Access app files on iOS devices

The kobiton file list, kobiton file push, and kobiton file pull commands can transfer files to and from an iOS app’s shared storage. Accessing an app’s files works differently from Android because of how iOS sandboxes each app. This page explains the path syntax and the conditions an app must meet.

For the command syntax and options, see Kobiton CLI commands.

Path syntax

To access the files of a specific app on iOS, use the following syntax:

@<bundle>:<container>/<path>

  • <bundle> — the bundle ID of the application, for example com.apple.Keynote.

  • <container> — a shared container exposed by the app. Documents is the most common, but an app can expose more than one container.

  • <path> — the path to the file within the container.

The device base filesystem can be accessed without the @<bundle>:<container> prefix, using normal paths such as Downloads or DCIM/100APPLE.
Example
kobiton file list @com.apple.Keynote:Documents/
kobiton file push test.txt @com.apple.Keynote:Documents/test.txt
kobiton file pull @com.apple.Keynote:Documents/test.txt

File sharing must be enabled by the app

To access an app’s container, file sharing must be enabled by the app developer. The app’s UIFileSharingEnabled flag must be set to true. If it is not enabled, attempts to access the container fail.

For background on this flag and how developers enable it, see the external guide Make your app’s files user-visible on the iPhone.

How the app’s signing certificate affects access

The path form you can use depends on how the app was signed:

Signing certificate Path form UIFileSharingEnabled

Apple development

@<bundle>:./Documents/<path> (note the leading ./)

Not required. Access works whether or not the flag is set.

Distribution or enterprise

@<bundle>:Documents/<path>

Must be set to true. The ./ form is not available.

Examples by app

The following apps are commonly used to verify file sharing. The --udid and session-context arguments are omitted for brevity.

VLC media player (org.videolan.vlc-ios)

Available on the App Store.

Example
kobiton file list @org.videolan.vlc-ios:Documents/
kobiton file push test.txt @org.videolan.vlc-ios:Documents/test.txt
kobiton file pull @org.videolan.vlc-ios:Documents/test.txt

Apple Keynote (com.apple.Keynote)

Available on the App Store.

Example
kobiton file list @com.apple.Keynote:Documents/
kobiton file push test.txt @com.apple.Keynote:Documents/test.txt
kobiton file pull @com.apple.Keynote:Documents/test.txt