After installing a sideloaded app, the first time you tap it, iOS shows "Untrusted Developer" with a single "Cancel" button. This is by design — iOS requires you to explicitly trust the developer's certificate before running their app. Here's the 30-second fix.

The fix

  1. Open the iOS Settings app.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down and tap VPN & Device Management.
  4. Under "Enterprise App" or "Developer App", tap the entry showing the developer name.
  5. Tap Trust "[Developer Name]".
  6. Confirm by tapping Trust again.
  7. Go back to the home screen and tap the app — it'll launch.

Why iOS requires this

For App Store apps, Apple itself is the implicit trust anchor. For sideloaded apps, the developer's Apple Distribution certificate is the trust anchor — and you (the user) are confirming you intentionally chose to trust it. This prevents an attacker from sneaking a signed IPA onto your device without your knowledge.

If the trust option doesn't appear

A few cases where the trust menu doesn't show what you expect:

  • No "VPN & Device Management" entry at all — you haven't installed any sideloaded app yet, or the install failed silently. See: why your IPA isn't installing.
  • Developer entry shows but Trust button is grayed — iOS needs internet to verify the cert before trusting it. Connect to Wi-Fi and reopen Settings.
  • "Verifying..." spinner that never finishes — Apple's verification server can't be reached. Check your network or try again in a few minutes. Also see: Unable to Verify App fix.

One-time vs every-app

Once you trust a developer, every app signed by the same certificate runs without re-prompting. If a new app is signed by a different certificate (different developer or rotated cert), you'll see the trust prompt again — that's expected.

After a re-sign, do I need to re-trust?

If the new signature uses the same developer name and certificate, no. If the certificate is different (new cert from a different developer account, after a revoke recovery), then yes — uninstall, reinstall, re-trust.