Xcode: Could not locate device support files

Question

As I am trying to run my application from a newly updated Xcode 8 to my iPhone 4 which is running iOS 7.1.2, it throws the below error,

And, this is my Xcode version,

How can I fix this problem?

Answer 1

Actually, there is a way. You just need to copy the DeviceSupport folder for iOS 7.1 from the older Xcode to the new one. It's located in:

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/7.1

If you don't have the 7.1 files anymore, you can download a previous version of Xcode, extract it, and then copy these files to following path

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/

Credit

Answer 2

You need device support from a previous version of Xcode (7.3.1).

I would recommend to use Xcode::Install.

When you install Xcode 7, you should link support files to Xcode 8:

sudo ln -s /Applications/Xcode-7.3.1.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/7.* \
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/

Answer 3

I had a similar problem because the App Store version was missing iOS 10.1 support in Xcode 8 and they haven't rolled out an update yet.

This caused the "Xcode: Could not locate device support files" problem. You can download the latest update and it is more current and supports iOS 10.1 (14B72c).

Answer 4

If you have Xcode 8.1 and iOS 10.2, update Xcode manually to 8.2.1.

For some reason, App Store didn't offer this update.

Answer 5

I am having the same exact issue with iOS 10.3 and Xcode 8.2.1. I'm not going to download the new Xcode beta just to fix this. Come on Apple!

To anyone reading this, you have to go to the download page and get the latest version, which might even be the beta, if the stable release doesn't work.

In the future, I would be aware if you update iOS on your devices you may break the Xcode/iOS version, so update wisely if you want to keep testing on it without jumping through the hoops that Apple makes.

Answer 6

1. Download and mount Xcode_7.3.1.dmg. I first wondered if it could be mounted directly through hdiutil attach, and it looks like it could, but not for everyone's accounts.

2. Open to see its content and copy Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/7.1 to the same path into the Xcode application directory.

3. Restart Xcode

Answer 7

This error is shown when your Xcode is old and the related device you are using is updated to latest version. First of all, install the latest Xcode version.

We can solve this issue by following the below steps:

1. Open Finder and select Applications
2. Right click on Xcode 8, select "Show Package Contents", "Contents", "Developer", "Platforms", "iPhoneOS.Platform", "Device Support"
3. Copy the 10.0 folder (or above for later version).
4. Back in Finder, select Applications again Right click on Xcode 7.3, select "Show Package Contents", "Contents", "Developer", "Platforms", "iPhoneOS.Platform", "Device Support" Paste the 10.0 folder

If everything worked properly, your Xcode has a new developer disk image. Close Finder now, and quit your Xcode. Open your Xcode and the error will be gone. Now you can connect your latest device to old Xcode versions.

Answer 8

In case of getting "Could not locate device support files" after your device iOS version has been updated and your Xcode is still old version, just copy the old SDK under the new name and restart Xcode. Open your terminal and do the following:

cd /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/
cp -rpv  10.3.1\ \(14E8301\)/ 11.2.1

Restart Xcode, and it will most probably work.

Answer 9

I got the same issue. Go to App Store and update Xcode.

Answer 10

I have Xcode 10.1, and I can not run my application on my device with the 12.2 iOS version.

The easiest solution for me was:

1. Go with Finder at the Xcode location
2. Right-click → Show Package Contents
3. Contents → Developer → Platforms → iPhoneOS.platform → DeviceSupport
4. Here you find a list of supported versions. Choose the most recent one and copy (in my case was 12.1 (16B91))
5. Paste in the same folder (DeviceSupport) and call it with the version you need (In my case was 12.2 (16E227)).
6. Close Xcode if you have it open
7. Reconnect the device if it was connected
8. Open Xcode and build

If this trick does not work, you have to get the versions from the new Xcode version.

But you can try; it saves a lot of time.

Or you can download your needed device support from here: iOS-DeviceSupport/DeviceSupport/

Answer 11

Here is the correct way of handling support errors from Xcode. All you have to do is add support to Xcode's DeviceSupport folder.

Open this link, extract the zip and copy the folder.

Note: A new version of iOS 13.0 beta recently released. If your Xcode throws iOS 13.0 support files needed, then click the link below:

Then, go to Applications → Xcode. right-click and open Show Package Contents. Then, paste to Contents → Developer → Platforms → iPhoneOS.platform → DeviceSupport and restart Xcode.

Note: If you have a problem with any other version of iOS, then download the right iOS Developer Disk Image and paste it in the above-mentioned folder.

This will work.

Answer 12

Get latest iOS-device-support-files (GitHub) (updated regularly). Download and copy iOS-device-support-files to:

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport

Answer 13

I was on Ventura Mac OS, and the XCode version stuck at version 14.

If you want to debug iOS 17>, XCode version need to be on version 15>.
And XCode version 15> need Sonoma Mac OS.

So you need to upgrade your Mac OS, XCode, then after that you get iOS 17 SDK