[No QA] Strip debug symbols from production iOS binaries by roryabraham · Pull Request #83249 · Expensify/App

roryabraham · 2026-02-23T21:50:35Z

Explanation of Change

Adds an Xcode Run Script build phase to both the HybridApp (Mobile-Expensify) and standalone (NewExpensify) iOS projects that strips debug symbols from the main app binary and all embedded third-party frameworks.

According to Sentry release metrics, debug symbols are contributing ~22MB to production bundles unnecessarily. The top contributors are:

Onfido.framework: 8.15 MB
MapboxCoreMaps.framework: 5.27 MB
MapboxMaps.framework: 2.73 MB
hermes.framework: 2.47 MB
LinkKit.framework: 1.65 MB

The script uses strip -rSTx to remove local symbols, debug symbols, Swift symbols not needed at runtime, and non-global symbols. It skips Debug configurations (so local dev is unaffected) and skips Apple-signed frameworks (which must not be modified).

Ordering is critical: the stripping phase runs after dSYM generation and Sentry upload, so crash symbolication is preserved. The dSYM is listed as an input file dependency to enforce this ordering in Xcode.

Note

The Mobile-Expensify submodule change requires a corresponding PR to Mobile-Expensify.

Fixed Issues

$ #82999

Tests

Tested with an AdHoc build in Sentry:

Before	After

Offline tests

None.

QA Steps

None.

Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

PR Author Checklist

Screenshots/Videos

Android: Native

N/A — build pipeline change only

Android: mWeb Chrome

N/A — build pipeline change only

iOS: Native

iOS: mWeb Safari

N/A — build pipeline change only

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

N/A — build pipeline change only

Add a shared script and Xcode Run Script build phases to both the HybridApp (Mobile-Expensify) and standalone (NewExpensify) projects that strip debug symbols from the app binary and embedded frameworks. This runs after dSYM generation and Sentry upload, preserving crash symbolication while reducing production IPA size by ~22MB (~11%). The script skips Debug configurations so local development is unaffected. Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>

…ols phase The dSYM inputPath created a cycle in Xcode's build graph. Instead, use alwaysOutOfDate=1 to run the phase every build, matching how the Sentry upload phases work. Made-with: Cursor

Switch to the Sentry-recommended -exec bash -c pattern for the find command to match the proven approach. Also add a diagnostic message when the Frameworks directory is not found. Made-with: Cursor

XCFrameworks (like Onfido) extracted from ZIPs may lack the execute permission bits that the previous -perm -111 check required. Instead, iterate over .framework directories and locate binaries by the standard naming convention (binary name matches framework name without extension). Made-with: Cursor

github-actions · 2026-02-27T02:00:08Z

🧪🧪 Use the links below to test this adhoc build on Android, iOS, and Web. Happy testing! 🧪🧪
Built from App PR #83249 Mobile-Expensify PR Expensify/Mobile-Expensify#13876.

Android 🤖	iOS 🍎
⏩ SKIPPED ⏩	https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/rock-artifacts/ad-hoc/rock-ios-device-AdHoc-c590cb7-096ab81-9da351ef2d6ce9d5a76f048deed14263032cb3c7/index.html
The build for Android was skipped

Web 🕸️
⏩ SKIPPED ⏩
The build for Web was skipped

👀 View the workflow run that generated this build 👀

Made-with: Cursor

melvin-bot · 2026-02-27T02:39:02Z

@Pujan92 Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

roryabraham · 2026-02-27T05:08:55Z

@Pujan92 I don't think we need C+ review here

Stripping invalidates the embedded code signature. While Xcode's final code signing step handles this, explicitly re-signing each framework after stripping is more robust and doesn't rely on implicit behavior. Made-with: Cursor

roryabraham · 2026-02-27T05:11:55Z

@codex review

chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-02-27T05:19:43Z

Codex Review: Didn't find any major issues. Breezy!

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Julesssss

Local claude raised a few minor points, but I think we don' expect them to occur and can ignore

We'd fallback to adhoc credentials if EXPANDED_CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY was missing
PR says The dSYM is listed as an input file dependency to enforce this ordering in Xcode which doesn't happen, inputPaths is left empty

Julesssss · 2026-02-27T22:07:25Z

Reviewer Checklist

I have verified the author checklist is complete (all boxes are checked off).
I verified the correct issue is linked in the ### Fixed Issues section above
I verified testing steps are clear and they cover the changes made in this PR
- I verified the steps for local testing are in the Tests section
- I verified the steps for Staging and/or Production testing are in the QA steps section
- I verified the steps cover any possible failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
- I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
I checked that screenshots or videos are included for tests on all platforms
I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
I verified that the composer does not automatically focus or open the keyboard on mobile unless explicitly intended. This includes checking that returning the app from the background does not unexpectedly open the keyboard.
I verified tests pass on all platforms & I tested again on:
- Android: HybridApp
- Android: mWeb Chrome
- iOS: HybridApp
- iOS: mWeb Safari
- MacOS: Chrome / Safari
If there are any errors in the console that are unrelated to this PR, I either fixed them (preferred) or linked to where I reported them in Slack
I verified proper code patterns were followed (see Reviewing the code)
- I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick).
- I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
- I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
- I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
- I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
- I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is either coming verbatim from figma or has been approved by marketing (in order to get marketing approval, ask the Bug Zero team member to add the Waiting for copy label to the issue)
- I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
- I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
I verified that this PR follows the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
I verified other components that can be impacted by these changes have been tested, and I retested again (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar have been tested & I retested again)
I verified all code is DRY (the PR doesn't include any logic written more than once, with the exception of tests)
I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.ts or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
If a new component is created I verified that:
- A similar component doesn't exist in the codebase
- All props are defined accurately and each prop has a /** comment above it */
- The file is named correctly
- The component has a clear name that is non-ambiguous and the purpose of the component can be inferred from the name alone
- The only data being stored in the state is data necessary for rendering and nothing else
- For Class Components, any internal methods passed to components event handlers are bound to this properly so there are no scoping issues (i.e. for onClick={this.submit} the method this.submit should be bound to this in the constructor)
- Any internal methods bound to this are necessary to be bound (i.e. avoid this.submit = this.submit.bind(this); if this.submit is never passed to a component event handler like onClick)
- All JSX used for rendering exists in the render method
- The component has the minimum amount of code necessary for its purpose, and it is broken down into smaller components in order to separate concerns and functions
If any new file was added I verified that:
- The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
If a new CSS style is added I verified that:
- A similar style doesn't already exist
- The style can't be created with an existing StyleUtils function (i.e. StyleUtils.getBackgroundAndBorderStyle(theme.componentBG)
If the PR modifies code that runs when editing or sending messages, I tested and verified there is no unexpected behavior for all supported markdown - URLs, single line code, code blocks, quotes, headings, bold, strikethrough, and italic.
If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
If the PR modifies a component related to any of the existing Storybook stories, I tested and verified all stories for that component are still working as expected.
If the PR modifies a component or page that can be accessed by a direct deeplink, I verified that the code functions as expected when the deeplink is used - from a logged in and logged out account.
If the PR modifies the UI (e.g. new buttons, new UI components, changing the padding/spacing/sizing, moving components, etc) or modifies the form input styles:
- I verified that all the inputs inside a form are aligned with each other.
- I added Design label and/or tagged @Expensify/design so the design team can review the changes.
If a new page is added, I verified it's using the ScrollView component to make it scrollable when more elements are added to the page.
For any bug fix or new feature in this PR, I verified that sufficient unit tests are included to prevent regressions in this flow.
If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.
I have checked off every checkbox in the PR reviewer checklist, including those that don't apply to this PR.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: HybridApp

Android: mWeb Chrome

iOS: HybridApp

iOS: mWeb Safari

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

github-actions · 2026-02-27T22:29:43Z

🚧 @roryabraham has triggered a test Expensify/App build. You can view the workflow run here.

github-actions · 2026-02-27T22:33:57Z

🧪🧪 Use the links below to test this adhoc build on Android, iOS, and Web. Happy testing! 🧪🧪
Built from App PR #83249.

Android 🤖	iOS 🍎
https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/rock-artifacts/ad-hoc/rock-android-Adhoc-a9c214c-a7ff231-083b281ba8c2e19ba65ad61330de91de04fca4f8/index.html	https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/rock-artifacts/ad-hoc/rock-ios-device-AdHoc-a9c214c-a7ff231-c026ae5c3b58288df26ff1c018bffc611a8be030/index.html

Web 🕸️
https://83249.pr-testing.expensify.com

👀 View the workflow run that generated this build 👀

OSBotify · 2026-02-27T22:36:32Z

✋ This PR was not deployed to staging yet because QA is ongoing. It will be automatically deployed to staging after the next production release.

OSBotify · 2026-03-02T23:02:59Z

🚀 Deployed to staging by https://github.com/roryabraham in version: 9.3.28-0 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

OSBotify · 2026-03-04T03:17:47Z

🚀 Deployed to staging by https://github.com/roryabraham in version: 9.3.30-0 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

OSBotify · 2026-03-04T18:08:08Z

🚀 Deployed to production by https://github.com/blimpich in version: 9.3.30-3 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

melvin-bot bot assigned roryabraham Feb 23, 2026

roryabraham changed the title ~~Strip debug symbols from production iOS binaries~~ [WIP] Strip debug symbols from production iOS binaries Feb 23, 2026

roryabraham force-pushed the rory-strip-debug-symbols branch from 8813ec8 to 28c1f7d Compare February 26, 2026 23:24

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roryabraham mentioned this pull request Feb 26, 2026

Strip debug symbols from production binaries #82999

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Fix dependency cycle by removing dSYM inputPath from Strip Debug Symb…

f36b9a6

…ols phase The dSYM inputPath created a cycle in Xcode's build graph. Instead, use alwaysOutOfDate=1 to run the phase every build, matching how the Sentry upload phases work. Made-with: Cursor

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Fix: use -exec pattern for framework stripping and add diagnostics

7bac0ea

Switch to the Sentry-recommended -exec bash -c pattern for the find command to match the proven approach. Also add a diagnostic message when the Frameworks directory is not found. Made-with: Cursor

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roryabraham changed the title ~~[WIP] Strip debug symbols from production iOS binaries~~ [No QA] Strip debug symbols from production iOS binaries Feb 27, 2026

roryabraham added 2 commits February 26, 2026 18:10

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into rory-strip-debug-symbols

d46181d

Add 'codesign' to cspell dictionary

27f8a32

Made-with: Cursor

roryabraham marked this pull request as ready for review February 27, 2026 02:38

roryabraham requested a review from a team as a code owner February 27, 2026 02:38

melvin-bot bot requested a review from Pujan92 February 27, 2026 02:39

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roryabraham removed the request for review from Pujan92 February 27, 2026 05:08

roryabraham requested a review from Julesssss February 27, 2026 21:20

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into rory-strip-debug-symbols

bacf4c9

Julesssss approved these changes Feb 27, 2026

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roryabraham merged commit a9c214c into main Feb 27, 2026
23 of 24 checks passed

roryabraham deleted the rory-strip-debug-symbols branch February 27, 2026 22:29

OSBotify mentioned this pull request Mar 2, 2026

Deploy Checklist: New Expensify 2026-03-02 #83947

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OSBotify mentioned this pull request Mar 3, 2026

[$250] Dev - App crashes after tapping on Vacation Delegate #83967

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