Install and use ByteViewer.
From the IPA on GitHub to a site running full screen on your phone, with ByteLoader on Windows or any other sideloading tool. Written for ByteViewer 1.2.0.
Download the IPA
Every GitHub release carries exactly one file, ByteViewer-<version>.ipa. It has no provisioning profile, so it cannot be installed by tapping it on the phone.
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Get the latest IPA
Use the Download button on this site. It links straight to the IPA on the latest GitHub release, and the download page lists the size and SHA-256 checksum.
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Keep it on the computer you will sideload from
The signing tool runs on your PC or Mac and pushes the signed app to the phone over USB.
Install with ByteLoader (Windows)
ByteLoader is our own sideloader for Windows. It signs the IPA with your free Apple ID, installs it over USB, then renews it before the 7-day expiry.
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Install ByteLoader
Download it from byteloader.byteknotlabs.com. On first run it installs the Apple components it needs by itself; no iTunes required.
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Connect the phone and sign in
Plug the iPhone in, tap Allow on the "Allow accessory to connect?" prompt, then sign in to ByteLoader with your Apple ID and the two-factor code.
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Drop ByteViewer.ipa and press Install on device
Signing and installing takes about half a minute. The icon appears on the Home Screen.
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Trust the developer once
The first launch says Untrusted Developer. On the phone: Settings, General, VPN & Device Management, tap your Apple ID, Trust, then Allow. ByteLoader's guide shows every screen.
- Settings
- General
- VPN & Device Management
Other ways to install
Any tool that signs IPAs with an Apple ID works. Use one tool per Apple ID, since a free Apple ID allows a single development certificate.
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AltStore (Mac or Windows)
Open My Apps, tap the plus button, pick the IPA. AltServer on the computer refreshes the signature.
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TrollStore
On the iOS versions it supports, TrollStore installs the IPA without signing, so there is no 7-day expiry.
Open your first site
ByteViewer starts on a home screen with a quick-open field and your saved sites.
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Type a URL and open it
The quick-open field opens any address without saving it. The site fills the screen with no browser bars. Pull down to refresh, swipe from the edges to go back and forward.
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Save it and set a default
Add the site to your list. Swipe right and choose Default, or long-press and choose Open at launch, and ByteViewer starts straight into it next time. The Edit button reorders the list.
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Use the floating menu
The ••• button inside a site offers Back, Forward, Reload, a Rotation submenu, Hide status bar, Share, Open in Safari, Add to Home Screen, Hide controls (three-finger tap brings them back) and Close site.
Tune each site
Every saved site has its own switches in the Add and Edit form. All are off unless noted.
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Display
Request desktop site (on by default for new sites on iPad), Hide status bar (also hides the home indicator), Edge to edge (only affects pages that already set a viewport meta tag), and Rotation: Auto, Portrait or Landscape.
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Behaviour and privacy
Stay in this site (tapped links to other domains open in Safari; redirects are not intercepted), Keep screen awake, Kiosk mode, Require Face ID / passcode, Private mode, Allow plain http://. Existing sites also get Clear cookies and site data.
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Icon and colour
When you add a site, ByteViewer reads its apple-touch-icon, icon links and theme-color, and refreshes them after each page load inside the site. Without them you get a globe on the theme colour or dark grey.
Put a site on the Home Screen
Launch a site like a native app, with its own icon.
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Add to Home Screen
Swipe right on a saved site, or long-press it, and choose Add to Home Screen. The in-app helper walks you through the Shortcuts steps.
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Links and Shortcuts
Each saved site has a byteviewer://open?site=<id> link, and byteviewer://open?url=<address> opens any URL unsaved. The Shortcuts action Open Site takes one input, the site. The Siri phrase "Open a site in ByteViewer" exists but is untested.
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Widget and quick actions
Add the Sites widget: small opens one site, medium shows up to four, large up to eight. Long-press the app icon for your first four sites in list order.
Troubleshooting
The most common issues and what fixes them.
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The app stopped opening after a week
Free Apple ID signatures last 7 days. Let your sideloading tool refresh it; ByteLoader does it automatically when the phone is reachable, or press Renew now there.
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"Untrusted Developer" on first launch
Trust your Apple ID once under Settings, General, VPN & Device Management, then Allow.
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The widget says "Add sites in ByteViewer"
The signing tool stripped or did not register the App Group entitlement. The app still works; only the widget cannot read the site list.
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A plain http:// site will not load
Turn on the site's "Allow plain http://" switch. By default ByteViewer upgrades http to https.
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A site asks for camera, microphone or location
Accept the WebKit permission prompt. The usage descriptions are in the app, though this is untested on a device so far.
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I am stuck in kiosk mode
Three-finger tap, pass Face ID or your passcode, then Close site.
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The page crashed
ByteViewer reloads the site automatically if the web process crashes. If it keeps happening, open the site in Safari from the menu and report it on GitHub Issues.
Still stuck?
Open an issue on GitHub with your device, iOS version and the tool you used, or email us.