Yesterday I struggled with the problem that my iPad mini 5, updated with the latest iPadOS version, did not know how the “Developer Mode” toggle in “Privacy and Security.”
Neither ChatGPT nor Google Search provided a direct solution, so I had to experiment. I was in the following situation:
- XCode could see my iPad, and it seemed on its end the only problem was that the iPad had no “Developer Mode” enabled
- The iPad, on the other hand, could see my Mac M1 and was working without any issues with it. However, it did not show the “Developer Mode” switch in the menu where it was supposed to be.
I tried restarting the device (as suggested by the “No Developer Mode option on iOS 16 device.” article at Apple Developer), but nothing worked.
After some back and forth, it seems what fixed the problem was Unpairing the device from the Mac. In my “Devices and Simulators” screen, I right-clicked the iPad and chose “ Unpair Device “:
Once I did that, on the next connection with the cable, the iPad immediately asked me if I trusted this computer, and then I (again) said that I trusted it. Then I saw that the option appeared on the iPad menu:
After that, I went through the standard process of enabling the Developer mode without any additional hassle:
- Toggle the Developer Mode switch;
- Restart the device;
- Answer again that it’s OK to enable the Developer Mode;
- Wait for Xcode to finish preparing the device.
And there it was:
Happy coding!
Originally published at https://doncho.net on November 29, 2023.
