Apple Watch Missing Developer Mode Option

I have resolved! 🥳🥳 I have created two sample watchOS apps, tried multiple times to install them from (iPhone's watch app). Restarted the watch 5+ times. Restarted iPhone several times. It does not worked. Then I have deleted both sample apps. Then restarted iPhone and watch (the one app automatically uninstalled, while second sample app still exists in the watch).

Finally, got some break time and prayed to God. In the next try, Xcode detected my watch and "developer mode" appeared in the settings!

I have used @tyxop @ahenqs comments. Thanks guys!

I have Xcode 15.4 MacOS 14.4.1 WatchOS 10.5 Phone 17.4.1

and still my Xcode don't show my apple watch and in my apple watch I don't have "developers mode" option. I have tried everything above and cannot continue with my project... Did anyone find a solution for that? :(

I was running into the same thing. Here's the exact sequence of steps that got it working for me.

1. Connect your phone to your Mac and open XCode
2. Go to manage run destinations, and unpair the phone, but don't tap on "Trust this computer" or anything else
3. Unplug the phone from the Mac
4. Go to Settings -> Privacy and turn off Developer Mode
5. Restart the phone
6. Plug the phone back in to your Mac
7. Go to Settings -> Private and turn on Developer Mode (which will trigger yet another restart)
8. Xcode should see your device now, and it should also show your watch as a disconnected device once it's done preparing your phone for development. DO NOT CLICK ON YOUR WATCH IN RUN DESTINATIONS
9. On your watch go to Settings -> Privacy and scroll to the bottom. The mysterious Developer Mode should show up now
10. Tap on it, and then turn it on. This will trigger a restart of your watch
11. Once your watch has restarted make sure to look at it so it triggers the "Are you sure you want to turn on developer mode?" question. Say yes
12. NOW click on your watch in Xcode Run Destinations. This will trigger it to prepare the device and download the run symbols

If that doesn't work for you, then I apologize, but it's what got me finally up and running with it after a full day of futzing around 9)

for me enabling developer mode appeared - without having to run all the steps in the post above - on the watch after unpairing the watch, connecting iPhone by cable (not wireless) and seeing the watch appear. Clicking on it gave me the "enable developer mode" message on the watch, which magically appeared in the watches' settings.

I assume the "wired" connection between Mac and iPhone made the trick.

The watch connected fine, but needed some patience to resolve a transport error listed on the watch screen in Xcode to be resolved, to get the final screen in xCode.

[Xcode 16 b3, iOS 18b3, watchOS 11b3 and MacOS 15b3 - Xcode 16b3]

After wasting a day trying I finally succeeded, first to get Xcode to acknowledge that my watch existed and then to get into Developer mode. Most of the suggestions above will get you there in the end but there is something that needs clarifying. There is a "Developer" button that shows up at the bottom of the Settings screen. Tap that and toggle either or both switches in this screen. Then a "Developer" button shows up at the bottom of the Privacy & Security screen from which you can go through the setup process. Whoever thought this user experience was ready for release needs some remedial training. Xcode 15.4 on M1 MacBook Air

I had the same issue, and that's how I manage to make it work: go to the settings on the iPhone -> Developer -> check " WidgetKit Developer Mode" Now if you go to your watch -> Settings -> Privacy & Security -> you scroll all the way down, you will find Developer Mode waiting to be activated

I hope this will help you

No mater what I tried, the option to enable the developer mode on my watch just wouldn't show up.

What made the difference for me, is connecting the phone to the Mac via the cable. After that my watch showed up in the Devices window in Xcode and I was able to enable developer mode on the watch itself.

iOS18 watchOS11 macOS15 Xcode 16RC1 - Issue persists

iOS18 watchOS11 macOS14 Xcode 15.4 - Issue persists

I can install the app on to the phone but get an error when trying to install the app from the phone to the watch "This app could not be installed at this time".

The app does appear on the watch, when I try to open the app, I get the error:

Unable to Install "APPNAME" This app cannot be installed because its integrity cannot be verified

I purchased the watch in June '24 to do watchOS development, I figured they'd sort this out with the release of iOS18 and watchOS11. I've performed every step in this thread multiple times.

In my case, i using cable to connect the device is work, and the developer mode is show in applewatch. but through wifi is no show

To clarify for all its the settings in the watch that's on the wrist on the watch app or settings on the iPhone but settings physically acquired through the watch to turn on developer mode, and "hello world" it works! took me two hours to figure this out and wanted to contribute and save the headaches I've encountered. Hope this helps

All wrong, unpair on Xcode, connect the cable on iPhone and trust computer on both - make sure they are in the same network.

I was missing the options in my Apple Watch on watchOS 11.2 Dev Beta. I had to unpair my phone with Xcode, repair it, retrust the computer, then the Developer Mode option showed up on the watch about a minute later.

In my case, iPhone can open developer mode but watch can't find the option.

After one day of trying, I find out only let the xcode show "⚠️ open developer mode......" then the watch will show developer mode option.

For me it was the confusion between two Settings with the same name:

Settings--> Developer Mode WRONG

Settings--> Privacy & Security --> Developer Mode RIGHT

Here's every step on how I managed to do it

Prerequisites:

• Modern Mac (WatchOS needs a newer bluetooth module to communicate with the Mac, I used an M1 MB Air)
• WIFI Router

Steps

1. Plug in iPhone that has watch paired
2. Trust the computer
3. Add phone to Devices in Xcode
4. Ensure WIFI for Mac, iPhone, and Watch are all joined to the same SSID and band (not a mix of 5g & 2.7ghz)
5. Reboot watch, and unlock
6. Unplug iPhone from computer and plug back in
7. Accept the trust PC dialog on the watch.
8. After 10s unplug and replug iPhone in for a second time, watch should now appear in Xcode devices.
9. Wait for the provisioning, a yellow banner will eventually appear saying "Developer mode not enabled"

1. On watch go to Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Developer Mode -> Enable. The watch will reboot, and then ask again to turn on Developer Mode, Accept. Then ensure the WIFI is reconnected before continuing.
2. In Xcode Right click the watch and click reconnect. And wait for debug symbols to copy across.
3. I had to right click and reconnect in Xcode one last time before the watch was fully provisioned.

1. Got a brand new Mac and a brand new watch. Existing iPhone already has developer mode enabled.
2. Connect iPhone to the Mac with the cable. Click "Trust this computer".
3. in Xcode, click Window | Devices and Simulators. The iPhone already shows up there. Add and set it up.
4. The watch still wouldn't show up. Developer mode option is absent in Settings | Privacy & Security.
5. Doing some random things like restarting Xcode and the watch. Still no Developer mode option on the watch.
6. Then I noticed a popup - something about updating my iPhone or Xcode to enable development. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact message.
7. Do the update. I am not sure if that was it, but after update, Developer mode option finally shows up on the watch.
8. Enable Developer mode, the watch will restart, then confirm enablement on the watch again.
9. In Xcode go to Window | Devices. The watch now shows up there. Add and set it up. It failed a few times along the way. Retried and eventually it worked.
10. Create a test watchOS project in Xcode. I did watch only, no companion app. Select your team for code signing certificate while creating the project.
11. Select your watch as run target and run the project.
12. It works!

Now it seems I was able to activate the Developer Mode option but creating a simple app with a watchOS companion app, using Xcode to install the app on my physical iPhone then use the Watch app to install the app on my watch. When going to launch the app, I get the 'Developer Mode must be enabled' error. I can now see the setting in Settings -> Privacy & Security - Developer Tools. I enable it and restart the watch, when going back to the setting, after the restart it is still disabled. I have waited 15 minutes as outlined in this article: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/724444. I've restarted my watch 10+ times now.

In case anyone else has the issue with the Apple Watch not showing, I went through everything above but finally saw in Xcode...settings...apple account that I had to log into to the apple portal to accept the new terms. Once I did that it seemed to work.