Problem Description:
Since Our USB hubs are capable of sending Vendor Defined Messages (VDMs) over a USB Type-C cable connection, they can programmatically place iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices into DFU mode—without requiring any physical button interaction.
Recently, we identified an issue when invoking DFU mode on an iPhone 15 using this method. Upon entering DFU mode, the device enumerates with USB Product ID 0x1881 (“Debug USB” – KIS interface). At that point, the deviceinterfaced daemon (launched by launchd) immediately detects the device and claims exclusive access to the USB interface.
As a result, when our API Service attempts to communicate with the device through standard IOKit methods, it fails with the following error: 0xe00002c5 ((iokit/common) exclusive access and device already open)
This prevents our libraries from reading the iBoot string (USB serial number string) that Apple devices normally expose in standard or recovery modes—information that includes ECID, CPID, CPRV, CPFM, BDID, and SCEP. This creates a significant barrier, as our API service becomes unable to perform subsequent device restoration operations as we missed the critical information.
Request for Guidance: I’ve included the following context for your analysis and review. Using the launchctl unload command can temporarily stop it; however, I’d like to know if there’s an API-level mechanism to programmatically prevent deviceinterfaced from claiming access from within our API Service. Could you please advise on the following points? 1. Managing deviceinterfaced Access
• What is the proper way to stop or prevent deviceinterfaced from claiming exclusive access in this case, so that the API Service can read device information and starts restoring the device from that point?
• Is there a recommended method or entitlement that allows third-party services to communicate with Apple devices while they are in Debug USB (KIS) mode?
2. Guidelines and API Access
• Are there any Apple-supported APIs or developer guidelines that would permit controlled access to the iBoot interface without conflicting with deviceinterfaced?