Connect a device

1. Connect the device directly to your Mac with a data cable.
2. Unlock the device and accept its trust prompt if one appears.
3. Open Docksmith, click Refresh Devices, and select the intended device in the sidebar.
4. Use Apps or Home Screen. Review the selected apps or layout changes in Docksmith before confirming a device change.

The app keeps the selected device explicit. If it disconnects, refresh and choose again. The separate CLI uses transient numbers; run devices again after reconnecting before probing.

If the picker shows Configurator unavailable, macOS detects your device over USB but Apple Configurator cannot access it yet. Select it to see the connection diagnosis, open Apple Configurator, and use Retry Connection after the device appears there. USB detection alone does not establish management access. If Xcode is installed and can access the device, Apps via Xcode enables the complete app inventory and, when supported, removal of apps explicitly reported as removable. Hidden, internal and indeterminate records remain unselectable. The removal review names its backend and requires confirmation. Home Screen editing still requires Configurator. Without either backend, reads and changes remain disabled. A successful retry loads the selected device automatically. This USB discovery uses macOS APIs and does not require Xcode.

Complete app inventory

If Configurator returns a partial decoded app list, Docksmith tries the physical Xcode record with the exact same ECID. If the paired Xcode tunnel is idle, a single inventory read is allowed only when Configurator freshly accesses the exact device and macOS freshly detects its matching USB ECID. The Xcode record must become connected before that inventory is used. Offline devices without those live Configurator and USB checks remain unreadable. A successfully decoded complete Xcode inventory replaces that partial list. The Home Screen and removal backend remain Configurator. Protected, hidden, internal and indeterminate Xcode records are excluded from selection even when Configurator performs removal. The warning and Connection diagnostics identify the inventory source separately from the removal backend.

A removal review freezes both the mutation backend and inventory source, including their exact targets. Fresh preflight and final absence checks use that same inventory source. If the source disconnects or returns incomplete inventory, Docksmith stops or reports the previous removal as unverified rather than relying on a partial Configurator list.

Paired but offline

Xcode can remember a paired physical iPhone or iPad after its connection ends. Docksmith labels these records Offline rather than hiding them. Selecting an offline record does not contact it or perform changes. For an existing network pairing, Connect Using Xcode explicitly attempts one bounded app read against the selected device. A complete successful read and a connected device response are required before app access becomes available. This does not create or reset pairing. Alternatively, connect directly to this Mac using a data cable, unlock the device, accept Trust, then click Refresh Connection. Open Connection Help shows USB presence, available app and Home Screen backends, pairing status and the last reported transport. USB presence alone does not establish backend access.

If apps are available through Xcode but Home Screen editing is unavailable, use Retry Connection and Open Apple Configurator. Apple’s iPhone Mirroring guide is an optional manual alternative; Docksmith does not control Mirroring.

Reviewing batches

Search matches app names and bundle IDs. All shows the inventory; Removable shows eligible apps. Select Shown Removable adds eligible visible apps to your selection. Clear Selection clears every selected app, including those hidden by filters. The footer shows the selected count and how many selections are hidden. Review Selected freezes every selected app, its name and bundle ID, the device and the backend. Changing filters does not remove items from that review. Device or inventory refresh clears selection. Xcode requires explicitly removable, non-hidden and non-internal records.

About Wi-Fi

Apple’s Finder Wi-Fi sync instructions begin with a cable connection: select the device in Finder, enable Show this [device] when on Wi-Fi, and click Apply. Keep the device unlocked on the same network for an app connection attempt. If macOS requests local network access for Docksmith, its permission prompt explains the selected-device connection.

Wireless Xcode app reads have succeeded on a paired test device with USB disconnected. Initial connection attempts can fail; use Connect Using Xcode for an explicit retry. Configurator Home Screen access did not recover wirelessly in that test, so use a cable for the verified layout workflow. Wireless removal and layout changes have not been live-tested.