--- title: "remotepairingd, remoted and CoreDeviceService: what they are, and whether to block them · Kilobat" url: "https://kilobat.app/processes/remotepairingd" description: "remotepairingd, remoted and CoreDeviceService connect a Mac to paired iPhones and iPads, for Xcode and more. What their traffic is and what breaks if you block them." --- Nearby devices # What is remotepairingd? `remotepairingd`, `remoted` and `CoreDeviceService` connect the Mac to devices you paired with it, such as an iPhone for Xcode. Their traffic goes to those devices on your network. Process: `remotepairingd` · Also seen as: `remoted`, `CoreDeviceService`, `usbmuxd` · Made by Apple · Applies to: macOS 14 Sonoma and later. CoreDeviceService comes with Xcode's device support. Checked on macOS 27.2. · Checked: 1 November 2026 ## Short answer Part of macOS and Xcode's device support. They find and talk to paired iPhones and iPads, mostly on the local network. Block with care Blocking them doesn't save internet data. Xcode's wireless installs and debugging, and other paired-device features, stop. Path `/Library/Apple/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/RemotePairing.framework/Versions/A/XPCServices/remotepairingd.xpc/Contents/MacOS/remotepairingd` `/usr/libexec/remoted` `/Library/Developer/PrivateFrameworks/CoreDevice.framework/Versions/A/XPCServices/CoreDeviceService.xpc/Contents/MacOS/CoreDeviceService` `/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MobileDevice.framework/Versions/A/Resources/usbmuxd` launchd label `com.apple.remoted` Signing identifier `com.apple.CoreDevice.remotepairingd` `com.apple.remoted` `com.apple.CoreDevice.CoreDeviceService` `com.apple.usbmuxd` ## What it is The man page calls `remoted` the “Remote Service Discovery daemon”. It “discovers remote devices and services”. It has no options, and users should not run it manually. Apple publishes no man page for `remotepairingd`. Its path shows that it is part of the RemotePairing framework. `CoreDeviceService` is in `/Library/Developer/PrivateFrameworks/CoreDevice.framework`. That folder holds the developer device support that Xcode uses. The `usbmuxd` man page says that it manages communication with iOS devices over USB and Wi-Fi. Apple's Xcode documentation says that Xcode can pair an iPhone or iPad wirelessly when it is on the same network as the Mac. ## Why it uses the network - **A paired device on the network.** On a test Mac, `lsof` showed `remotepairingd` connected to an iPhone on the local network. - **Xcode work with devices.** Installing and debugging apps on a paired device moves the app and debug data to it. - **Finding devices.** `remoted` discovers remote devices and services. Its launchd services include CoreDevice and virtualization. ## How much is normal If you use Xcode with a device, or another feature that pairs devices, traffic to that device is expected. On a developer's Mac with a paired iPhone, Kilobat recorded several gigabytes for each of these processes in one week. That traffic stayed on the local network. Apple doesn't document what else uses these daemons. Treat large traffic as the work of the device that you paired. ## When it uses a lot, and why - **Installing a build on a device.** Each run from Xcode sends the app to the device. Large apps, run often, add up. - **Debugging and device logs.** A debug session streams data between the Mac and the device for as long as it runs. ## Is it safe to block? Block with care Blocking them doesn't save internet data. Xcode's wireless installs and debugging, and other paired-device features, stop. What breaks if you block it - Xcode can't find, install to or debug a device over the network. - Other features that discover paired devices may stop. Apple doesn't document them all. Blocking means a firewall rule that refuses its connections. Don’t quit or disable a macOS process to save data: macOS starts it again, and other features depend on it. ## Reduce its use 1. Connect the device with a cable when you install or debug apps. 2. In Xcode, open Device Hub. Remove devices that you don't use any more. 3. Don't quit these processes in Activity Monitor. macOS starts them again. ## See how much it uses 1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications › Utilities. Click Network, then search for `remote` and for `CoreDevice`. 2. In Terminal, list the connections of remotepairingd. The addresses show which device it talks to. ``` lsof -nP -i -a -c remotepairing ``` ## With Kilobat 1. In the Kilobat app list, search for `remotepairingd`. Its row shows the live rate and what it moved today. 2. In Connections, click the ⓘ button on one of its rows. The popover shows this page’s short answer, without going online. 3. In Terminal, ask the same question. Add `--json` for scripts and agents. ``` kilobat explain 'remotepairingd' ``` 4. Show its traffic over one day. ``` kilobat bandwidth 'remotepairingd' day ``` 5. Through MCP, an AI agent asks `explain_connection` with the process name. It gets the same facts. The live view and the explanations are free. History in the app needs Kilobat Pro. Blocking needs Pro and the network filter: see the [network filter](https://kilobat.app/docs/blocking#filtering), [Protection](https://kilobat.app/docs/blocking#protection) and the [hotspot data saver](https://kilobat.app/save-hotspot-data). ## What isn’t documented Apple publishes no man page for `remotepairingd` or `CoreDeviceService`. This page describes their paths, the `remoted` and `usbmuxd` man pages and what was observed on a test Mac. ## Questions **Does remotepairingd use my internet data?** On the test Mac, its connections went to a device on the local network. Apple doesn't document all its connections. **Why is CoreDeviceService shown as CoreDeviceServi?** `nettop` and Kilobat show at most 15 characters of a process name. ## Sources - remoted(8) and usbmuxd(8), man pages installed with macOS 27.2 - launchd property list com.apple.remoted, macOS 27.2 - lsof(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2 - [Apple Developer: Managing your simulated and physical devices in Device Hub](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/managing-your-simulated-and-physical-devices-in-device-hub) Checked on 1 November 2026. ## Related - [rapportd](https://kilobat.app/processes/rapportd): Part of macOS. It connects this Mac to your other Apple devices on the local network for Handoff, phone calls and other Continuity features. - [mDNSResponder](https://kilobat.app/processes/mdnsresponder): Part of macOS. It handles system DNS lookups for apps and runs Bonjour on the local network, so its traffic can include other apps' name lookups. - [An app cannot find devices on the local network](https://kilobat.app/guides/local-network-permission)