HackiOS is an independent research project that successfully boots Apple’s open-source XNU kernel (version 8796.121.2, the kernel from iOS 16.5) on Android phone hardware and runs the unmodified iOS 16.5 user space on top of it. The project achieves this through a custom EFI loader, replacements for Apple’s closed-source drivers, a UEFI port, and a Linux Wi-Fi driver on a compatibility layer.
The system runs in two environments: on a POCO X5 Pro 5G with a Snapdragon 778G processor, where nothing is permanently flashed to the phone and the system lives entirely in RAM, and on QEMU (aarch64) on any Linux computer. In both cases, after a reboot the phone returns to its original Android state.
According to the project documentation, several iOS features work properly, including the lock screen, home screen with app icons, system gestures like swipe-up for the app switcher, and standard iOS apps such as Settings, Clock, Calendar, Photos, Notes, and Safari. The phone’s touchscreen, multitouch input, real power and volume keys, Wi-Fi connectivity at 55–90 Mbit/s, camera functions, speaker and microphone audio, and the Adreno 642L GPU through Mesa/freedreno are all functional. The system can run up to 8 CPU cores and boots to the lock screen in approximately 20 seconds.
However, several features do not yet work, including cellular connectivity, Bluetooth, charging under the custom kernel, Metal graphics for apps (though progress is being made with system shaders), App Store access, Apple ID sign-in, and video or Live Photo recording.
The project is distributed across two GitHub repositories: hackios-xnu-kernel contains XNU patches, the EFI loader, UEFI port, Wi-Fi drivers, and QEMU scripts, while hackios-xnu-userland contains initialization code, system libraries, and tools for building APFS images. Neither repository contains Apple files. The iOS 16.5 firmware is downloaded directly from Apple’s content delivery network during setup.
According to the project documentation, HackiOS is “an independent research project by OOSEX GANG and is not affiliated with, authorised or endorsed by Apple Inc.” The researchers note that it functions as a research bench rather than a permanent ROM, with sessions lasting a set duration before returning control to the loader.
Key facts
- HackiOS boots iOS 16.5’s XNU kernel on Android devices and runs unmodified iOS 16.5 user space
- The system works on POCO X5 Pro 5G and QEMU with no permanent changes to Android phones
- Working features include lock screen, home screen, gestures, apps like Safari and Calendar, Wi-Fi, camera, touchscreen, and GPU acceleration
- Non-functional features include cellular, Bluetooth, charging, Apple ID sign-in, and video recording
- The project is distributed across two GitHub repositories containing no Apple files; iOS firmware is downloaded from Apple’s CDN