unable to locate DeviceSupport directory

[Robertbaelde]

When i run the command ionic cordova run ios --device, it fails with the following error message:

2017-06-08 14:09:23.954 ios-deploy[8886:63961] [ !! ] Unable to locate DeviceSupport directory. This probably means you don't have Xcode installed, you will need to launch the app manually and logging output will not be shown! Error: Error code 253 for command: ios-deploy with args: --justlaunch,--no-wifi,-d,-b,/Users/robert/code/bitscanapp/platforms/ios/build/device/bitscanapp.app

The full command ionic/cordova tries to execute: 'ios-deploy with args: --justlaunch,--no-wifi,-d,-b,/Users/robert/code/bitscanapp/platforms/ios/build/device/bitscanapp.app'

What could be the issue? I reinstalled cordova, ionic, npm and xcode..

System Specs

Please run the commands below in your Terminal.app and include it in the issue. Check when done and include results below.

• 1. system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType
  system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType
  Software:

  System Software Overview:

  System Version: macOS 10.12.4 (16E195)
  Kernel Version: Darwin 16.5.0
  Boot Volume: Macintosh HD
  Boot Mode: Normal
  Computer Name: MacBook Pro van Robert
  User Name: Robert Baelde (robert)
  Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled
  System Integrity Protection: Enabled
  Time since boot: 44 minutes
  

• 2. ios-deploy -V
  1.9.1

• 3. xcodebuild -version
  Xcode 8.3.3
  Build version 8E3004b

• 4. xcode-select --print-path
  /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

• 5. gcc --version
  Configured with: --prefix=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr --with-gxx-include-dir=/usr/include/c++/4.2.1
  Apple LLVM version 8.1.0 (clang-802.0.42)
  Target: x86_64-apple-darwin16.5.0
  Thread model: posix
  InstalledDir: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin

• 6. lldb --version
  lldb-370.0.42
  Swift-3.1

[larssn]

There was an update yesterday I think, Xcode 8.3.3. I have the same problem as a result.

[trumbitta]

@Robertbaelde could you fix the typo in the issue title? It's making searches for that same error message fail :)

[thegreatsunra]

Same issue here with a very similar system configuration as @Robertbaelde.

I am able to build my Cordova app manually to a targeted device from within Xcode, but cordova run ios --device throws a Unable to locate DeviceSupport directory error.

$ system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType

Software:

    System Software Overview:

      System Version: macOS 10.12.5 (16F73)
      Kernel Version: Darwin 16.6.0
      Boot Volume: Macintosh HD
      Boot Mode: Normal
      Computer Name: Swiftcurrent
      User Name: Dane Petersen (dane)
      Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled
      System Integrity Protection: Enabled
      Time since boot: 2 days 4:48

$ ios-deploy -V      
               
1.9.1

$ xcodebuild -version

Xcode 8.3.3
Build version 8E3004b

$ xcode-select --print-path

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

$ gcc --version

Configured with: --prefix=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr --with-gxx-include-dir=/usr/include/c++/4.2.1
Apple LLVM version 8.1.0 (clang-802.0.42)
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin16.6.0
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin

$ lldb --version

lldb-370.0.42
  Swift-3.1

[larssn]

The change notes for Xcode 8.3.3 says:

Installing Device Support

Run from the command-line, Xcode.app takes the new command-line argument, -installComponents. When Xcode is run from a command-line script with this option, it installs the required device support packages and then quits. (15127411)

However, I haven't been able to make it work.
Doing open -a Xcode --args -installComponents and following the on-screen instructions is all fine and dandy, but it doesn't help, in my case.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

[thegreatsunra]

@larssn Good snooping. open -a Xcode --args -installComponents didn't work for me either.

Xcode opened a dialog box prompting me to "Enable Accessibility access for UI Testing", but no matter what I did, cordova run ios --device continued to throw the same Unable to locate DeviceSupport directory error.

[magnushakansson]

I managed to get it to work by creating a symbolic link in /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport

sudo ln -s 10.3.1\ \(14E8301\)/ 10.3

[trumbitta]

@magnushakansson your fix is not working for me. Can you share more about how you chose the 10.3 value?

[magnushakansson]

I have a machine without the update to 8.3.3 (previous version 8.3.2) and there I have a 10.3 folder. I'm a bit surprised it worked but I have done it on two separate machines and both work well.
You must of course make sure you have the "10.3.1 (14E8301)" folder otherwise you need to change command accordingly.

[trumbitta]

I have that folder, but using 10.3 as the name of the link didn't make any difference :-/

[trumbitta]

Using 10.3.2, the exact version of my target device, did the trick.

So for me it was:

sudo ln -s 10.3.1\ \(14E8301\)/ 10.3.2

[tiagosarmentosantos]

Through a series of events I made ios-deploy to work again, though I am not sure due to which.
This were the actions taken on my side:

1 - I tried the softlink workaround, as proposed by @magnushakansson and @trumbitta, but without success in my case:
$ sudo ln -s 10.3.2\ (14F89)/ 10.3\ (14E269)

2 - Update of iTunes
My iOS Devices weren't being seen by iTunes this morning. I tried several device reboots, unplug->plug USB cable in different ports, all without success. Then I decided to update iTunes, which had no effect in iOS devices discovery.

3 - Update iOS Sierra to 10.12.5
Did an update of iOS Sierra to the latest version, this required a hard-reboot. Since then ios-deploy is back to normal.

Some system and tech details:

• iTunes version is 12.6.1.25
• iOS Sierra version 10.12.5
• iPhone7 iOS 10.3.2 (14F89)
• XCode 8.3.2 (8E2002)

$ ll /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Feb 2 17:23 10.2
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 9.2
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 9.1
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 9.0
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 8.4
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 8.3
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 8.2
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 8.1
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 8.0
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 10.1
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 10.0
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Apr 24 12:39 9.3
drwxrwxr-x 4 root wheel 136 Jun 9 11:10 '10.3 (14E269)'

$ ios-deploy -V
2.0.0

$ xcodebuild -version
Xcode 8.3.2
Build version 8E2002

$ xcode-select --print-path
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

$ gcc --version
Configured with: --prefix=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr --with-gxx-include-dir=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.12.sdk/usr/include/c++/4.2.1
Apple LLVM version 8.1.0 (clang-802.0.42)
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin16.6.0
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin

$ lldb --version
lldb-370.0.42
Swift-3.1

[trumbitta]

@Tiagosarmento the lastest available release of ios-deploy is 1.9.1. Did you install it from sources?

[tiagosarmentosantos]

@trumbitta Yes, I forgot about that point, we build it from sources.

[rodrigosiqueiradev]

Hey guys, going into /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform
I've found out that there was a folder named (10.3.1). My real device version was (10.3.2) so that didn't work, what I did that solved this problem: Renamed the folder with version name (10.3.1) -> (10.3).
After doing that, ios-deploy started working again.