MobileDevice.pkg untrusted, cannot open Xcode after OS X update

After an automatic update of macOS v10.15 (Catalina), I am unable to open Xcode. Xcode prompts me to install additional components but the installation fails because of MobileDevice.pkg (Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Resources/Packages)

I have found multiple answers on how to locate MobileDevice.pkg and that I should try to install it directly, but when I try to do this the installation fails too. I have also tried updating Xcode from App Store, but the update failed when it was nearly finished.

Has anyone experienced the same behaviour? Should I reset the Mac to default and install macOS v10.13 (High Sierra) or Catalina from scratch or it is a problem of Xcode and re-install would do the job?

I have found a discussion here that was posted today and is probably regarding the same issue and it seems like many people are dealing with it, too.

The log:

*2019-10-25 01:03:34+02 Vendula-MacBook-Pro Xcode[1567]: Package: PKLeopardPackage 
<id=com.apple.pkg.MobileDevice, version=4.0.0.0.1.1567124787, url=file:///Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Resources/Packages/MobileDevice.pkg> 
Failed to verify with error: Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=102 
"The package “MobileDevice.pkg” is untrusted." 
UserInfo={
  NSLocalizedDescription=The package “MobileDevice.pkg” is untrusted., 
  NSURL=MobileDevice.pkg -- file:///Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Resources/Packages/, 
  PKInstallPackageIdentifier=com.apple.pkg.MobileDevice, 
  NSUnderlyingError=0x7fabf6626d00 
  {
    Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain 
    Code=-2147409654 "CSSMERR_TP_CERT_EXPIRED" 
    UserInfo={
      SecTrustResult=5, 
      PKTrustLevel=PKTrustLevelExpiredCertificate,   
      NSLocalizedFailureReason=CSSMERR_TP_CERT_EXPIRED
    }
  }
}*

Edit and set the date of your Mac as October 1st, 2019.


I didn't have Xcode 11.1 installed and even though I could open and run the 11.0 after the below workaround I could not update to 11.1 as the update always failed. So I have just re-installed the whole app from the App-Store - you could probably also do this instead of the below method.

I have tried setting my system time to 1st October 2019 when the certificate should had been still valid. After that I tried to open Xcode and followed the component install which went well and now I am able to work with Xcode again.


I had a similar problem, where I installed Xcode 11.1, and installed the components and everything within the same folder where I had Xcode 10.2.1. Then, I tried to go back to Xcode 10.2.1 and couldn't opened as it was asking me to install components again, and when I tried I was getting this error.

The package “MobileDeviceDevelopment.pkg” is untrusted.

So, the workaround that fixed it for me was navigating to...

/Users/YourUser/Applications/Xcode\ 10.2.1.app/Contents/Resources/

Then, deleting MobileDeviceDevelopment.pkg and everything went back to normal :)

I hope this helps anyone else with this issue. Cheers!


At macOS Catalina

cd /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Resources/Packages
sudo rm -rf MobileDevice.pkg
sudo rm -rf MobileDeviceDevelopment.pkg 

Try again. It means you entered on the Xcode downloaded packages and remove it. I really don't understand how Apple do but if you remove Xcode will download it again and revalidates.

Some remarks, I'm on XCODE Version 11.0 (11A420a) if you are not this is not guaranteed to work.


You may solve this issue by setting the date of your Mac as October 1st, 2019. But this is just a hack! The real solution (suggested by apple) is this:

All you have to is to upgrade Xcode

But there is a known Issues on apple developers site

Xcode may fail to update from the Mac App Store after updating to macOS Catalina. (56061273)

Apple suggests this:

To trigger a new download you can delete the existing Xcode.app or temporarily change the file extension so it is no longer visible to the App Store.


Always working solution for all Xcode issues:

  1. Go here and log in.

  2. Then download the xib from here.

More information here on this answer.


##Answer to this specific issue##

Get rid of those packages.

cd /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Resources/Packages
sudo rm -rf MobileDevice.pkg
sudo rm -rf MobileDeviceDevelopment.pkg 

Xcode will install all of them again for you.