[note]: SPM preferred over Cocoapods going forward with plugins

[felixkrautschuk]

Issue Description

After upgrading Xcode from 26.3 to 26.4, I am not able to install one of my apps anymore (the build succeeds, but installation fails).

Unable to apply changes on device: E411B00B-30CD-44D7-A923-F0D7D900AF9D. Error is: Command xcrun nsxcode264issue.app/Frameworks/UserMessagingPlatform.framework is missing its bundle executable. Please check your build settings to make sure that a bundle executable is produced at the path "nsxcode264issue.app/Frameworks/UserMessagingPlatform.framework/UserMessagingPlatform".

The issue is reproducable with a newly created NativeScript app, that includes the following SPM package:

//nativescript.config.ts
import { NativeScriptConfig } from '@nativescript/core';
export default {
    ios: {
        SPMPackages: [
            {
                name: 'GoogleUserMessagingPlatform',
                libs: ['GoogleUserMessagingPlatform'],
                repositoryURL: 'https://github.com/googleads/swift-package-manager-google-user-messaging-platform.git',
                version: '3.1.0',
            },
        ],
    },
} as NativeScriptConfig;

The issue seems to be related somehow to the GoogleUserMessagingPlatform package as it does not occur with MBProgressHUD as an example, BUT when opening platforms/ios/.xcworkspace in Xcode and run the app from Xcode, the installation succeeds as expected, so it seems to be related somehow to NativeScript CLI or @nativescript/ios ?

I tried @nativescript/ios 8.9.5 as well, but with the same result as 9.0.3, so I it might be related to the NS CLI somehow.
It was working as expected when Xcode 26.3 was installed.

Reproduction

Sample app for reproduction:
nsxcode26-4-issue.zip

1.) ns run ios -> build succeeds, but installation fails
2.) open platforms/ios/xcworkspace in Xcode and run app from there -> success

Relevant log output (if applicable)

Webpack compilation complete. Watching for file changes.
Resolving SPM dependencies...
Command line invocation:
    /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/xcodebuild -project /Users/felixkrautschuk/Downloads/nsxcode26-4-issue/platforms/ios/nsxcode264issue.xcodeproj -scheme nsxcode264issue -skipPackagePluginValidation IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=16.0 -destination generic/platform=iOS -resolvePackageDependencies

Build settings from command line:
    IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET = 16.0

Resolve Package Graph

Fetching from https://github.com/googleads/swift-package-manager-google-user-messaging-platform.git (cached)

Creating working copy of package ‘swift-package-manager-google-user-messaging-platform’

Checking out 3.1.0 of package ‘swift-package-manager-google-user-messaging-platform’


Resolved source packages:
  GoogleUserMessagingPlatform: https://github.com/googleads/swift-package-manager-google-user-messaging-platform.git @ 3.1.0

resolved source packages: GoogleUserMessagingPlatform
Updating runtime package.json with configuration values...
Project successfully prepared (ios)
Building project...
Xcode build...
Project successfully built.
Build time: 63.455 s.
The build result is located at: /Users/felixkrautschuk/Downloads/nsxcode26-4-issue/platforms/ios/build/Debug-iphonesimulator/nsxcode264issue.app
Installing on device E411B00B-30CD-44D7-A923-F0D7D900AF9D...
Unable to apply changes on device: E411B00B-30CD-44D7-A923-F0D7D900AF9D. Error is: Command xcrun with arguments simctl install E411B00B-30CD-44D7-A923-F0D7D900AF9D /Users/felixkrautschuk/Downloads/nsxcode26-4-issue/platforms/ios/build/Debug-iphonesimulator/nsxcode264issue.app failed with exit code 1. Error output:
 An error was encountered processing the command (domain=IXUserPresentableErrorDomain, code=1):
App installation failed: „nsxcode264issue“ kann nicht installiert werden
Versuche es später noch einmal.
nsxcode264issue.app/Frameworks/UserMessagingPlatform.framework is missing its bundle executable. Please check your build settings to make sure that a bundle executable is produced at the path "nsxcode264issue.app/Frameworks/UserMessagingPlatform.framework/UserMessagingPlatform".
Underlying error (domain=IXUserPresentableErrorDomain, code=1):
	„nsxcode264issue“ kann nicht installiert werden
	Versuche es später noch einmal.

Environment

OS: macOS 26.4
CPU: (12) x64 Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz
Shell: /bin/zsh
node: 22.19.0
npm: 11.6.2
nativescript: 9.0.5

# android
java: 17.0.11
ndk: Not Found
apis: 29, 35, 36, 36
build_tools: 25.0.2, 27.0.3, 28.0.3, 29.0.2, 30.0.2, 30.0.3, 32.0.0, 33.0.0, 33.0.1, 33.0.2, 34.0.0, 35.0.0, 35.0.1, 36.0.0, 36.1.0
system_images: 
  - android-29 | Google Play Intel x86_64 Atom
  - android-30 | Google APIs Intel x86_64 Atom
  - android-35 | Google Play Intel x86_64 Atom
  - android-36.1 | Google Play Intel x86_64 Atom
  - android-36.1 | Pre-Release 16 KB Page Size Google Play Intel x86_64 Atom

# ios
xcode: 26.4/17E192
cocoapods: 1.16.2
python: 2.7.18
python3: 3.13.0
ruby: 2.6.10
platforms: 
  - DriverKit 25.4
  - iOS 26.4
  - macOS 26.4
  - tvOS 26.4
  - visionOS 26.4
  - watchOS 26.4

Dependencies

"dependencies": {
  "@nativescript/core": "^9.0.17",
  "@nativescript/theme": "^3.1.0"
},
"devDependencies": {
  "@nativescript/ios": "^9.0.3",
  "@nativescript/webpack": "~5.0.25"
}

Please accept these terms

• I have searched the existing issues as well as StackOverflow and this has not been posted before
• This is a bug report
• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct

[felixkrautschuk]

I noticed, when including the package via Podfile
pod 'GoogleUserMessagingPlatform', '~> 3.1.0'
(instead of SPMPackage in nativescript.config.ts), then the installation works as expected.

But as all the Cocoapods stuff will stop working in 9 months, so I would be happy to make it working again with the SPMPackage option.

[NathanWalker]

This appears with the google SPM - confirmed SPM works fine with Xcode 26.4.

[felixkrautschuk]

Now I see the exact same behavior with another library, switching from Podfile
pod 'IronSourceSDK','9.4.1.0'

to SPM:

export default {
    ios: {
        SPMPackages: [
            {
                name: 'Unity-Mediation-iAds-Swift-Package',
                libs: ['UnityMediationSDK'],
                repositoryURL: 'https://github.com/ironsource-mobile/Unity-Mediation-iAds-Swift-Package',
                version: '9.4.1',
            },
        ],
    },
} as NativeScriptConfig;

The build succeeds, the installation on Simulator fails with error message:

myapp.app/Frameworks/IronSource.framework is missing its bundle executable. Please check your build settings to make sure that a bundle executable is produced at the path "myapp.app/Frameworks/IronSource.framework/IronSource".
Underlying error (domain=IXUserPresentableErrorDomain, code=1)

Again, when open xcworkspace and run the app from Xcode, the app is installed and started as expected.

In the meantime, my setup has changed to:

• NativeScript CLI 9.0.6
• @nativescript/ios 9.0.3
• Xcode 26.5

[NathanWalker]

Good note, this will continue to increase throughout the year as Cocoapods wind down https://blog.cocoapods.org/CocoaPods-Specs-Repo/

Most internal plugins we're switching to Swift Package Manager as well over the coming months.