Short answer: apps you install from Xcode with a free Apple account are signed with a provisioning profile that Apple says expires 7 days from issuance. After that the app stops launching until you rebuild and reinstall it. A paid Apple Developer Program membership ($99 a year) removes the weekly re-sign. On a phone farm, the paid account pays for itself in saved time as soon as you have more than a phone or two.
What Apple says about free signing
Apple's developer account overview lists the limits for free developers using Xcode's Personal Team, checked 17 September 2026 (Apple Developer):
| Limit (free Personal Team) | Apple's wording |
|---|---|
| Provisioning profiles | "will expire 7 days from issuance, which may require you to rebuild and re-install your app" |
| Test devices | "limited to 3 and each expires after 7 days" per platform |
| App IDs | "limited to 10 and each expires after 7 days" |
| Cost | Free |
The same page lists the Apple Developer Program at $99 USD per membership year and includes on-device testing for free accounts, which is why the free route works at all.
What happens when the 7 days run out
A developer-signed app, such as an automation runner, needs a valid profile to launch. When the profile expires:
- The app stays on the phone, but iOS won't start it.
- Anything that depends on it — scheduled posts, warm-ups — fails to connect.
- Nothing is wrong with the phone. Reinstall from Xcode and it works again.
The fix is a fresh install from Xcode, which issues a new profile.
Free vs paid for a phone farm
| Free Apple account | Paid Developer Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 | $99 a year |
| Re-sign | Every 7 days, per phone | Not weekly |
| Test devices | 3 per platform (per Apple) | More; see Apple's program details |
| Good for | Trying things on one or two phones | Any farm you intend to keep |
The three-device limit is the part people miss. With a free account, a farm bigger than three iPhones hits Apple's device limit before it hits the weekly chore.
Re-signing without losing a day
If you stay on a free account while testing:
- Put a recurring reminder on the same weekday, before the profile expires rather than after.
- Re-sign one phone at a time with Xcode, the same way you first installed it. With Farmero that is Product → Test (⌘U), never Run (⌘R) — see Install the runner.
- Trust the profile again if iOS asks: Settings → General → VPN & Device Management.
- Check the phone shows as reachable before you walk away.
Doing this with Farmero
Farmero's runner is installed with Xcode and signed with your Apple account. With a free Apple ID you re-sign every seven days; with a paid developer account you don't need to. Farmero never asks for Apple credentials. The rest of the per-phone setup — cable, trust, Developer Mode — is in the Mac setup guide, and the $99 is already in the cost breakdown.
FAQ
Why does my Xcode app stop working after 7 days?
With a free Apple account, Apple says provisioning profiles expire seven days from issuance. Rebuild and reinstall from Xcode to get a new one.
Does the paid Apple Developer Program remove the 7-day limit?
Yes, the weekly expiry applies to free Personal Team signing. The paid program costs $99 per membership year.
How many iPhones can I use with a free Apple account?
Apple lists a limit of three test devices per platform for free accounts, each expiring after seven days.
Do I lose data when the profile expires?
The app stays installed and simply won't launch. Reinstalling from Xcode over the top brings it back.