How to Enable VirtualBox iPhone Redirection

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Olga Weis Last updated Oct 20, 2026

Reviewed by Nikolai Svarachevsky, FlexiHub's Lead Developer, for technical accuracy.

How to Enable VirtualBox iPhone Redirection

You can connect an iPhone to VirtualBox in two ways: through VirtualBox's built-in USB passthrough, or through a redirection tool like FlexiHub if the iPhone is attached to a different computer than the one running VirtualBox.

Native passthrough works when the iPhone is plugged directly into the VirtualBox host. It won't help if the device lives on another machine, or if VirtualBox doesn't recognize it correctly.

This guide walks through both methods: setting up native USB passthrough in VirtualBox 7.0 and later, and using FlexiHub to redirect an iPhone from a remote computer.

iPhone in VirtualBox: redirecting over the network

USB support is not fully provided by default in many virtualization solutions. In situations where VirtualBox does not recognize the iPhone, a third-party software tool can solve the problem. FlexiHub is the advanced software to establish VirtualBox for iPhone connectivity.

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FlexiHub is a USB redirection tool that gives VirtualBox access to an iPhone even when the VM's built-in USB passthrough doesn't recognize the device. It works by redirecting the iPhone's USB connection over the network, so VirtualBox sees the device as if it were plugged in directly, even when the iPhone is connected to a completely different computer.

This solves two separate problems. It fixes cases where VirtualBox fails to detect an iPhone at all, and it removes the requirement that the iPhone be physically connected to the machine running VirtualBox, since FlexiHub works over any IP-based network, local or over the internet.

FlexiHub isn't limited to VirtualBox. The same redirection method works with VMware, Hyper-V, and other virtualization platforms, and with iPads and other iOS devices, not just iPhones.

Note: How we tested this

We connected an iPhone 15 Pro (iOS 26.2) to a Windows 11 Pro machine over USB-C, with FlexiHub installed on that host and on a macOS Sequoia 15.6 VM in VirtualBox 7.2.4. With FlexiHub running on both sides, the iPhone redirected into the macOS guest and Xcode 26.2 could see and build to it normally.

Running macOS in VirtualBox on non-Apple hardware isn't an Apple-supported configuration. It worked here, but falls outside Apple's own licensing terms.

How to enable VirtualBox iPhone redirection with FlexiHub

Below you’ll find the steps that will help you redirect an iOS device to a VirtualBox VM:

1.

Register a free FlexiHub account.
2.

Download and install FlexiHub on the computer with the physical connection to the iPhone. This machine will be known as the server.
3.

You also need to install the software to a VirtualBox instance that will access the iPhone. In this case, VirtualBox will be called a client in the FlexiHub configuration.
4.

Launch FlexiHub on both the server and client machines. Use the same credentials to log into the application on both machines.
5.

Locate the iPhone in the list of available devices and click “Connect” next to the device.

Note: May occur the problem on machines where VirtualBox is installed. After plugging a USB device into a USB port of the computer or after sharing/unsharing a USB device with FlexiHub, VBoxUSBMon.sys driver may crash causing BSOD.

To fix this issue, you can stop VBoxUSBMon.sys driver or use another virtual machine instead of VirtualBox.

If you prefer video instructions, you can check out our detailed video guide on connecting iPhones to VirtualBox over the network:

The advantages of using Flexihub to access iPhone in VirtualBox

If you are looking for a way to enable VirtualBox for iPhone connectivity, FlexiHub has proven to be efficient in redirecting USB devices to virtual machines. Connecting your iPhone to VirtualBox with this dedicated software has many advantages. Here are some of them.

FlexiHub provides high data transfer rates that allow you to remotely access a device with the same functionality as with a physical connection.
Ease of use is provided with this software, as you can connect and share your iPhone from a virtual environment with a few clicks.
Cross-platform compatibility can be important and with FlexiHub you can connect an iPhone to VirtualBox on a Mac, Windows, or Linux host machine.
Data security is provided through TLS 1.2 encryption. The information transferred between the virtual environment and the iPhone is protected from access by unauthorized users.
FlexiHub is compatible with many virtual solutions besides VirtualBox, making it useful for anyone working with virtual USB devices.

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Troubleshooting FlexiHub iPhone connections

iPhone not showing up in FlexiHub? Make sure FlexiHub is installed and running on both computers, not just the one with the iPhone attached. If the device still doesn't appear on the VirtualBox host, check that the Virtual USB Driver installed correctly on that machine. A common fix is uninstalling FlexiHub from that computer, rebooting, and reinstalling it.

Can't log in or connect at all? Try opening https://account.flexihub.com/ in a regular browser. If it doesn't load, your network or ISP may be blocking a required port. If the site loads fine but FlexiHub still won't connect, collect the internal logs (File → Save internal logs) and send them to support@flexihub.com.

iPhone connection feels slow? FlexiHub automatically picks the fastest connection method available, favoring a direct connection whenever possible and falling back to slower routing (through FlexiHub's Tunnel Server) when both computers are behind restrictive NATs or firewalls. Opening TCP port 5000 on the router, or getting a public IP for one of the machines, lets it use a direct connection instead.

The native way to mount iPhone in VirtualBox

Windows and Linux users who wish to access an iPhone in a VirtualBox guest VM must be running VirtualBox 7.0 or later. Starting with that version, USB 2.0 (EHCI) and USB 3.0 (xHCI) controller support ships in VirtualBox's open source base package, so most users can enable USB passthrough without installing anything extra.

The separate VirtualBox Extension Pack is still available and adds features like webcam passthrough and disk image encryption, but it isn't required for standard USB passthrough on VirtualBox 7.0 and later. If you're on an older VirtualBox version, or you run into a device that VirtualBox still won't recognize after enabling USB passthrough, installing the Extension Pack that matches your exact VirtualBox version can help.

VirtualBox with USB passthrough lets VM users interact with an iPhone connected to the host machine with the same functionality as if the device were plugged directly into the guest OS.

Steps for connecting VirtualBox to your iPhone

If VirtualBox does not recognize iPhone, do the following:

1.
Confirm you're running VirtualBox 7.0 or later (check via Help → About VirtualBox). Update if needed.
2.
Attach the iPhone to the computer and open VirtualBox. Select the virtual machine that you will use with the iPhone and access the machine's settings.
3.
In the left pane, click the "USB" option. Make sure "Enable USB Controller" is selected, along with "USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller" or "USB 3.0 (xHCI) Controller" depending on your iPhone's connection type.
4.
Select the "Add" button located on the window's right side and choose the iPhone. Then, close the settings by clicking "OK".
5.
Once the USB options have been configured, it is time to start the virtual machine. Click on the "Devices" menu located in the "Title" bar and select "USB Devices".
6.
Select your iPhone so it can be mounted in the VM. After the device is mounted, you can access the iPhone in the same way you would if it was connected to the host operating system.

With the above configuration, the iPhone will function inside the VM exactly as if it were physically connected, so you can use it with whatever software your workflow requires.

FAQ

Can I run VirtualBox on an iPhone?

No, you cannot run VirtualBox on an iPhone. VirtualBox is virtualization software designed to operate on operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.

How to Connect an iPhone to VirtualBox on a Mac?

There are two ways to connect an iPhone to VirtualBox on a Mac: natively and using special software such as FlexiHub.

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