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Instruments is a performance-analysis and testing tool for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS apps.

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Using Processor Trace on Non-Xcode Built Binary
Hiya folks! I'm David and I work on rust-analyzer, which is a language server for Rust similar to sourcekit-lsp. I'm using the new Instruments profiling tooling functionality in Xcode 16.3 and Xcode 26 (Processor Trace and CPU Counters) to profile our trait solver/type checker. While I've been able to use the new CPU Counters instrument successfully (the CPU Bottleneck feature is incredible! Props to the team!), I've been unable to make use of the Processor Trace instrument. Instruments gives me the error message "Processor Trace cannot profile this process without proper permissions". The diagnostic suggests adding the com.apple.security-get-task-allow entitlement to the code I'm trying to profile, or ensure that the build setting CODE_SIGN_INJECT_BASE_ENTITLEMENTS = YES is enabled in Xcode. Unfortunately, I don't know how I can add that entitlement to a self-signed binary produced by Cargo and I'm not using Xcode for somewhat obvious reasons. Here's some information about my setup: Instruments Version 26.0 (17A5241e) I'm on an 14" MacBook Pro with M4 Pro. It's running macOS Version 26.0 Beta (25A5295e). I've enabled the "Processor Trace" feature in "Developer Tools" and even added the Instruments application to "Developer Tools". As a last-ditch effort before posting this, I disabled SIP on my Mac. Didn't help. To reproduce my issue: Get Rust via https://rustup.rs/. Clone rust-analyzer: git clone https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-analyzer.git. cd rust-analyzer Run cargo test --package hir-ty --lib --profile=dev-rel -- tests::incremental::add_struct_invalidates_trait_solve --exact --show-output. By default, this command will output a bunch of build progress with the output containing something like Running unittests src/lib.rs (target/dev-rel/deps/hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe). I take the absolute path of that hir_ty-$SOME-HASH string (in my case, it looks like /Users/dbarsky/Developer/rust-analyzer/target/dev-rel/deps/hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe) and add it to the "Launch" profile. To the arguments section, I add --exact tests::incremental::add_struct_invalidates_trait_solve. I then try to record/profile via Instruments, but then I get the error message I shared above. Below is output of codesign -dvvv: ❯ codesign -dvvv target/dev-rel/deps/hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe Executable=/Users/dbarsky/Developer/rust-analyzer/target/dev-rel/deps/hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe Identifier=hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe Format=Mach-O thin (arm64) CodeDirectory v=20400 size=140368 flags=0x20002(adhoc,linker-signed) hashes=4383+0 location=embedded Hash type=sha256 size=32 CandidateCDHash sha256=99e96c8622c7e20518617c66a7d4144dc0daef28 CandidateCDHashFull sha256=99e96c8622c7e20518617c66a7d4144dc0daef28f22fac013c28a784571ce1df Hash choices=sha256 CMSDigest=99e96c8622c7e20518617c66a7d4144dc0daef28f22fac013c28a784571ce1df CMSDigestType=2 CDHash=99e96c8622c7e20518617c66a7d4144dc0daef28 Signature=adhoc Info.plist=not bound TeamIdentifier=not set Sealed Resources=none Internal requirements=none Any tips would be welcome! Additionally—and perhaps somewhat naively—I think I'd expect the Processor Trace instrument to just work with an adhoc-signed binary, as lldb and friends largely do—I'm not sure that such a high barrier for CPU perf counters is warranted, especially on an adhoc-signed binary.
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Jan ’26
iPhone 17, IOS 26 - No option to enable ‘Processor Trace’
According to the documentation for Processor Trace, it should be available on the iPhone 16 or later. Going off of the Optimize CPU performance with Instruments WWDC session, the toggle for it should be under Developer > Performance, but I don’t see this option anywhere on my iPhone 17. I can’t run a Processor Trace in Instruments without this feature turned on, because it claims my iPhone’s CPU is unsupported. Has anyone else managed to enable Processor Trace on the A19 chips?
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Oct ’25
SwiftUI Instruments Template doesn't work
I am profiling a simple SwiftUI test app on my new iPhone through my new MacBook Pro and everything is version 26.2 (iOS, macOS, Xcode). I run Instruments with the SwiftUI template using all of the default settings and get absolutely zero data after interacting with the app for about 20 seconds. Using the Time Profiler template yields trace data. Trying the SwiftUI template again with the sample Landmarks app has the same issue as my app.
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Jan ’26
Instruments Malfunction
I’m reporting a severe reproducible issue in Instruments, specifically when using the SwiftUI instrument and opening Show Cause & Effect Graph. What happens: • Instruments becomes extremely laggy/unresponsive • The graph/detail area can turn solid magenta/pink • Memory usage rapidly increases (I observed around 18 GB, 25 GB, and up to 34 GB) • My Mac has crashed/restarted during this, or in other terms, had a kernel panic, where my Mac froze, and everything unresponsive. The Trackpad wouldn't even click. Important detail: • I could not find a generated kernel panic log after the crash/restart. Repro context: • SwiftUI iOS app profiled from Xcode • Trigger is specifically entering Show Cause & Effect Graph • Recordings can be short and still trigger it • Issue is much less severe or absent if I avoid that view What I already tried: • Rebooting • Short captures / fewer instruments • Clearing Xcode/Instruments caches/preferences • Retesting after cleanup • Reinstalling Xcode Is this a known Instruments regression? Is there a workaround besides avoiding Show Cause & Effect Graph? What exact diagnostics should I collect when no kernel panic file is generated? Specs: Xcode Version 26.3 (17C529) Instruments Version 26.3 (17C529) macOS Version 26.4 Beta (25E5223i) MacBook Pro 13-inch, M1, 2020, 16 GB RAM
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Mar ’26
Instruments Network: Background URLSession instance appears not to complete
As stated in the title. I am running the following code. Each time I perform an API call, I create a new instance of URLSession and use a background-configured session to allow background API calls. ` Code being executed: import Foundation // Model definitions struct RandomUserResponse: Codable { let results: [RandomUser] } struct RandomUser: Codable { let name: Name let email: String } struct Name: Codable { let first: String let last: String } // Fetcher class class RandomUserFetcher: NSObject, URLSessionDataDelegate { private var receivedData = Data() private var completion: ((RandomUser?) -> Void)? private var session: URLSession! func fetchRandomUserInBackground(completion: @escaping (RandomUser?) -> Void) { self.completion = completion let configuration = URLSessionConfiguration.background(withIdentifier: "com.example.randomuser.bg") session = URLSession(configuration: configuration, delegate: self, delegateQueue: nil) let url = URL(string: "https://randomuser.me/api/" )! let task = session.dataTask(with: url) task.resume() } // Data received func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, dataTask: URLSessionDataTask, didReceive data: Data) { receivedData.append(data) } // Completion func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, task: URLSessionTask, didCompleteWithError error: Error?) { defer { self.session.finishTasksAndInvalidate() } guard error == nil else { print("Error: \(error!)") completion?(nil) return } do { let response = try JSONDecoder().decode(RandomUserResponse.self, from: receivedData) completion?(response.results.first) } catch { print("Decoding error: \(error)") completion?(nil) } } }` Called in viewDidLoad, etc.: let fetcher = RandomUserFetcher() fetcher.fetchRandomUserInBackground { user in if let user = user { print("Name: \(user.name.first) \(user.name.last), Email: \(user.email)") } else { print("Failed to fetch random user.") } } In Instruments' Network instrument, I focus on my app's process, use 'Command + 3', and switch to 'List: URLSessionTasks'. Even though didCompleteWithError is called and the API call fully completes, the Duration keeps increasing, and the Success column remains '-' (neither 'Yes' nor 'No'). For non-background URLSessions, the session shows up as 'unnamed session', but for background URLSessions, it appears as 'unnamed background session 1 (XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXX)'. Does this mean the session is not actually being completed? I've checked Debug Memory Graph and confirmed there is no NSURLSession memory leak, but is it possible that the app is somehow still retaining session information internally? I also suspect that Instruments may not be able to fully track background URLSession tasks.
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Jun ’25
Instruments Time Profiler Call Stacks & Percentages Differ Between Xcode 16.0 (16A242d) and 16.3 (16E140) – How Can I Get Consistent Metrics?
I’m seeing inconsistent call stacks and usage percentages in the Time Profiler between two Instruments builds: • Xcode 16.0’s Instruments Version 16.0 (16A242d) • Xcode 16.3’s Instruments Version 16.0 (16E140) When I open an old .trace file recorded with the 16A242d profiler in the newer 16E140 Instruments, the call trees and percentage breakdowns no longer match. It looks like the latest Instruments now exposes or collapses different frames (e.g. system libraries, inline code) by default. I rely on these call stacks as a baseline to track performance regressions and verify optimizations over time. Unfortunately, every Xcode/Instruments update changes what I see, making it impossible to compare profiles across versions. My questions: Is there a way in Instruments 16.0 (16E140) to restore the exact call-tree view and percentage calculations that 16A242d produced? Failing that, is there a recommended workflow or tool for capturing CPU profiles in a way that remains stable and comparable, regardless of Xcode or Instruments version? Any guidance on achieving consistent, version-independent performance measurements would be greatly appreciated!
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Jun ’25
Instruments Failure in Xcode 16.4
Updated Xcode from 16.2 to 16.4, running Time Profile in Instruments, it launches the trace, but does not install or load on connected device, breaks the functionality. I am unable to debug... ERROR: Connection with the remote side was unexpectedly closed : <dictionary: 0x1f3c8b6d0> { count = 1, transaction: 0, voucher = 0x0, contents = "XPCErrorDescription" => <string: 0x1f3c8b850> { length = 22, contents = "Connection interrupted" } } Domain: IXRemoteErrorDomain Code: 6 User Info: { DVTErrorCreationDateKey = "2025-08-09 00:47:53 +0000"; } -- Connection with the remote side was unexpectedly closed : <dictionary: 0x1f3c8b6d0> { count = 1, transaction: 0, voucher = 0x0, contents = "XPCErrorDescription" => <string: 0x1f3c8b850> { length = 22, contents = "Connection interrupted" } } Domain: IXRemoteErrorDomain Code: 6 IOS 18.5
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Aug ’25
How do I capture localhost traffic in instruments?
I'm currently exploring Instruments for profiling and tracing on macOS 15.6.1. I know there is the "network connections" instrument which records TCP/UDP information, however it seems to not include the "lo0" (loopback) interface. Is there a way to configure it so that localhost traffic is included in the recording? as the application I'm tracing uses that and I want that information to be included in traces. The documentation for network-interface-detection schema makes no mention of how it detects interfaces. Thanks in advance.
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Sep ’25
Where is the instruments command line tool?
I was reading through this documentation about instruments command line tool https://help.apple.com/instruments/mac/current/#/devb14ffaa5 and how it can be launched from the command line. However, unlike what the documentation states, there's no such instruments command anywhere on my macos M1 (OS version 15.6). That command gives: $> instruments zsh: command not found: instruments I do have XCode installed which has the Instruments.App (GUI app) but not the command line utility: $> ls Xcode.app/Contents/Applications/ ... Instruments.app Is that linked documentation up-to-date (it does say "latest" in the URL)? Is there some other way to install this command line utility?
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Aug ’25
Accessing Built-In iOS Alarm Sounds When Using AlarmKit
Hi everyone, I’m currently integrating AlarmKit into an app and would like to offer users the same selection of built-in iOS alarm sounds that the native Clock app provides. So far, I haven’t found any API in AlarmKit (or elsewhere in the SDK) that exposes the system’s default alarm tones. Before implementing a custom sound library, I wanted to check: Is there any way to access or present the iOS system alarm sounds when creating alarms with AlarmKit? Or are developers limited to custom audio files that we provide ourselves? If anyone has experience with AlarmKit or knows whether this is technically possible (or explicitly restricted), I’d really appreciate your insights. Thanks!
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Dec ’25
Instruments Crash using swiftui instrument
Instruments is crashing when the swiftui instrument is stopped (the session is finished) and the transfer begins from device to device: Crashed Thread: 11 Dispatch queue: com.apple.swiftuitracingsupport.reading Exception Type: EXC_BAD_INSTRUCTION (SIGILL) Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000000000000 Termination Reason: Namespace SIGNAL, Code 4 Illegal instruction: 4 Terminating Process: exc handler [1633] I've tried removing derived data, reinstalling xcode, updating xcode (I originally thought this might be the issue -- I needed to update to 26.2 from the 26 RC -- the update didn't fix crash or change the crash report), and restarting both devices. I'm running Instruments/Xcode 26.2 on a MacBook Pro 15" (2018) running Mac OS 15.7.2 (24G325) with an iPhone 16 Pro Max running 26.2. Hoping someone else might have seen this or could help me troubleshoot. I find the swiftui instrument be helpful and like to use it :) I can post a complete crash report as well.
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Mar ’26
Error recording of CPU Profiler in CLI: [Error] Failed to start the recording: Failed to force all hardware CPU counters: 13.
Context I created a short script to CPU profile a program from the command line. I am able to record via the Instruments app, but when I try from the command line I get the following error shown below. This example is just profiling the grep command. Error: % cpu_profile /usr/bin/grep \ --recursive "Brendan Gregg" \ "$(xcode-select --print-path)/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX.sdk" Profiling /usr/bin/grep into /tmp/cpu_profile_grep.trace Starting recording with the CPU Profiler template. Launching process: grep. Ctrl-C to stop the recording Run issues were detected (trace is still ready to be viewed): * [Error] Failed to start the recording: Failed to force all hardware CPU counters: 13. Recording failed with errors. Saving output file... Script: #!/bin/sh set -o errexit set -o nounset if [ "$#" -lt 1 ] then echo "Usage $0 <program> [arguments...]" 1>&2 exit 1 fi PROGRAM="$(realpath "$1")" shift OUTPUT="/tmp/cpu_profile_$(basename "$PROGRAM").trace" echo "Profiling $PROGRAM into $OUTPUT" 1>&2 # Delete potential previous traces rm -rf "$OUTPUT" xcrun xctrace record \ --template 'CPU Profiler' \ --no-prompt \ --output "$OUTPUT" \ --target-stdout - \ --launch -- "$PROGRAM" "$@" open "$OUTPUT" I think the error has to do with xctrace based on this post, but according to this post it should have been resolved in MacOS version 15.4. System Chip: Apple M3 Pro macOS: Sequoia 15.4.1 xctrace version: 16.0 (16E140) xcrun version: 70. Xcode version: 16.3 (16E140) Working Screenshots from Instruments App:
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May ’25
trouble with MDLMesh.newBo()
I made a box with MDLMesh.newBox(). I added normals. let mdlMesh = MDLMesh.newBox(withDimensions: SIMD3<Float>(1, 1, 1), segments: SIMD3<UInt32>(2, 2, 2), geometryType: MDLGeometryType.triangles, inwardNormals:false, allocator: allocator) mdlMesh.addNormals(withAttributeNamed: MDLVertexAttributeNormal, creaseThreshold: 0.25) After I convert to MTKMesh the normals are (0,0,0) for a group of vertices. I can only inspect the geometry after I convert to MTKMesh. Is there a way you can use Geometry Viewer on a MDLMesh?
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May ’25
CoreML memory allocation logic
hello, I got a question about coreml. I loaded the coreml model in the project and set the computing unit to CPU+GPU. When I used instruments to analyze the performance, I found that there was an overhead of prepare gpu request before each inference. I also checked the freezing point graph and found that memory was frequently allocated. Is this as expected? Is there any way to avoid frequent prepares? I have tried some methods, such as memory sharing of predict interface input parameters, but it seems to be ineffective.
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May ’25
Cannot get Instruments to profile my apps
Hi, I need help to get Instruments running to profile my application. I tried to profile my main app (Qt-5.15-Framework, c++, Intel-arch only) from Xcode. My app starts and Instruments runs time profiler or Leaks for about 15 seconds and the quits. No crash, no message nothing. This has been happening for a while on my Mac Studio M1 Max running macOS 14.7.6 and Xcode 15.4 IDE with a toolchain from Xcode 14.3 for the qmake (qt) project. However, this also happens if i set up a new vanilla Swift UI project from scratch wihtout any Qt stuff. In addition to the Mac Studio I also have Mac Book Pro M4 running macOS 15.5 and Xcode 16.4. On that machine I get the same results, no matter if I try Instruments on my qt project or a vanilla SwiftUI project. Also it does not make a difference if I change the toolchain with: sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode_143.app or sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode_164.app. Same results in either case. I also tried switching to Debug build in the editing the scheme for profiling, but got no better results. I also tried to lauch Instruments from Xcode using the Open Developer Tool menu entry, but got no better results. When I start Instruments first, run my program in Xcode and attach to it, I get the same results. Do you have any advice what to check for or to setup, maybe in signing or such? I am probably missing something basic. Thanks in advance
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Jun ’25
(iOS 26) - PowerProfiler trace file cannot be opened
I kept CoreLocation’s startUpdatingLocation running for a full day and used Performance trace - PowerProfiler to track the power usage during that time. The trace file was successfully generated on the iOS device, and I later transferred it to my MacBook. However, when I tried to open the .atrc file, I received the following warning: The document cannot be imported because of an error: File ‘/Users/jun/Downloads/PowerProfiler_25-06-16_181049_to_25-06-17_091037_001.atrc’ doesn’t contain any events. Why is this happening? Is there a known issue with PowerProfiler in iOS 26, or am I missing something in the tracing setup? Note: The .aar file and the extracted .atrc file are not attached here, as forum uploads do not support these formats.
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Jun ’25
Icon composer icon contains alpha channel upload error
When creating an icon using icon composer, I cant upload a build to testflight/App Store connect. Running on device from Xcode works fine, but as soon as I archive and upload to App Store Connect, I get an error saying the icon contains an alpha channel
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40
Boosts
7
Views
3.1k
Activity
Mar ’26
Using Processor Trace on Non-Xcode Built Binary
Hiya folks! I'm David and I work on rust-analyzer, which is a language server for Rust similar to sourcekit-lsp. I'm using the new Instruments profiling tooling functionality in Xcode 16.3 and Xcode 26 (Processor Trace and CPU Counters) to profile our trait solver/type checker. While I've been able to use the new CPU Counters instrument successfully (the CPU Bottleneck feature is incredible! Props to the team!), I've been unable to make use of the Processor Trace instrument. Instruments gives me the error message "Processor Trace cannot profile this process without proper permissions". The diagnostic suggests adding the com.apple.security-get-task-allow entitlement to the code I'm trying to profile, or ensure that the build setting CODE_SIGN_INJECT_BASE_ENTITLEMENTS = YES is enabled in Xcode. Unfortunately, I don't know how I can add that entitlement to a self-signed binary produced by Cargo and I'm not using Xcode for somewhat obvious reasons. Here's some information about my setup: Instruments Version 26.0 (17A5241e) I'm on an 14" MacBook Pro with M4 Pro. It's running macOS Version 26.0 Beta (25A5295e). I've enabled the "Processor Trace" feature in "Developer Tools" and even added the Instruments application to "Developer Tools". As a last-ditch effort before posting this, I disabled SIP on my Mac. Didn't help. To reproduce my issue: Get Rust via https://rustup.rs/. Clone rust-analyzer: git clone https://github.com/rust-lang/rust-analyzer.git. cd rust-analyzer Run cargo test --package hir-ty --lib --profile=dev-rel -- tests::incremental::add_struct_invalidates_trait_solve --exact --show-output. By default, this command will output a bunch of build progress with the output containing something like Running unittests src/lib.rs (target/dev-rel/deps/hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe). I take the absolute path of that hir_ty-$SOME-HASH string (in my case, it looks like /Users/dbarsky/Developer/rust-analyzer/target/dev-rel/deps/hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe) and add it to the "Launch" profile. To the arguments section, I add --exact tests::incremental::add_struct_invalidates_trait_solve. I then try to record/profile via Instruments, but then I get the error message I shared above. Below is output of codesign -dvvv: ❯ codesign -dvvv target/dev-rel/deps/hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe Executable=/Users/dbarsky/Developer/rust-analyzer/target/dev-rel/deps/hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe Identifier=hir_ty-f1dbf1b1d36575fe Format=Mach-O thin (arm64) CodeDirectory v=20400 size=140368 flags=0x20002(adhoc,linker-signed) hashes=4383+0 location=embedded Hash type=sha256 size=32 CandidateCDHash sha256=99e96c8622c7e20518617c66a7d4144dc0daef28 CandidateCDHashFull sha256=99e96c8622c7e20518617c66a7d4144dc0daef28f22fac013c28a784571ce1df Hash choices=sha256 CMSDigest=99e96c8622c7e20518617c66a7d4144dc0daef28f22fac013c28a784571ce1df CMSDigestType=2 CDHash=99e96c8622c7e20518617c66a7d4144dc0daef28 Signature=adhoc Info.plist=not bound TeamIdentifier=not set Sealed Resources=none Internal requirements=none Any tips would be welcome! Additionally—and perhaps somewhat naively—I think I'd expect the Processor Trace instrument to just work with an adhoc-signed binary, as lldb and friends largely do—I'm not sure that such a high barrier for CPU perf counters is warranted, especially on an adhoc-signed binary.
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Jan ’26
CPU Counters: profile using L1, L2 events
Hi :wave: I am not sure that I use it right, I was not able to profile using these events: I am on a M1 Pro machine using macOS 15.5. I just wonder if these events are support on Apple Sillicon.
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2
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1
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217
Activity
Jun ’25
Instruments: GPU Service reported error: Selected counter profile is not supported on target device`
I could use the Metal System Trace before the most recent update, but now whenever I try to profile using the Metal Counter instrument, I get the [Warning] GPU Service reported error: Selected counter profile is not supported on target device. What is the issue here?
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0
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169
Activity
Jun ’25
iPhone 17, IOS 26 - No option to enable ‘Processor Trace’
According to the documentation for Processor Trace, it should be available on the iPhone 16 or later. Going off of the Optimize CPU performance with Instruments WWDC session, the toggle for it should be under Developer > Performance, but I don’t see this option anywhere on my iPhone 17. I can’t run a Processor Trace in Instruments without this feature turned on, because it claims my iPhone’s CPU is unsupported. Has anyone else managed to enable Processor Trace on the A19 chips?
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5
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880
Activity
Oct ’25
SwiftUI Instrumentation Fails to start
I am trying to perform swiftUI instrumentation on my ios app. whenever i hit the rocord button, the app launches on target device and closes with the error: Failed to start the recording: Failed starting ktrace session. How do i resolve this please?
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6
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1
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970
Activity
Jan ’26
SwiftUI Instruments Template doesn't work
I am profiling a simple SwiftUI test app on my new iPhone through my new MacBook Pro and everything is version 26.2 (iOS, macOS, Xcode). I run Instruments with the SwiftUI template using all of the default settings and get absolutely zero data after interacting with the app for about 20 seconds. Using the Time Profiler template yields trace data. Trying the SwiftUI template again with the sample Landmarks app has the same issue as my app.
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2
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415
Activity
Jan ’26
Instruments Malfunction
I’m reporting a severe reproducible issue in Instruments, specifically when using the SwiftUI instrument and opening Show Cause & Effect Graph. What happens: • Instruments becomes extremely laggy/unresponsive • The graph/detail area can turn solid magenta/pink • Memory usage rapidly increases (I observed around 18 GB, 25 GB, and up to 34 GB) • My Mac has crashed/restarted during this, or in other terms, had a kernel panic, where my Mac froze, and everything unresponsive. The Trackpad wouldn't even click. Important detail: • I could not find a generated kernel panic log after the crash/restart. Repro context: • SwiftUI iOS app profiled from Xcode • Trigger is specifically entering Show Cause & Effect Graph • Recordings can be short and still trigger it • Issue is much less severe or absent if I avoid that view What I already tried: • Rebooting • Short captures / fewer instruments • Clearing Xcode/Instruments caches/preferences • Retesting after cleanup • Reinstalling Xcode Is this a known Instruments regression? Is there a workaround besides avoiding Show Cause & Effect Graph? What exact diagnostics should I collect when no kernel panic file is generated? Specs: Xcode Version 26.3 (17C529) Instruments Version 26.3 (17C529) macOS Version 26.4 Beta (25E5223i) MacBook Pro 13-inch, M1, 2020, 16 GB RAM
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210
Activity
Mar ’26
Instruments Network: Background URLSession instance appears not to complete
As stated in the title. I am running the following code. Each time I perform an API call, I create a new instance of URLSession and use a background-configured session to allow background API calls. ` Code being executed: import Foundation // Model definitions struct RandomUserResponse: Codable { let results: [RandomUser] } struct RandomUser: Codable { let name: Name let email: String } struct Name: Codable { let first: String let last: String } // Fetcher class class RandomUserFetcher: NSObject, URLSessionDataDelegate { private var receivedData = Data() private var completion: ((RandomUser?) -&gt; Void)? private var session: URLSession! func fetchRandomUserInBackground(completion: @escaping (RandomUser?) -&gt; Void) { self.completion = completion let configuration = URLSessionConfiguration.background(withIdentifier: "com.example.randomuser.bg") session = URLSession(configuration: configuration, delegate: self, delegateQueue: nil) let url = URL(string: "https://randomuser.me/api/" )! let task = session.dataTask(with: url) task.resume() } // Data received func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, dataTask: URLSessionDataTask, didReceive data: Data) { receivedData.append(data) } // Completion func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, task: URLSessionTask, didCompleteWithError error: Error?) { defer { self.session.finishTasksAndInvalidate() } guard error == nil else { print("Error: \(error!)") completion?(nil) return } do { let response = try JSONDecoder().decode(RandomUserResponse.self, from: receivedData) completion?(response.results.first) } catch { print("Decoding error: \(error)") completion?(nil) } } }` Called in viewDidLoad, etc.: let fetcher = RandomUserFetcher() fetcher.fetchRandomUserInBackground { user in if let user = user { print("Name: \(user.name.first) \(user.name.last), Email: \(user.email)") } else { print("Failed to fetch random user.") } } In Instruments' Network instrument, I focus on my app's process, use 'Command + 3', and switch to 'List: URLSessionTasks'. Even though didCompleteWithError is called and the API call fully completes, the Duration keeps increasing, and the Success column remains '-' (neither 'Yes' nor 'No'). For non-background URLSessions, the session shows up as 'unnamed session', but for background URLSessions, it appears as 'unnamed background session 1 (XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXX)'. Does this mean the session is not actually being completed? I've checked Debug Memory Graph and confirmed there is no NSURLSession memory leak, but is it possible that the app is somehow still retaining session information internally? I also suspect that Instruments may not be able to fully track background URLSession tasks.
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3
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370
Activity
Jun ’25
Instruments Time Profiler Call Stacks & Percentages Differ Between Xcode 16.0 (16A242d) and 16.3 (16E140) – How Can I Get Consistent Metrics?
I’m seeing inconsistent call stacks and usage percentages in the Time Profiler between two Instruments builds: • Xcode 16.0’s Instruments Version 16.0 (16A242d) • Xcode 16.3’s Instruments Version 16.0 (16E140) When I open an old .trace file recorded with the 16A242d profiler in the newer 16E140 Instruments, the call trees and percentage breakdowns no longer match. It looks like the latest Instruments now exposes or collapses different frames (e.g. system libraries, inline code) by default. I rely on these call stacks as a baseline to track performance regressions and verify optimizations over time. Unfortunately, every Xcode/Instruments update changes what I see, making it impossible to compare profiles across versions. My questions: Is there a way in Instruments 16.0 (16E140) to restore the exact call-tree view and percentage calculations that 16A242d produced? Failing that, is there a recommended workflow or tool for capturing CPU profiles in a way that remains stable and comparable, regardless of Xcode or Instruments version? Any guidance on achieving consistent, version-independent performance measurements would be greatly appreciated!
Replies
2
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0
Views
292
Activity
Jun ’25
Instruments Failure in Xcode 16.4
Updated Xcode from 16.2 to 16.4, running Time Profile in Instruments, it launches the trace, but does not install or load on connected device, breaks the functionality. I am unable to debug... ERROR: Connection with the remote side was unexpectedly closed : <dictionary: 0x1f3c8b6d0> { count = 1, transaction: 0, voucher = 0x0, contents = "XPCErrorDescription" => <string: 0x1f3c8b850> { length = 22, contents = "Connection interrupted" } } Domain: IXRemoteErrorDomain Code: 6 User Info: { DVTErrorCreationDateKey = "2025-08-09 00:47:53 +0000"; } -- Connection with the remote side was unexpectedly closed : <dictionary: 0x1f3c8b6d0> { count = 1, transaction: 0, voucher = 0x0, contents = "XPCErrorDescription" => <string: 0x1f3c8b850> { length = 22, contents = "Connection interrupted" } } Domain: IXRemoteErrorDomain Code: 6 IOS 18.5
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686
Activity
Aug ’25
How do I capture localhost traffic in instruments?
I'm currently exploring Instruments for profiling and tracing on macOS 15.6.1. I know there is the "network connections" instrument which records TCP/UDP information, however it seems to not include the "lo0" (loopback) interface. Is there a way to configure it so that localhost traffic is included in the recording? as the application I'm tracing uses that and I want that information to be included in traces. The documentation for network-interface-detection schema makes no mention of how it detects interfaces. Thanks in advance.
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1k
Activity
Sep ’25
Where is the instruments command line tool?
I was reading through this documentation about instruments command line tool https://help.apple.com/instruments/mac/current/#/devb14ffaa5 and how it can be launched from the command line. However, unlike what the documentation states, there's no such instruments command anywhere on my macos M1 (OS version 15.6). That command gives: $> instruments zsh: command not found: instruments I do have XCode installed which has the Instruments.App (GUI app) but not the command line utility: $> ls Xcode.app/Contents/Applications/ ... Instruments.app Is that linked documentation up-to-date (it does say "latest" in the URL)? Is there some other way to install this command line utility?
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3
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650
Activity
Aug ’25
Accessing Built-In iOS Alarm Sounds When Using AlarmKit
Hi everyone, I’m currently integrating AlarmKit into an app and would like to offer users the same selection of built-in iOS alarm sounds that the native Clock app provides. So far, I haven’t found any API in AlarmKit (or elsewhere in the SDK) that exposes the system’s default alarm tones. Before implementing a custom sound library, I wanted to check: Is there any way to access or present the iOS system alarm sounds when creating alarms with AlarmKit? Or are developers limited to custom audio files that we provide ourselves? If anyone has experience with AlarmKit or knows whether this is technically possible (or explicitly restricted), I’d really appreciate your insights. Thanks!
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521
Activity
Dec ’25
Instruments Crash using swiftui instrument
Instruments is crashing when the swiftui instrument is stopped (the session is finished) and the transfer begins from device to device: Crashed Thread: 11 Dispatch queue: com.apple.swiftuitracingsupport.reading Exception Type: EXC_BAD_INSTRUCTION (SIGILL) Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000000000000 Termination Reason: Namespace SIGNAL, Code 4 Illegal instruction: 4 Terminating Process: exc handler [1633] I've tried removing derived data, reinstalling xcode, updating xcode (I originally thought this might be the issue -- I needed to update to 26.2 from the 26 RC -- the update didn't fix crash or change the crash report), and restarting both devices. I'm running Instruments/Xcode 26.2 on a MacBook Pro 15" (2018) running Mac OS 15.7.2 (24G325) with an iPhone 16 Pro Max running 26.2. Hoping someone else might have seen this or could help me troubleshoot. I find the swiftui instrument be helpful and like to use it :) I can post a complete crash report as well.
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5
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334
Activity
Mar ’26
Error recording of CPU Profiler in CLI: [Error] Failed to start the recording: Failed to force all hardware CPU counters: 13.
Context I created a short script to CPU profile a program from the command line. I am able to record via the Instruments app, but when I try from the command line I get the following error shown below. This example is just profiling the grep command. Error: % cpu_profile /usr/bin/grep \ --recursive "Brendan Gregg" \ "$(xcode-select --print-path)/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX.sdk" Profiling /usr/bin/grep into /tmp/cpu_profile_grep.trace Starting recording with the CPU Profiler template. Launching process: grep. Ctrl-C to stop the recording Run issues were detected (trace is still ready to be viewed): * [Error] Failed to start the recording: Failed to force all hardware CPU counters: 13. Recording failed with errors. Saving output file... Script: #!/bin/sh set -o errexit set -o nounset if [ "$#" -lt 1 ] then echo "Usage $0 <program> [arguments...]" 1>&2 exit 1 fi PROGRAM="$(realpath "$1")" shift OUTPUT="/tmp/cpu_profile_$(basename "$PROGRAM").trace" echo "Profiling $PROGRAM into $OUTPUT" 1>&2 # Delete potential previous traces rm -rf "$OUTPUT" xcrun xctrace record \ --template 'CPU Profiler' \ --no-prompt \ --output "$OUTPUT" \ --target-stdout - \ --launch -- "$PROGRAM" "$@" open "$OUTPUT" I think the error has to do with xctrace based on this post, but according to this post it should have been resolved in MacOS version 15.4. System Chip: Apple M3 Pro macOS: Sequoia 15.4.1 xctrace version: 16.0 (16E140) xcrun version: 70. Xcode version: 16.3 (16E140) Working Screenshots from Instruments App:
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508
Activity
May ’25
trouble with MDLMesh.newBo()
I made a box with MDLMesh.newBox(). I added normals. let mdlMesh = MDLMesh.newBox(withDimensions: SIMD3<Float>(1, 1, 1), segments: SIMD3<UInt32>(2, 2, 2), geometryType: MDLGeometryType.triangles, inwardNormals:false, allocator: allocator) mdlMesh.addNormals(withAttributeNamed: MDLVertexAttributeNormal, creaseThreshold: 0.25) After I convert to MTKMesh the normals are (0,0,0) for a group of vertices. I can only inspect the geometry after I convert to MTKMesh. Is there a way you can use Geometry Viewer on a MDLMesh?
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190
Activity
May ’25
CoreML memory allocation logic
hello, I got a question about coreml. I loaded the coreml model in the project and set the computing unit to CPU+GPU. When I used instruments to analyze the performance, I found that there was an overhead of prepare gpu request before each inference. I also checked the freezing point graph and found that memory was frequently allocated. Is this as expected? Is there any way to avoid frequent prepares? I have tried some methods, such as memory sharing of predict interface input parameters, but it seems to be ineffective.
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163
Activity
May ’25
Cannot get Instruments to profile my apps
Hi, I need help to get Instruments running to profile my application. I tried to profile my main app (Qt-5.15-Framework, c++, Intel-arch only) from Xcode. My app starts and Instruments runs time profiler or Leaks for about 15 seconds and the quits. No crash, no message nothing. This has been happening for a while on my Mac Studio M1 Max running macOS 14.7.6 and Xcode 15.4 IDE with a toolchain from Xcode 14.3 for the qmake (qt) project. However, this also happens if i set up a new vanilla Swift UI project from scratch wihtout any Qt stuff. In addition to the Mac Studio I also have Mac Book Pro M4 running macOS 15.5 and Xcode 16.4. On that machine I get the same results, no matter if I try Instruments on my qt project or a vanilla SwiftUI project. Also it does not make a difference if I change the toolchain with: sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode_143.app or sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode_164.app. Same results in either case. I also tried switching to Debug build in the editing the scheme for profiling, but got no better results. I also tried to lauch Instruments from Xcode using the Open Developer Tool menu entry, but got no better results. When I start Instruments first, run my program in Xcode and attach to it, I get the same results. Do you have any advice what to check for or to setup, maybe in signing or such? I am probably missing something basic. Thanks in advance
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475
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Jun ’25
(iOS 26) - PowerProfiler trace file cannot be opened
I kept CoreLocation’s startUpdatingLocation running for a full day and used Performance trace - PowerProfiler to track the power usage during that time. The trace file was successfully generated on the iOS device, and I later transferred it to my MacBook. However, when I tried to open the .atrc file, I received the following warning: The document cannot be imported because of an error: File ‘/Users/jun/Downloads/PowerProfiler_25-06-16_181049_to_25-06-17_091037_001.atrc’ doesn’t contain any events. Why is this happening? Is there a known issue with PowerProfiler in iOS 26, or am I missing something in the tracing setup? Note: The .aar file and the extracted .atrc file are not attached here, as forum uploads do not support these formats.
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300
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Jun ’25