Compiled releases: iOS

Requirements ​

• macOS with Xcode 26 or newer.
• XcodeGen generates the Xcode project. Yours is used if it is installed; otherwise the compiler downloads a pinned release once into ~/Library/Caches/nativescript, checked against its published checksum.
• The app runs on iOS 17 and later. A lower deployment target in build.xcconfig is raised, and the build says so. Compiled releases are checked on iOS 26.

Build, sign, run ​

ns build ios --compiled                     # simulator .app
ns build ios --compiled --for-device        # archive and .ipa
ns run ios --compiled                       # build, install and launch

--team-id signs automatically and --provision signs with a profile. Without either, the archive and .ipa are unsigned, with a warning. The app id is your project's id, so the store steps are the same as for a JavaScript release.

Simulator builds compile only your Mac's architecture. Installing a compiled build over a JavaScript build of the same app on a simulator keeps stale files from the old bundle: uninstall first, or use another simulator.

The Xcode project ​

platforms/compiled/ios is an ordinary Xcode project you can open, build, run, profile and debug in Xcode. It is regenerated on every build, so don't edit it.

• Swift 6, main-actor isolated. The kit and your compiled code build in the Swift 6 language mode with MainActor as the default isolation. Native code that calls into your code from another thread goes through entry points that hand the call to the main thread.
• Your own Swift. Swift in App_Resources/iOS/src is compiled into the app and called from your TypeScript as before. An app that has its own Swift builds in the Swift 5 language mode, still main-actor isolated and with the Swift 6 checks the generated code needs, so your code doesn't have to be Swift 6 ready.
• App_Resources carry over as the CLI carries them: Info.plist and entitlements merged with plugins', asset catalogs, the launch screen, build.xcconfig, PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy, fonts, Podfiles and Swift packages. Widgets and Live Activities in App_Resources/iOS/extensions become their own targets.
• Plugins' native code (Swift, Objective-C, .xcframeworks, CocoaPods, Swift packages) is linked unchanged.

Crashes and debugging ​

Every compiled statement carries the TypeScript file and line it came from (a Swift #sourceLocation). So:

• the archive's dSYM symbolicates crash reports to your .ts, .vue, .tsx or .svelte lines. Upload it to your crash reporter (Sentry, Crashlytics, App Store Connect) as for any iOS app;
• Xcode's debugger shows and steps through the same lines.

error.stack lists native frames, such as symbol (App+0x1a2b3c). Resolve one with the dSYM:

atos -o App.app.dSYM/Contents/Resources/DWARF/App -l 0x100000000 0x1001a2b3c

Uncaught errors go to Application.uncaughtErrorEvent and are logged as ***** Fatal JavaScript exception *****. With uncaughtErrorPolicy: 'throw' the app then ends with a native exception that crash reporters record.

ns debug and Chrome DevTools need the JavaScript runtime, so they stay with development builds.

Build times ​

Measured on a blank app, 2026-10-13. The first build compiles NativeScriptKit as well.