# Install libusbmuxd with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, apt, zypper

USB multiplexor library for iOS devices. Version 2.1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install libusbmuxd-2.0-7.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:libusbmuxd
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install libusbmuxd
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install libusbmuxd
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/libusbmuxd/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add libusbmuxd
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libusbmuxd from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install libusbmuxd
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libusbmuxd from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#libusbmuxd
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libusbmuxd/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S libusbmuxd
```

  Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: libusbmuxd from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install libusbmuxd-2.0-7
```

  Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libusbmuxd-2.0-7 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

- Ubuntu apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install libusbmuxd-dev
```

  Evidence: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libusbmuxd-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install libusbmuxd-2_0-7
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libusbmuxd-2_0-7 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:libusbmuxd
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 2.1.1
- **Source summary:** USB multiplexor library for iOS devices
- **Homepage:** <https://www.libimobiledevice.org/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/libimobiledevice/libusbmuxd>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- inetcat (alias)
- iproxy (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 2.1.1
## Project history and usage

libusbmuxd is the libimobiledevice client library and tool set for talking to the usbmux protocol used to multiplex connections to services on iOS devices.

### Project history

The library grew out of the libimobiledevice ecosystem, which provides open-source userspace tools for communicating with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Its README describes libusbmuxd as a client library that does not talk directly to a device; it connects to a socket exposed by a usbmuxd daemon, using Apple's daemon on macOS and Windows or the libimobiledevice usbmuxd daemon on Linux.

### Adoption history

The package is widely carried because libimobiledevice-based tooling needs a portable way to reach device services over USB or network sync. The 1.0.9 release notes identify it as the first release after splitting usbmuxd and libusbmuxd, which made the daemon and client library easier for distributions to package separately.

### How it is used

Most users encounter libusbmuxd through higher-level tools, but the package also ships iproxy for forwarding a local TCP port to a service on a connected iOS device and inetcat for exposing a raw connection.

### Why package nerds care

It is one of the plumbing packages that makes non-Apple iOS workflows possible: device pairing, service access, backups, testing, and debugging stacks commonly depend on this small multiplexing layer.

### Timeline

- 1.0.9: First release after the usbmuxd/libusbmuxd project split.
- 2.0.0: Added support for USB and network devices reported by usbmuxd and introduced new context-aware event subscription APIs.
- 2.0.2: Renamed the library/API-versioned files to libusbmuxd-2.0 and added man pages for iproxy and inetcat.
- 2.1.0: Moved socket code to libimobiledevice-glue and added libusbmuxd_version().

### Related projects

- libimobiledevice is the higher-level project that uses libusbmuxd for iOS service communication.
- usbmuxd is the daemon side of the protocol.
- libplist and libimobiledevice-glue are related libimobiledevice dependencies.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/libimobiledevice/libusbmuxd>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/libimobiledevice/libusbmuxd/master/NEWS>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/libimobiledevice/libusbmuxd/master/README.md>
- <https://www.libimobiledevice.org/>


## Security Notes

library-like package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- library-like package without higher-risk signals

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - libusbmuxd-2.0-7 - 2.1.0-1+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libusbmuxd-2.0-7 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Client library to handle usbmux connections with iOS devices (library) | https://libimobiledevice.org
- Debian apt - libusbmuxd-dev - 2.1.0-1+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libusbmuxd-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Client library to handle usbmux connections with iOS devices (devel) | https://libimobiledevice.org
- Debian apt - libusbmuxd-tools - 2.1.0-1+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libusbmuxd-tools from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Client library to handle usbmux connections with iOS devices (tools) | https://libimobiledevice.org
- Nix - libusbmuxd: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libusbmuxd/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - libusbmuxd-dev - 2.0.2-4build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libusbmuxd-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | USB multiplexor daemon for iPhone and iPod Touch devices - devel | https://libimobiledevice.org
- Ubuntu apt - libusbmuxd-tools - 2.0.2-4build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libusbmuxd-tools from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | USB multiplexor daemon for iPhone and iPod Touch devices - tools | https://libimobiledevice.org
- Ubuntu apt - libusbmuxd6 - 2.0.2-4build3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libusbmuxd6 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | USB multiplexor daemon for iPhone and iPod Touch devices - library | https://libimobiledevice.org
- apk - libusbmuxd - 2.1.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libusbmuxd from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | USB Multiplex Daemon | https://libimobiledevice.org
- apk - libusbmuxd-dev - 2.1.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libusbmuxd-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | USB Multiplex Daemon (development files) | https://libimobiledevice.org
- apk - libusbmuxd-doc - 2.1.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libusbmuxd-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | USB Multiplex Daemon (documentation) | https://libimobiledevice.org
- apk - libusbmuxd-progs - 2.1.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libusbmuxd-progs from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | USB Multiplex Daemon - utilities | https://libimobiledevice.org
- dnf - libusbmuxd - 2.1.1-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libusbmuxd from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Client library USB multiplex daemon for Apple's iOS devices | https://www.libimobiledevice.org/
- dnf - libusbmuxd-devel - 2.1.1-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libusbmuxd-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Development package for libusbmuxd | https://www.libimobiledevice.org/
- dnf - libusbmuxd-utils - 2.1.1-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libusbmuxd-utils from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Utilities for communicating with Apple's iOS devices | https://www.libimobiledevice.org/
- pacman - libusbmuxd - 2.1.1-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: libusbmuxd from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Client library to multiplex connections from and to iOS devices | https://libimobiledevice.org/
- zypper - libusbmuxd-2_0-7 - 2.1.0-1.6: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libusbmuxd-2_0-7 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | A client library to multiplex connections from and to iOS devices | https://github.com/libimobiledevice/libusbmuxd


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/libusbmuxd.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/libusbmuxd.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph