zhongerxin/iphone-use is a Python tool that lets assistants such as Codex operate a real iPhone over USB in response to natural-language requests. The current latest release is v0.3.15. The README's update log for October 9 through 13 records a conservative improvement that limits the default number of screen element tree nodes returned to 200.
The tool uses WebDriverAgent to launch apps, read pages, click, scroll and type, and to organize lists. It also ships a local MCP server with install and usage skills, a real-time screen widget, and guidance to fall back to coordinate clicks based on a screenshot when screen elements cannot be found. It is written in Python and carries an MIT license. It combines existing WebDriverAgent and MCP so that agents can handle a physical device, and the underlying technique itself is not particularly new.
The code and tests reflect snapshot caps and observation budget management, timeout and disconnection recovery, restoration of temporary snapshot settings, and protection that stops long text input when apps switch or focus moves. However, the default settings send anonymous usage statistics, and the README directs readers to the analytics notice to learn how to turn this off. It can be disabled with IPHONE_USE_ANALYTICS=0 or DO_NOT_TRACK=1. The available information contains no device operation success rates or comparative performance data, so the real effectiveness of the automation is hard to judge from this description alone.