Short answer: a phone farm is a group of real phones driven by software to run social accounts. The terms you'll meet fall into three groups: hardware (hub, data cable, rack), iPhone setup (runner, WebDriverAgent, Xcode, provisioning profile, Developer Mode) and account practice (warm-up, proxy, shadowban, fan-out). Definitions below, with links to the full guides.
Hardware
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Phone farm | Several physical phones, usually on a rack, run by software to operate social accounts |
| Rack | The shelving and stands that hold the phones, hubs and host computer — see rack setup |
| Host | The computer that drives the phones; for iPhones, a Mac |
| Powered hub | A USB hub with its own power adapter, so phones charge while working — see USB hubs |
| Data cable | A cable that carries data as well as power. Charge-only cables never show the phone to the computer |
| Brownout | A phone losing enough power to disconnect, often from an underpowered hub |
| UPS | Uninterruptible power supply: a battery that keeps equipment on through an outage |
| Canary phone | One phone you update first to catch problems before the rest |
iPhone setup
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Xcode | Apple's developer app for macOS, used to install development apps on an iPhone |
| Runner | A small app installed on each phone that lets the host drive it |
| XCTest | Apple's testing framework; its UI testing classes can launch and control apps |
| WebDriverAgent (WDA) | An open-source server for iOS, built on XCTest, that many automation tools use to control iPhones (GitHub) |
| Provisioning profile | Apple's permission for a development app to run on a device. With a free Apple account it expires 7 days from issuance (Apple Developer) — see 7-day signing |
| Personal Team | Xcode's name for signing with a free Apple account |
| Developer Mode | An iPhone setting required to run development-signed apps (Apple Developer) — see Developer Mode |
| Trust (computer) | The prompt that lets a Mac talk to an iPhone over USB |
| Trust (developer profile) | Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, needed before a development app will open |
| Auto-Lock | The setting that turns the screen off after inactivity; farm phones set it to Never |
| Activation Lock | Apple's lock tied to the owner's account; never buy a used phone with it on |
| ADB | Android Debug Bridge, Android's command-line tool for talking to a device; not available for iPhone |
| Cloud phone | A virtual phone hosted by a provider; these are Android, not iOS |
Accounts and posting
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | Using a new or idle account the way a person would — scrolling, watching, liking at a modest rate — before it posts at volume |
| Ramp | A set number of days of warm-up before an account starts publishing |
| Fan-out | Posting one clip to several accounts, each as its own post |
| Proxy | A server that gives a phone a different public IP address |
| Residential proxy | A proxy using home broadband addresses |
| Shadowban | Informal term for reduced reach without a notice; platforms rarely confirm it |
| Action block | A temporary restriction on actions like liking or following |
| 2FA | Two-factor authentication: a second step at sign-in |
| Uncertain post | A post that may or may not be live because the tool couldn't confirm it |
| Terms of service | The platform's rules; automating the apps may breach them — see what the terms say |
How these fit together
A typical iPhone farm: phones on a rack, each on a data cable into a powered hub, hubs into a Mac. Each phone has a runner installed from Xcode, Developer Mode on and Auto-Lock off. Software on the Mac warms accounts up and then posts, sometimes through a proxy per phone. The Mac setup guide walks through it in order.
In Farmero's words
Farmero calls its on-phone app the runner, marks a post it couldn't confirm as uncertain, and lets you set a ramp of warm-up days before an account publishes. It supports up to eight accounts per iPhone.
FAQ
What is WebDriverAgent?
An open-source WebDriver server for iOS that controls iPhones through Apple's XCTest framework. Many iOS automation tools build on it.
What does warming up an account mean?
Using it like a person for a while — scrolling, watching, occasional likes — before it starts posting at volume.
What is a provisioning profile?
Apple's permission for a development-signed app to run on a specific device. With a free Apple account it expires after seven days.
Is a shadowban an official term?
No. It's an informal name for reduced reach without a notice, and platforms rarely confirm it.