TL;DR:
Want the IPA file of an iOS app? Here’s the realest advice:
Ask your mobile developer.
(Not a joke. But also a joke.)
In mobile security audits, clients and developers usually hand over the IPA file directly. They might email it to you or share it through development-focused distribution platforms like TestFlight or Visual Studio App Center or Firebase App Distribution, it all depend on their workflow.
But if you’re doing on your own testing, maybe a side project or a public app, then you’ll need to go to the other route.
Method 1: Pul from the App Store
ipatool is a command-line tool that lets you download IPA files directly from the App Store using your Apple ID.
Installation (Mac Homebrew)
$ brew tap majd/repo
$ brew install ipatoolUsage:
Need your Apple ID credential to help this tool authenticate just like a real App Store client.
$ ipatool auth
$ ipatool search Spotify
$ ipatool download -b com.spotify.client -o spotify.ipaMethod 2: Extract from Jailbroken Device
If you have access to a jailbroken device, you can extract the IPA directly from the system where it’s decrypted and ready for inspection.
Opt A: Frida-ios-dump
This tool uses Frida under the hood to dump decrypted versions of apps from the device.
Note: This method can be fragile depending on iOS version, device, and Frida compatibility. I encountered many issues when dealing with this tool, hence try opt B which is a great alternative, more stable.
Opt B: Bagbak
npm install -g bagbakUse bagbak to decrypt the application and extract it from the iPhone. (Remmember to set SSH username to root, password is alpine)
export SSH_USERNAME=root
✦ ➜ bagbak com.apple.iBooks
[info] pulling app bundle from device, please be patient
[info] downloaded 682 files and 511 folders
[info] app bundle downloaded
....
Saved to com.apple.iBooks-9.4.ipa