You’ve got an .ipa file on your computer and you want it running on your iPhone. Sideloadly is the tool most people end up using for that, mostly because it just keeps working. This guide covers the whole thing: installing Sideloadly, signing an app with a free Apple ID, getting it to actually open on the phone, and dealing with the seven-day timer afterwards.
What Sideloadly is, and who it suits
Sideloadly is a free desktop app for Windows and macOS. You give it an IPA and your Apple ID, and it signs the app and installs it on your iPhone over USB or Wi-Fi. Its developer is quick to follow Apple: version 0.71.0 came out on October 18, 2026 with a faster signing engine and login fixes, and the app is confirmed working on iOS 26 and iOS 27.
It’s a good fit if you don’t mind plugging your phone into a computer now and then. Maybe you want an emulator that isn’t on the App Store, like MeloNX, or you’re testing an app you built yourself. If you’d rather never touch a computer after the first day, SideStore refreshes apps on the phone instead, at the cost of a fiddlier setup. On Linux, or for LiveContainer, whose developers don’t support Sideloadly, Impactor is the better pick. The full comparison of no-jailbreak methods covers the rest.
What you need
- An iPhone or iPad. No jailbreak.
- A Windows 10 or 11 PC, or a Mac.
- A decent USB cable. Cheap cables are behind a surprising number of failed installs.
- An Apple ID. Plenty of people use a secondary one, since you’re typing the password into a third-party app.
- The .ipa file, from the app’s developer or a source you trust. Sideloadly signs whatever you hand it.
Windows users, there’s one requirement that catches almost everyone. Sideloadly needs the desktop versions of iTunes and iCloud downloaded from Apple’s website, not the Microsoft Store versions. If you have the Store ones, uninstall them first. On a Mac you don’t need either.
Installing an IPA with Sideloadly
Sideloadly picks up the connected iPhone and signs with the Apple ID you type in.
- Download Sideloadly from the official site, sideloadly.io, and run the installer.
- Plug in your iPhone. The first time, the phone asks “Trust This Computer?”. Tap Trust and enter your passcode, and the device appears in Sideloadly.
- Load the IPA by dragging it onto the window or clicking the IPA icon. The app’s name and bundle ID show up once it’s loaded.
- Type your Apple ID into the Apple Account field.
- Click Start. Sideloadly asks for your password, and if you use two-factor authentication, a code will pop up on another Apple device. Type it in.
- Wait a minute or two. Sideloadly signs the app, uploads it and installs it. A big app or a slow connection takes longer. When the icon shows up on your Home Screen, you’re nearly there.
- Trust the profile. The app won’t open yet. On the iPhone, go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, tap your Apple ID under Developer App, and tap Trust.
- Turn on Developer Mode if iOS asks. On iOS 16 and later, sideloaded apps won’t open until Settings > Privacy & Security > Developer Mode is on. The phone restarts, and after it boots you confirm once more.
IPA loaded, “Apple ID Sideload” selected. Press Start and Sideloadly handles the rest.
After the first wired install, Sideloadly can reach the phone over Wi-Fi as long as both are on the same network. That makes re-signing later a lot less annoying.
When things go wrong
The app won’t open after installing. Either the profile isn’t trusted yet (step 7) or Developer Mode is off (step 8). On recent iOS it’s nearly always one of the two.
It stops working after a week. Free Apple IDs get a seven-day signature, full stop. Sideloadly has an auto-refresh feature that re-signs apps in the background, but only while your computer is on, Sideloadly is running and the phone is reachable. If that’s not realistic, plug in and run the install again with the same IPA.
You can’t add a fourth app. Free accounts can have three sideloaded apps on a device at once. Delete one, or use a different Apple ID. A paid developer account ($99 a year) lifts the limit and makes signatures last a year.
Signing fails after a busy session. Free accounts can also only register 10 new App IDs per week. Deleting apps doesn’t give them back, they expire on their own about a week later.
Signing fails for one specific app. A free Apple ID can’t sideload an app that uses the same bundle ID as an app on the App Store. Some IPAs need their bundle ID changed in Sideloadly’s advanced options first.
Password rejected even though it’s right. Usually it’s two-factor authentication. Make sure you enter the code from your trusted device when Sideloadly asks for it. Login problems were also a focus of the October 2026 update, so check you’re on the latest version.
“Device not trusted” halfway through. Unplug, plug back in and tap Trust again. If it keeps happening, swap the cable.
Would you rather never involve a computer? Esign and similar on-device signers install IPAs from the phone using a certificate instead.
Removing a sideloaded app
Delete it from the Home Screen like any other app. That removes the app but can leave its signing profile behind, so pop into Settings > General > VPN & Device Management and remove the leftover profile too. To get the app back later, just sign and install it again.
FAQ
Does Sideloadly work on iOS 27?
Yes. The developer has confirmed it working on iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, and the October 2026 release (0.71.0) is the one to use.
Does my iPhone have to stay plugged in?
Only for the first install. After that, Sideloadly can see the phone over Wi-Fi when both devices share a network, as long as your computer is on and Sideloadly is running when a refresh is due.
Why does the app stop opening after seven days?
That’s how long Apple signs apps for on a free account. Re-sign it, keep auto-refresh running, or pay for a developer account to get a year per signature.
Should I use my main Apple ID?
You can. Recent versions support two-factor authentication and even Advanced Data Protection. But since you’re entering your password into a third-party app, a lot of people keep a separate Apple ID just for this.
Once you’ve done it a couple of times, the whole thing takes about five minutes. Leave auto-refresh on if your computer is usually running, and a forgotten re-sign becomes the exception rather than a weekly chore.
