Build an iOS application

The process of building an iOS application with Unity has two main steps:

1. Unity generates an Xcode project.
2. Xcode builds the generated project into the application.

For further information on how Unity builds iOS applications, refer to How Unity builds iOS applications.

Note: To build an iOS application locally, your development machine must run macOS as Xcode is available only on macOS devices. If you don’t have a macOS device, you can use Unity Build AutomationA continuous integration service for Unity projects that automates the process of creating builds on Unity’s servers. More info
See in Glossary to build your applications in the cloud.

Build an Xcode project from the Unity Editor

To build an Xcode project for iOS, use the following steps:

1. Select File > Build Settings.
2. From the list of platforms in the Platform pane, select iOS.
   
   Note: If iOS is unavailable, follow the steps in iOS environment setup.
3. Set any Build Settings your project requires.
4. Choose either Build or Build and Run. If you select Build and Run and use a macOS device, Xcode builds the generated project into the application and then installs the application to a connected iOS device.
5. Choose or create a directory for Unity to build the Xcode project in. If an Xcode project already exists in the target directory, an alert displays with options on how to proceed. For information on the options available, refer to Replace and append mode.

Tip: After you specify the target directory for the first time, you can use Cmd+B to build and run the application. Unity uses the Append mode to regenerate the Xcode project.

For more information on running an Xcode project in Xcode, refer to Building and running an app(Apple Developer).

Replace and append mode

If you build a project in a directory that already contains another Xcode project, Unity displays an alert and a choice on how to proceed. There are two options:

• Replace: Unity removes everything in the target Xcode project directory. It then generates the new Xcode project in the now empty directory.
• Append: Unity removes all files in the target Xcode project root directory and in the Data and Libraries subdirectories. It then fills these directories with newly generated Xcode project content. Unity then updates the Xcode project file according to the latest Unity project changes. Unity only supports this mode for the existing Xcode projects generated with the same Unity iOS version. You can store custom built-in code in the classes subdirectory, as files here aren’t removed.

Run an Xcode project from the command line

After Unity generates the Xcode project, you can build and run the Xcode project from the command line. To do this, use the following steps:

1. Open a Terminal window.
2. Navigate to the Xcode project directory.
3. Find the device ID of the device you want to run the application on. You can find this in Xcode under Window > Devices and Simulators.
4. Enter the following command into the Terminal where <device-id>is your device ID.

unity$ xcodebuild test -destination "platform=iOS,id=<device-id>" -scheme Unity-iPhone

Additional resources

• How Unity builds iOS applications
• Structure of a Unity Xcode project
• iOS Build Settings