Apparition

Sideloading that lives on the device itself.

Apparition installs apps from AltStore sources, signs them right on your Apple device with your own Apple ID, and keeps them refreshed. Set it up from a computer once. After that, the device takes care of itself.

Works today on Apple Vision Pro. iPhone and iPad are planned.

Get Apparition See how it works

Free and open source under the MIT license.

Three steps, and only the first needs a computer

Shown here for Apple Vision Pro, the platform Apparition supports today.

  1. Install it once from a computer

    Download Apparition Installer for Windows, macOS or Linux. On the headset, open Settings > General > Remote Devices and pair over Wi-Fi with the PIN it shows. The installer signs Apparition and puts it on your Vision Pro.

    The installer is a command-line tool today. A guided app is on its way.

  2. Sign in on the headset

    Sign in with your Apple ID, or import your own developer certificate. When the installer set things up, Apparition can reuse the same signing certificate, so the two don't each take one of a free account's slots.

  3. Install apps, and let them refresh

    Add a source and install from it, right on the headset. A daily Shortcuts automation re-signs your apps before they expire.

What it does

Sources you already use
Add AltStore and SideStore sources, or point at a GitHub repo for apps that only publish release files, like UTM's visionOS build.
Signing on the device
Apps are signed on your Vision Pro with your own Apple ID. Your password goes straight to Apple, and can stay in the headset's Keychain so refreshes run without you.
Refresh with Shortcuts
The Refresh Apps action re-signs whatever expires within three days. Run it from a daily automation, or ask Siri. Apps keep their files on the headset, so a refresh needs no download and your app data stays put.
Launch with JIT
Open apps like UTM with debugger-prepared JIT from the headset: from Apparition, a shortcut, or Siri.
Your own certificate
With a paid developer account, import a .p12 and provisioning profiles. Apps then sign for as long as the profile lasts, usually a year, with no sign-in and no free-account limits.
Companion relay
Apparition Companion, on your Mac's menu bar or a PC, relays the headset's connection in place of LocalDevVPN. It only carries encrypted traffic. Put the headset on Tailscale and a companion at home keeps signing and JIT working from anywhere.

Requirements and honest limits

What do I need?

Today, an Apple Vision Pro, and a Windows, macOS or Linux computer on the same Wi-Fi for the first install. To sign apps you need an Apple ID or your own developer certificate. Refreshing and launching with JIT need Apparition Companion or LocalDevVPN.

What are the limits of a free Apple ID?

Apple allows 3 sideloaded apps and 10 App IDs per week on a free account, and apps signed with it have to be re-signed every 7 days. That's the reason Apparition refreshes them. A paid developer certificate lifts these limits for as long as its profile lasts.

What is an anisette server, and which one should I use?

Signing in to Apple needs an anisette server, and Apparition doesn't ship a default. Enter the address of one you trust, or host your own with the Docker Compose file in the repository; Apparition Companion can start it for you. The server sees the headset's anisette identity and IP address, never your Apple ID or password.

My Apple ID uses security keys. Can I still use it?

Not for signing. Create a separate free Apple ID for sideloading and sign in with that.

Will my apps refresh on their own?

Apparition asks visionOS for background time, but that isn't dependable. A daily Shortcuts automation is: pick a time you usually wear the headset, add Refresh Apps, and turn on Remember password. When a refresh can't run, the action says why.

Does it work on iPhone or iPad?

Not yet. Apple Vision Pro is the platform that works today; iPhone, iPad and other Apple platforms are planned.

Is it on the App Store?

No. Apparition is sideloaded, open source under the MIT license, and not affiliated with Apple.

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