Remote USB & device debugging

You can forward a physical USB device (for example an iPhone or iPad) from your local computer to your remote Mac, so Xcode sees it as if it were plugged in there. This uses third-party USB-over-IP software.

How it works

A small server runs on your local machine (where the device is physically plugged in) and a client runs on the remote Mac, tunnelling the USB connection over the network.

Common tools:

• VirtualHere — server on your local machine, client on the remote Mac.
• USB Network Gate — cross-platform, per-device licensing.

Typical setup (VirtualHere)

1. Run the VirtualHere server on the computer where the iPhone is plugged in.
2. Install and run the VirtualHere client on your remote Mac (over Screen Sharing).
3. In the client, use the shared device — it now appears to macOS/Xcode as a local USB device.
4. In Xcode, the device shows up under Window → Devices and Simulators.

Note

USB-over-IP adds latency. It’s great for deploying and debugging builds on real hardware; it’s not suited to high-bandwidth peripherals. For physical-device test farms at scale, talk to support about options.

Caution

These are third-party tools with their own licensing. My Remote Mac provides the macOS environment and network; device forwarding software is configured by you.