Hello audio gamers!
This guide will walk you through the steps of installing an IPA file to an iOS device using your Windows computer. There is a tutorial for Mac OS users, but I have not found one for Windows users. Another friend showed me how to do it, and now I'm bringing the instructions to you guys.
Before we begin, please keep the following things in mind.
1. This guide will assume that you already have the files you wish to install. Therefore, I will not list sites that have these files.
2. Because installing these files is not the same as installing an app directly from the AppStore, you will have to certify the applications weekly. We will discuss this process later.
3. It is important that you follow every step in this guide. Otherwise, this process will not work.
What do you need?
1. Most importantly, you will need a computer that you have saved the IPA on.
2. The iOS device you wish to install it to.
3. A charging cable to connect the iOS device to your computer.
What do you do?
Now that you have the needed hardware and the IPA file you will be installing, it's time to actually install it.
1. If you don't have it already, get iTunes on your computer. It is necessary because without it, your computer will not recognize your device. iTunes is a free download on the Microsoft Store.
2. Connect your device to your computer using the cable we grabbed earlier.
3. If your device is unlocked, you will see an alert asking you if you want to trust this computer. Click Trust.
If your device has a passcode on it, enter it.
4. On your iOS device, open your preferred browser and visit appleid.apple.com and sign into your Apple ID.
5. If you have Two Factor Authentication enabled on your account, varify your device.
6. Once there, find the security section.
7. In the security section, find the passwords section and click generate app specific password.
8. Make a label for the password and click create.
9. When you find the password, go on your computer and type it into the word processor of your choice.
10. Select it and copy it to your clipboard. We will be using it later.
11. Now, set your iOS device aside and return to your computer.
12. Open your preferred browser and type Download Impacter. Once you hit enter, it should be the first link. Be sure you download the Windows version.
13. Once Impacter downloads, locate to the place where you have told your browser to send downloads to and find the Impacter.zip folder and extract it. It is a standard zip file, so you will not need any third party software to extract it.
14. Once the folder is extracted, run Impacter.exe.
15. You will see two blank combo boxes, and a start button.
16. In a few seconds, the first box will display the name of your device. The second one will be labeled install Sydia Extender. You will not need this program, so don't press the start button.
Instead, you will want to press the Alt key. Doing this will bring you into the menu bar. You can either right arrow until you hear the Device option and arrow down to install, or you can press Alt followed by D then I.
17. Locate the file you are installing and press enter on it.
18. It will say to enter your username. This is your Apple ID e-mail. Type it in and press enter.
19. You will now be placed in a field that asks for your password. Paste the password we generated earlier and press enter.
*Note: If you are using NVDA, you will hear a bunch of beeps and numbers being announced. When the beeps stop, press control. You should then hear another cycle of beeps. Also, I have found that you have to run through this process multiple times because it doesn't always appear on my home screen.
20. Finally, you have gotten the file installed, but you can't open it. You get the untrusted enterprise app developer dialogue. This is no problem. Simply navigate to settings, general, and select profiles and device management. In here, you will see any other third party apps you have installed. One of these profiles will be labeled with your Apple ID. Click it and hit trust. Once you do that, you will be given a dialogue asking if you want to trust this developer. Close settings, disconnect your device from your computer, and have fun with the new app you just installed.
How do you certify an app?
If you remember from earlier, these are not apps from the Apple AppStore. Therefore, just like any other third party app, the certificate will expire. Simply locate the document you saved the app specific password to, copy it, open Impacter, and repeat the above steps to certify the app or apps. You will not have to retrust the profile.
If you have any questions, please feel free to post them in this thread or contact me on twitter @rwbeardjr