How to install NOOP on iPhone

How NOOP gets onto an iPhone

Apple only lets apps from the App Store onto an iPhone, with one exception: developers can install their own apps for testing, using a free Apple ID. SideStore and AltStore use that exception for you. They sign NOOP with your Apple ID, on your phone, which is why NOOP itself can stay anonymous.

That comes with three rules from Apple:

• Apps signed with a free Apple ID last 7 days. SideStore and AltStore renew them automatically, so you rarely notice.
• A free Apple ID can have 3 sideloaded apps at a time, and SideStore or AltStore counts as one of them.
• Developer Mode has to be on in Settings for sideloaded apps to open.

Before you start

• An iPhone with iOS 17 or newer. Check in Settings → General → About → iOS Version.
• A free Apple ID. Your usual one works, or create a spare one just for sideloading.
• A Mac or Windows computer and a USB cable, for the one-time setup.
• Your WHOOP strap, charged.

The pictures below are drawings of each screen. SideStore and AltStore look a little different from each other, but both have the same Sources, + and FREE buttons.

Step 1: Set up SideStore or AltStore

Pick one. Both are free and both work with NOOP's source:

We recommend SideStore because it refreshes NOOP without your computer. It's also the answer to a known AltStore sign-in bug (see troubleshooting). If you live in the EU, choose AltStore Classic, not AltStore PAL.

Follow the setup guide on the website of the one you picked. Their steps change from time to time, so their own guide is always the most accurate. You're done when the SideStore or AltStore app opens on your iPhone.

Step 2: Add NOOP's source and install it

A source is a list of apps that SideStore or AltStore can install and keep updated. Adding NOOP's source means you get every new version without downloading anything by hand.

1. Copy NOOP's source URL

   Tap Copy on the box below. It has to be this exact address: it's the raw file, not a GitHub web page.

   https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ryanbr/noop/main/altstore-source.json

   Copy

2. Add the source

   Open SideStore or AltStore and go to the Sources tab. Tap +, paste the address, and tap Add. If a preview of the source appears, confirm it.

   

3. Tap FREE next to NOOP

   Open the NOOP source and tap FREE next to NOOP. Sign in with your Apple ID if you're asked. The app downloads, is signed on your phone, and installs. It can take a minute.

   

4. Keep the app extensions

   If you're asked whether to keep or remove NOOP's app extensions, choose to keep them. They power NOOP's Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets and Live Activities. Removing them doesn't break the app, but those extras won't work.

Step 3: Turn on Developer Mode and trust your Apple ID

iOS won't open a sideloaded app until you've done these two things once. If SideStore or AltStore already opens fine, you've done them and can skip ahead.

1. Turn on Developer Mode

   Open Settings → Privacy & Security and scroll to the bottom. Tap Developer Mode and turn it on. Tap Restart.

   After your iPhone restarts, unlock it. When it asks whether to turn on Developer Mode, tap Turn On and enter your passcode.

   

   Don't see Developer Mode? It only appears after a sideloaded app is installed. Install NOOP first (step 2), then come back.

2. Trust your Apple ID

   Open Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. Under Developer App, tap your Apple ID, then tap Trust and confirm.

   

Step 4: Open NOOP and allow Bluetooth

Tap NOOP on your Home Screen. The setup starts:

1. Tap Begin, and read the short What NOOP does and What to expect screens.
2. When iOS asks whether NOOP can use Bluetooth, tap Allow. NOOP explains why: it "connects directly to your WHOOP strap over Bluetooth to read heart rate, R-R intervals, battery, and sensor data locally on your iPhone. Nothing leaves your device."
3. Allow notifications if you'd like wrist alerts and the smart alarm.
4. Put your strap on and follow Find your strap. The pairing guide covers every detail.

Other way: install the IPA file directly

Prefer not to add a source? You can install the file itself, though you'll have to repeat this for every update.

1. On your iPhone, download NOOP-ios-unsigned-v12.0.0.ipa:

Download NOOP 12.0.0 (iPhone)20.9 MB

2. Open the Files app, go to Downloads, and press and hold the .ipa file.
3. Tap Share, then SideStore or AltStore. (Or, in SideStore or AltStore, go to My Apps, tap + and pick the file.)
4. Then turn on Developer Mode and trust your Apple ID if you haven't yet.

Keep NOOP working: the 7-day refresh

Because NOOP is signed with a free Apple ID, its signature lasts 7 days. SideStore and AltStore renew it in the background. To keep that working:

• Keep SideStore or AltStore installed. Open it every few days.
• SideStore: keep its VPN app installed; it needs it to refresh.
• AltStore: leave AltServer running on your computer, on the same Wi-Fi as your iPhone.
• To refresh by hand: open My Apps and tap Refresh All.

If NOOP does expire, it just won't open. Your data is still there. Refresh it in My Apps and NOOP opens again exactly as you left it.

How to update NOOP on iPhone

If you added NOOP's source, updates arrive by themselves when SideStore or AltStore refreshes. To check now, open My Apps, pull down to refresh, and tap Update next to NOOP. Your data stays.

If you installed the IPA directly, download the new IPA and install it the same way, over the old one.

How to uninstall NOOP

Press and hold NOOP on the Home Screen, tap Remove App, then Delete App. This deletes everything NOOP stored on your iPhone, so export or back up first if you might want it again.

iPhone troubleshooting

Still stuck? Ask on r/NoopBand or NOOP's Discord, or check SideStore's and AltStore's own help pages.

Frequently asked questions