Requirements & Setup¶
This guide explains all the requirements and setup steps for running Kivy on iOS with PySwiftKit.
System Requirements¶
- macOS 14 (Sonoma) or newer (required)
- Python 3.11.6 (do not use other versions unless stated)
- Xcode (latest version recommended)
- Homebrew package manager
Install Python 3.11.6¶
Download and install Python 3.11.6 for macOS 11+:
Link: Download Python 3.11.6 macOS installer
After installation, please run this file from the Python 3.11 folder:
Install Certificates.command

Install Homebrew¶
What is Homebrew?
Homebrew is a free and open-source software package management system that simplifies the installation of software on Apple's operating system, macOS, as well as Linux.
from Wikipedia
How to check if you have Homebrew installed
- Press ⌘ + Spacebar, type terminal and press enter
- Type
brew --version
and press enter.
$ brew --version
Homebrew 3.6.20
Select the result that matches your case:
-
If you see "zsh: command not found: brew", click on the menu above.
-
If you see "Homebrew 3.6.20" (or something similar), you have Homebrew installed. You can skip this step.
If you see zsh: command not found: brew
, the command brew
was not found. There are two possible reasons:
-
You don't have Homebrew installed.
-
You have Homebrew installed, but you need to add it to your
PATH
.
Check if one of these folders exist: /opt/homebrew/
or /usr/local/homebrew/
. If one of these folders exist, you need to add Homebrew to your PATH
. Open the terminal and type:
export PATH=/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH
Close the terminal and open it again. Type brew --version
and press enter. If you see Homebrew 3.6.20
(or something similar), you have Homebrew installed. You can skip this step.
If you are still seeing zsh: command not found: brew
, you don't have Homebrew installed, you can install it by following the instructions on the Homebrew website.
Install Build Tools¶
Install essential build tools using Homebrew:
brew install autoconf automake libtool pkg-config
brew link libtool
Install PySwiftKit Tools¶
To work with Kivy and Swift on iOS, you need to install psproject
and related tools using Homebrew.
Step 1: Add the PySwiftKit tap
Add the PySwiftKit tools repository to Homebrew to access additional packages.
brew tap Py-Swift/tools
Step 2: Install psproject
Install the psproject
tool, which is required for creating and managing Kivy projects on iOS.
brew install psproject
Updating psproject
and other tools
Keep your tools up to date with the following commands:
brew update
brew upgrade psproject
Install Xcode Command Line Tools¶
What are Xcode Command Line Tools?
"Xcode Command Line Tools are tools for software developers that run on the command line, in the Terminal application. Since before Apple's beginnings, this assortment of Unix-based tools have been the foundation of almost all software development.
Out of the box, a Mac doesn't contain all of the software and tools needed for programming. Instead, Apple provides a complete development environment for programmers named Xcode, which is available separately for download and installation"
from Mac Install Guide
How to check if you have Xcode Command Line Tools installed
- Press ⌘ + Spacebar, type terminal and press enter
- Type
xcode-select --install
and press enter.
$ xcode-select --install
---> 100%
If this message appears:
xcode-select: error: command line tools are already installed, use "Software Update" to install updates
You can skip this step. Otherwise, type git --version
and press enter.
If your result is similar to the previous video, congratulations! You have successfully installed Xcode Command Line Tools.
Install Xcode¶
Enter https://www.xcodes.app then click on DOWNLOAD XCODES
button. This will open a link from GitHub. Then, on Assets section, download the Xcodes.zip
file.
After downloading Xcodes
, open it and install Xcode 16.4
. On Platforms
tab, select iOS
platform to be installed. This will install the necessary iOS SDKs and tools required for Kivy development.
Afterward, open the Applications
folder and rename the application Xcode-16.4.0.app
to Xcode.app
.
Setup is complete! You now have all the necessary tools to start developing Kivy applications for iOS.
Continue to Create a New Kivy iOS Project to learn how to create your first Kivy project for iOS.