iSH+ 0.1.0

The first preview of iSH+, a fork of iSH that runs a real Linux kernel in a virtual machine (QEMU, with JIT) instead of iSH's own emulator.

Highlights

• Real Linux. Linux 6.18 runs in QEMU. JIT makes it fast, and iSH+ enables JIT by itself once it is paired with your device. It falls back to StikDebug, or to a much slower mode that runs without JIT.
• Any distribution. Install Alpine, Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, Artix, Fedora, openSUSE, Void, Kali, Rocky, Alma and more (arm64), each with its own user account. Add, switch and delete them in Settings > Distributions.
• x86_64 programs run through FEX. glibc and musl programs both work, and apt-x86 installs x86_64 Ubuntu packages.
• A native terminal (SwiftTerm) with Liquid Glass, mouse input for terminal apps, Termux-style scrolling and multiple sessions. It keeps running in the background.
• iOS integration. The Shared folder in the Files app is ~/iOS in Linux. pbcopy and pbpaste use the iOS clipboard, and the Run Command action runs a command from Shortcuts.

Installing

Sideload iSH-plus-0.1.0.ipa with AltStore, SideStore, Feather or a similar tool. Your sideloader re-signs it. Keep its entitlements, since JIT needs get-task-allow.

Then:

1. Install and connect LocalDevVPN.
2. Pair iSH+ with your device. Use Pair With This Device in the setup (iOS 27), or import a pairing file, for example from StikPair.
3. Choose a distribution and create your account. It downloads during setup and installs when it first starts.

Requirements

• iOS 26 or later. Pairing on the device needs iOS 27.
• Developer Mode on.
• About 100 MB for the app, plus storage for each distribution.

Known limitations

• The VM has 1 GB of memory.
• Changing distribution requires restarting iSH+.
• A session's history does not survive iSH+ being ended.
• The no-JIT mode is untested.
• Mouse input is untested with a real mouse or trackpad.