 folder (or above for later version).
• Back in Finder select Applications again
• Right click on Xcode 7.3 or version of your Xcode, now select "Show Package Contents", "Contents", "Developer", "Platforms", "iPhoneOS.Platform", "Device Support"
• Paste the 10.0 folder (or above for later version).

Now your Xcode has a new developer disk image. Close the finder now, and quit your Xcode. Open your Xcode and the error will be gone. Now you can connect your latest device to old Xcode versions.

OR

If you can't download the latest Xcode, you can get the latest Developer Disk Image for your Xcode from this link:-

https://github.com/Yatko/iOS-device-support-files

Thanks to Yatko. So that people can download the latest DMGs.

Answer 2

For people who would have similar problems in the future, beware that this problem is fundamentally rooted in the mismatch of your iOS version and Xcode version.

Check the compatibility of iOS and Xcode.

Answer 3

I personally downloaded Xcode 6.4 beta and 7.0 beta and I was very happy to find the solution by searching "8.4" inside the application folder of the 6.4 beta. By doing this, I found the folder 8.4 (12H4125a) containing the iOS 8.4 image and I copied this folder to the same path of the 7.0 beta. The path is the following:

/Applications/Xcode-beta.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport 

When you will reopen Xcode 7 and choose your device, there will be an error message; just click on fix issue and that should do it!

Answer 4

This error occurs when the version of Xcode predates that of the device.

For example, attempting to run a build on a device running iOS 9.3 in Xcode 7.2 results in this error; Could not find Developer Disk Image.

Why an error message that actually describes what the hell is going on can't be provided is beyond me (Apple, I'm looking at you 👀).

Update to the latest version of Xcode through the App Store or via direct download to guarantee interoperability with connected iOS hardware.

Answer 5

If you're using old Xcode and want to run onto devices with new version of iOS, then do this trick. This basically make a symbolic link from iOS Device Support in new Xcode to old Xcode

https://gist.github.com/steipete/d9b44d8e9f341e81414e86d7ff8fb62d

For Xcode 9.0 beta and iOS 11.0 beta (name your Xcode9.app for Xcode 9 beta and Xcode.app for Xcode 8)

sudo ln -s "/Applications/Xcode9.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/11.0\ \(15A5278f\)" "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport"

Answer 6

My problem was with Xcode 7 and Xcode 6.4 beta and iOS 8.4 - device not compatible.

In case of the same problem for better understanding how to fix, do next:

1. Go to /Applications/Xcode-beta.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport
2. Go to
   /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSup‌​port/
3. Copy folder iOS 8.4 in another folder

4. Restart Xcode

Answer 7

If you have iOS 9.1 on your phone, just download Xcode 7.1 beta instead of using GM.

See Apple's response: Could not find developer disk image for iOS 9.1

Answer 8

I got the same error message (Couldn't find developer disk image) after I updated my devices to iOS 9.2, but forgot to update to Xcode 7.2.

So in my case, the fix was easy: just update to Xcode 7.2 via Mac App Store.

Answer 9

This message appears when your version of Xcode is too old for the device's version of iOS. Upgrade Xcode to the latest.

If the App Store doesn't offer an update for Xcode, upgrade to the latest Mac OS. In the past, Apple has been rather aggressive about dropping support for past versions of Mac OS X in the latest Xcode.

EDIT: yes, this error started popping up all over again. :) Xcode 7.3.1, which is the latest one that's available for MacOS 10.11 (El Capitan), doesn't support iOS 10. You need MacOS Sierra (and possibly a new Mac).

Answer 10

I just got this, and I'm on Xcode 7.2.1... It appeared when I downloaded iOS 9.3. Check your Project -> Base SDK and if it isn't the same or ahead of your device version, then that's the issue. I didn't see anything in the "Updates" section, but when I searched "Xcode" in the App Store it had an update for 7.3.

Upgrading to iOS 9.3 and Xcode 7.3 requires Mac OS X v10.11 (El Capitan) for Xcode to run, and that's why auto update isn't upgrading Xcode versions.

Answer 11

This problem is a mismatch of your iOS version and Xcode version.

Example:

You have an iPhone with iOS 9.3 GM and your Xcode version is 7.2.1. This leads to the issue that you have to update your Xcode to 7.3 which includes SDKs and related stuff for iOS 9.3.

Answer 12

There actually is a way to deploy to a device running a newer iOS that the particular version of Xcode might not actually support. What you need to do is copy over the folder that contains the Developer Disk Image from the newer version of Xcode.

For example, you can deploy to a device running iOS 9.3 using Xcode 7.2.1 (which only supports up to iOS 9.2) using this method. Go to the Xcode 7.3 install and navigate to:

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport

From here, copy over the folder that contains the version you are trying to run on the older version of Xcode (for this example, it's 9.3 with the build number in parenthesis). Copy this folder over to the other install of Xcode, and now you should be able to deploy to a device running that particular version of iOS.

This will fail, however, if you're utilizing API calls that were specifically added to the newer version of the SDK. In that case, you will be forced to update Xcode.

Answer 13

I have experienced the same issue:

Could not find Developer Disk Image

My Xcode version was 7.0.1, and I updated my iPhone's version to 9.2, and upon using Xcode I ran into this problem.

The solution is pretty simple: Just download the latest version of Xcode 7.2 which was released on 8 Dec, 2015 and install it. Everything works fine for you as it was before.

Note: The actual problem is your Xcode version is not compatible/outdated with the version on your device.

Answer 14

This error is shown when your Xcode installation is too old and the related device you are using is updated to latest version.

There are multiple ways to solve this issues.

1. Update your Xcode installation.

This is by far the simplest method. Just update your Xcode installation to the latest stable version and things would start working again.

Note: Please update your OS as well if Xcode doesn't support your current OS. Which brings us to...

2. Manually copying Device Disk Image. No update needed.

This is the clever way around. You don't have to update your Xcode installation or your OS for this.

First open the XCode.dmg and select Show Package Contents.

Phase 1: Getting the downloaded Xcode ready.

Steps:

1. Download the latest Xcode.dmg from Developer portal.
2. Select the downloaded Xcode.dmg and right click on it.
3. In the options, select Open With → DiskImageMounter.
4. Now in Finder, open the Xcode disk.
5. In the disk, right click on Xcode.
6. Select Show Package Contents.

Now, a new finder window opens. Follow the instructions below to copy the disk image.

Phase 2: Copying the Developer Disk Image.

Steps:

1. In the new finder, go to Contents.
2. Inside Contents, Go to Developer.
3. Inside Developer, go to Platform.
   Now select the desired platform. For our purpose, we are going to update iOS disk image only.
4. Inside Platform, go to Device Support.
5. Inside Device Support, you'll find a lot of disk images. This includes the latest device disk images as well.
6. Copy all the folders inside Device Support. Select all and then copy.

Note: For step 6, You can copy the disk image you want to copy as well, i.e. copy the latest only. It's the last folder in the hierarchy here.

This ends the Phase 2, Copying the disk image. Now in the next phase, we will update the developer disk image of our Xcode installed on our device.

Phase 3: Upadting the Xcode's developer disk image.

Now, close all the finder windows for faster operation and less confusion.

We are now going to update our Xcode's disk image for iOS Platform.

Steps:

1. Close the Xcode application if it is open.
2. Open a new finder window.
3. Select the primary partition if you have multiple partitions.
4. Go to Applications.
5. Find XCode and right click on it.
6. Select Show Package Contents.

Finder window updates or opens a new window with Contents as the main directory.

7. Select Contents.
8. Inside Contents, select Developer.
9. Now, select Platforms.
   10. Now, select iPhoneOS.platform.
   11. Inside iPhoneOS.platform, go to Device Support.
   12. Inside Device Support, select all the files and Move to Trash.

Note: SKIP step 12 if you copied only the latest disk image i.e. the last folder in the hierarchy.

Now, Paste the developer disk image we copied from Phase 2 here.

13. Final Step, right click and Paste here.

If everything worked properly, your Xcode has new developer disk image. Close the finder now, and open Xcode. The error should be gone by now.

Reminder: Don't forget to unmount the Xcode now from finder as well.

Answer 15

It works, in my case for Xcode from 7.3 TO 7.1. Copy directory 9.2, for iOS device OS 9.2.1.

Answer 16

As others suggested, this issue is caused by an incompatible iOS version (which is higher than the maximum version that Xcode supports). Normally it can be addressed by updating Xcode, but sometimes you may be restricted to do so, hence here's another workaround.

Head to developer.apple.com/downloads (or google similar stuff if this link dies) to grab the newest Xcode dmg image manually, and then mount it. If you're doing this already, the new Xcode is not likely working for you, but you can cp /Volumes/Xcode/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/NEW_IOS_VERSION /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/ to copy the image you want into the old Xcode you've installed.

Of course it's not guaranteed to work for future versions, but it's definitely worth trying. For me, my iOS version is 9.3.1 (13E238), but I copied 9.3 (13E230), and it works just fine.

Answer 17

This happens when your Xcode version doesn't have a necessary component to build the application to your target OS. You should update your Xcode.

If you are building a new application for a beta OS version that no stable Xcode version is able to build, you should download the newest Xcode beta version.

I also had this problem. I was using Xcode 7.3 for my iOS 10 beta iPhone, so I went to install Xcode 8-beta, and I did the following step to continue using the stable version of Xcode with new build tool:

Just like @onmyway133 answer, but more user-friendly is after finish installing the Xcode 8-beta version, go to Xcode 7.3 preferences (Cmd + ,), go to the tab locations, change the Command Line Tools to Xcode 8 in the dropdown list.

I successfully built to both iOS simulator 9.3 and my device iOS 10 beta using Xcode 7.3.

Answer 18

This problem is fundamentally rooted in the mismatch of your iOS version and Xcode version.

Check the compatibility of iOS and Xcode.

Go To Application folder (In finder) -> right click on Xcode -> click on show package contents -> Double click contents folder -> Double click developers folder -> Double click platforms folder -> Double click iPhoneOS.platform folder -> Double click device support folder -> then add latest developer disk image.

Or

Download Latest version of Xcode.

Answer 19

For iOS 10 beta 7, add the following link on the command line:

sudo ln -s /Applications/Xcode-beta.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/10.0\ \(14A5339a\) /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport

Answer 20

I have also faced this issue, and I'm on Xcode 7.2.

It appeared when I downloaded iOS 9.3.

Check your Project -> Base SDK and if it isn't the same or ahead of your device version, then that's the issue.

I didn't see anything in the "Updates" section, but when I searched "Xcode" in the App Store it had an update for 7.3. Upgrading to iOS 9.3 and Xcode 7.3 requires Mac OS X v10.11 (El Capitan) for Xcode to run, and that's why auto update isn't upgrading Xcode versions.

Answer 21

Just my two cents for iOS 10 (under NDA, but for people that can use it legally...)

• Copying full folder (as other people said) works
• Symbolic link seems not.

This was tested using Xcode 7.3 (std from Store) AND iPhone 6Plus with 10.0 (14A5261v).

Answer 22

by the way it DOES work even in Xcode Version 8.3.1 (8E1000a) adding an image for iOS 11 beta. I added 11.0 (15A5278f) inside

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/

and works with my iPhone 7plus with new iOS 11 beta.

Answer 23

New Updates for iOS Device Support file. Don't need to update Xcode.

You just need to add support file to Xcode's DeviceSupport folder.

iOS 11.3 Developer Disk Image

iOS 11.4 Developer Disk Image

iOS 12.0 Developer Disk Image

iOS 12.1 Developer Disk Image

iOS 12.2 Developer Disk Image

iOS 12.3 Developer Disk Image

iOS 12.3.1 Developer Disk Image

iOS 13.0 Developer Disk Image

Extract the zip and then copy folder.

Paste this folder in this path

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport

Quit the Xcode and restart, it will work.

Answer 24

You can add any iOS version to support with iOS DiskImage to you Xcode from Xcode-iOS-Developer-Disk-Image repository

1. Download which version you need from specified repository
2. Quit Xcode
3. Open Applications folder
4. Right click you Xcode.app and choose Show Package Contents menu
5. Go to /Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport
6. Create folder with name specified in repository and put DeveloperDiskImage.dmg and DeveloperDiskImage.dmg.signature files
7. Run Xcode

Disk image must be in folder like this: