Troubleshooting

Ordered by how often each is the answer.

The phone does not appear at all#

It is the cable, most of the time. Charge-only cables look identical and carry no data lines. Then:

1. The Trust prompt. Unlock the phone and look for it. If you tapped Do Not Trust, unplug, forget the computer in Settings, Privacy, plug in again.
2. The port. Try the phone directly in the Mac rather than a hub.
3. Power. More than two or three phones needs a powered hub. Phones on an unpowered one disconnect at random, which does not look like power.

There is no Developer Mode in Settings#

On a phone never used for development the menu item does not exist yet. It appears once a Mac has tried to install a development app.

Plug in, tap Trust, press Make Device Ready, let it fail. tame names Developer Mode. The switch is now in Settings, Privacy and Security. Turn it on, let the phone restart, press Retry Ready check.

Xcode must be installed. There is no Xcode project of ours and nothing to clone.

The runtime installs and then cannot tap anything#

Enable UI Automation is off. Deceptive, because everything else looks correct: Developer Mode is on, the runtime installs and launches.

Settings, Privacy and Security, Developer Mode, Enable UI Automation. It only appears after the restart that turning on Developer Mode causes, which is why it gets missed.

tame keeps saying Apple access is not ready, and you are signed in to Xcode#

You added your Apple ID under Xcode, Settings, Apple Accounts, created an Apple Development certificate, and tame still shows Apple access is not ready for Device preparation. Re-check setup changes nothing.

Usually the certificate is there and your Mac does not trust it yet. tame only uses a certificate macOS reports as valid. Check in Terminal:

security find-identity -v -p codesigning

• 1 valid identities found. The certificate is fine. Quit and reopen tame, then press Make Device Ready.
• 0 valid identities found. Run the same command without -v:

security find-identity -p codesigning

If your Apple Development certificate is listed there, but not in the valid list, your Mac is missing Apple's intermediate certificate:

1. Download Apple's intermediate certificate

   Go to apple.com/certificateauthority↗ and download Worldwide Developer Relations - G3.

2. Install it

   Double-click the file. It is added to your login keychain. Leave its trust setting on Use System Defaults.

3. Check again

   security find-identity -v -p codesigning should now say 1 valid identities found.

4. Reopen tame

   Quit tame, open it again, and press Make Device Ready.

If the certificate is not listed at all, even without -v, it was never created on this Mac. Xcode, Settings, Apple Accounts, Manage Certificates, the + button, Apple Development. Make sure it appears in the list before you close the window.

Signing fails with a certificate message#

You have Command Line Tools rather than Xcode. Different things, similar names. Install the full Xcode and open it once.

Or your free certificate expired. They last 7 days. tame warns two days ahead for free accounts and thirty for paid. See Install the automation runtime.

Sessions run but recognise nothing#

Work through the settings checklist. Likely:

• Dark mode. Some state is read as colour.
• Brightness. Auto-brightness dims a phone sitting still.
• StandBy. A charging phone on its side shows a clock, so every look sees the wrong screen while the Device reports healthy.

A Device says Needs attention#

It carries a cause in words. Read that first: tame stopped rather than continuing into something it could not do safely. Usually a phone that stopped responding, a runtime that died, or a lapsed certificate.

A Device keeps dropping to Disconnected#

Power, then cable, then hub. If it is one phone rather than all of them, suspect that phone's cable and port first.

Auto-Lock keeps locking the phone#

Settings, Display and Brightness, Auto-Lock, Never. tame cannot read this over USB, so it cannot warn you.

Remote control shows no Devices#

Check the selected Workspace, its active Studio or Agency plan, and the Mac's connection. Each Device must be Ready and have Allow remote control enabled. Choose Devices alone does not share it. Sharing resets after an app relaunch. VAs also need permission in Team → Device access.

A shared Device stays on Connecting#

Check the Mac's remote-control status, USB connection and Device readiness. Update the Desktop App and runtime, toggle sharing off and on, then select Reconnect in the Web App if offered. If all Devices stay stuck, contact support with the displayed cause. Do not expose Device ports to the internet.

Clicks or typing do nothing#

Wait for a fresh screen and select Take control. Input pauses during media delivery; another Operator may also have control. For text, click a field on the Device before using Live keyboard. See Controls.

I have to take control again#

Hiding the tab, Escape in Device controls, switching Workspace or a stale screen can release control. Moving outside the screen does not. Reconnect if prompted, wait for a fresh picture and take control again.

Uploading or sending media fails#

Check the customer's storage allowance and wait for the upload to finish. Sending requires Device control and a supported file within the displayed 400 MB limit. If delivery is unconfirmed, check Photos before retrying. See Media delivery.

An invitation does not work#

Links expire after 24 hours and require the verified invited email. Ask for a new link if it expired or was revoked. Use the original sign-in method for an existing account; Google does not automatically link password accounts. Links are shared manually, not emailed automatically. See Invitations.

I cannot find Rename Workspace#

Select the Workspace in the profile dropdown. Only its Owner can rename it; owning a different Workspace does not grant permission here.

I see an error code#

You should not. Every failure carries a plain language cause, and the code belongs in the logs. If a code reaches you with no explanation, that is a defect. Send it to tame support on Discord↗.