Fixing Xcode 9 issue: "iPhone is busy: Preparing debugger support for iPhone"

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I'm looking for more information on the message below. Xcode 9 seems to be hanging for a couple minutes already...

How can I tell Xcode 9 to quickly recognize my previously used device updated to iOS 11?

.Alex’s iPhone is busy: Preparing debugger support for .Alex’s iPhone
Xcode will continue when .Alex’s iPhone is finished.

Lapboard answered 20/9, 2017 at 7:55 Comment(3)

I restarted the phone and waited for 1 min and then it worked. – Donica 20/9, 2017 at 8:17

I rebooted my phone and restarted XCode multiple times and it didn't help. I t worked after I rebooted my mac. – Prolong 20/9, 2017 at 12:26

This happened to my after I performed an iOS update on my iPhone 6. The progress bar at the top of the Xcode window should show the progress of whatever is going on in the background. I believe all it's doing is to load in crash logs/symbols/etc.... same as what happens every time you update the OS on your iDevice. – Palatalized 1/12, 2017 at 11:55

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There are multiple solutions for this:

Solution 1: Patiently wait for 10 to 15 minutes. Have a tea or roam around ;-)

Solution 2: Disconnect device from the system. Restart both iPhone and Xcode and then rebuild again.

Solution 3:

Go to Windows → Devices and Simulators (Shortcut key: cmd+shift+2)
You’ll see iPhone device connected to system with message

iPhone is busy: Preparing debugger support for iPhone
Click on plus button (+) present in bottom-left corner.
This will show the device connected to system. Click on Next button.
Thereafter you’ll see ‘device setup was successful’. Click on Done button.

Solution 3 worked for me!

Solution 4:

Unpair your device and then pair it again. Thereafter follow Step 3.

Acreage answered 23/11, 2017 at 6:25 Comment(17)

Solution 3 is amazing. You might want to add that after step 5, you need to click "Cancel Running" and run again; it then runs instantly. – Exotic 18/1, 2018 at 10:40

You might want to check (on your iPhone) for trust issues, under: Settings > General > Profile & Device Management. – Talapoin 9/2, 2018 at 6:34

This iOS ecosystem has so many problems. I am just starting to learn and the first month has been solving bugs of macOS, iOS and xCode. – Doormat 20/2, 2018 at 5:7

@PrimožKralj : These problems are with others as well i.e. Android, Tizen etc. Once the problem is identified it is fixed in next version. There exists no product which is 100% bug free! – Acreage 20/2, 2018 at 11:32

Solution #2 worked for me but I also unplugged the phone from my computer and after the phone rebooted and I entered the passcode I then replugged it in and then when I started Xcode everything was good. – Vertical 28/2, 2018 at 3:20

Well only waiting for 20 minutes helped. So need keep the patience :) – Pharmaceutical 5/4, 2018 at 15:50

Thank you so much! Solution #3 worked instantly. I just had to click “cancel running” BEFORE. This was annoying me for almost a year, then I thought Apple fixed this ridiculous bug (I send them feedback, and I am sure many others did, too…) but… – Jarrodjarrow 15/4, 2018 at 8:22

For me : #3 alone didn't work, #2 alone didn't work, #3 after #2 worked. – Slyviasm 2/5, 2018 at 2:30

Solution #1 worked for me :D ! At first I thought I just had to wait but it only actually worked after I made myself some tea ! Thanks for the tip – Expletive 8/5, 2018 at 12:36

You already waited for 5 mins... you searched for the issue for the next 5... you applied in the next 5... 15 mins already elapsed... solution 1 == solution 3 – Senator 17/8, 2018 at 9:40

None of the above solutions worked. Tried them all. Then I unpaired the device as tounaobun suggested, after that I was finally able to continue. – Hurt 17/12, 2018 at 17:6

also make sure that you don't have proxy tools on. I had this issue when Charles was on. – Heathheathberry 23/4, 2019 at 12:41

#3 via USB after iOS13 Update :) – Impact 24/9, 2019 at 21:15

If all 3 solutions don't work, go for unpairing the iPhone (see answer by @David Dal Busco) and then immediately go for solution 3 – Sindee 14/2, 2020 at 10:24

what about if I get the same issue but I don't see the warning in Xcode? – Effusive 13/10, 2020 at 14:30

@JayprakashDubey it's 5 years later and I'm still running into the same issues with Mac/iOS setup as people have been having for at least that long. It's definitely not "fixed in next version". I've also spent at least a month trying to get Mac building of mobile apps working with just endless issues punctuated by days lacking progress. – Canfield 9/8, 2023 at 23:46

Solution 2 worked for me on iOS 17.1! 👍 – Clubhouse 1/12, 2023 at 19:16

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I clicked ‘Cancel Running’, opened the Devices list, unpaired my iPhone, removed my USB cable and reconnected it, paired the iPhone, and then was asked on my iPhone to enter my passcode ("pin code"). Did this and then was finally able to pair my phone correctly.

Ricarda answered 26/9, 2017 at 7:41 Comment(5)

Didn't need to restart the iPhone. Made sure the home screen stayed on, unpaired the iPhone, unplugged the USB and plugged it back in. Clicked the Trust button on the iPhone and it's good to go. – Ut 23/10, 2017 at 2:20

I did not have to make sure the home screen stayed on, worked fine just following the steps in the answer. – Searcy 15/11, 2017 at 21:47

I had have to answer on iTunes trusty question, succeed only after answering – Hartwell 22/12, 2017 at 15:5

Unpairing and re-pairing worked. (This Xcode option is in Windows -> Devices and Simulators.) – Daisydaitzman 28/12, 2017 at 18:56

this worked after I tried 3 times, so perhaps Solution #1 above (to simply wait) is the only working solution. – Altigraph 9/1, 2019 at 23:33

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Wait a few minutes. The application will start automatically

Foment answered 21/9, 2017 at 12:35 Comment(1)

And it only happened the first time. I googled my way here because I had that issue but it only happened the first time I tried to launch the application. It hasn't happened again for 3 days. – Oestradiol 8/11, 2017 at 16:26

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Restarting Xcode worked for me (quit and start again).

What didn't work for me:

waiting for an hour on one device
waiting for an hour on another device
restarting devices
unpairing/pairing devices

Olympia answered 13/11, 2017 at 8:40 Comment(2)

restarting then unpairing/pairing device worked for me – Anthropophagite 6/10, 2022 at 3:0

unpairing works if stuck on fetching debug symbols – Terms 7/2, 2023 at 6:16

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It turns out XCode opens device manager window beneath it and waits for you to hit the next button. Switch to that window, hit next and you get the progress bar for the process to show up.

Lapboard answered 20/9, 2017 at 7:59 Comment(1)

I had to go to WINDOW > Devices & Simulators in Xcode and saw that it was busy processing. That was helpful. Thanks! – Chloe 3/11, 2017 at 13:17

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In my case, iTunes was open, so

1 - open iTunes

2 - access you phone

3 - click to disconnect your phone

Now the device is ready on XCode

Hope it helps....

Ringed answered 6/6, 2018 at 15:13 Comment(3)

Closing iTunes "There is a software update available for your iPhone" dialog solved the issue for me. – Camenae 11/7, 2018 at 22:57

if you don't want to listen your music during the development, close it will do the job @ErickA.Montañez =) – Ringed 17/7, 2018 at 11:22

@ErickA.Montañez that means iOS didn't update properly, you should download and install that update (backup first) – Altigraph 9/1, 2019 at 23:35

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below solution worked for me, follow steps to resolve your issue:

Step 1: Cancel Running

Step 2 : open Window menu and select Devices and Simulators

Step 3 : Unpair the iPhone

Step 4 : Removed iPhone USB cable and reconnect to the system

Step 5 : Pair the iPhone when you connect then you will be asked to Trust or Don't Allow, Please click Truct on your iPhone and enter your passcode (Pin Code)

Note : I performed all the above steps they worked for me. The issue of my device debugger gone.

Below is the Screenshot of Devices and Simulators Menu

Neisa answered 13/1, 2018 at 8:7 Comment(0)

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On your iPhone:

Settings > Developer > Clear Trusted Computers

Wait a few seconds, it's all.

Biegel answered 22/11, 2021 at 20:24 Comment(0)

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I unplugged my cable and saw this. After it reached the end I was able to run it no problems.

You don't have to unplug to see this; just hit cancel and you will see its progress.

Surgy answered 4/10, 2017 at 12:8 Comment(1)

That was a good hint. At first I didn't see this bar. So I figured; if you don't see any progress bar, unpair the phone and try again. – Shari 19/12, 2017 at 9:54

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Click on Window menu
Select Device and Simulators
Select your device
Click on + button at bottom left corner
Click Next
Click Done

Mcquade answered 3/11, 2017 at 14:42 Comment(0)

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I found deleting the app from the device and re-installing with Xcode solved this issue.

Underlie answered 12/10, 2017 at 15:50 Comment(0)

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I have been using my iPhone X to debug via Network and suddenly had this problem.

Disable "Connect via network" and try again with USB. This trick worked for me.

Nudibranch answered 5/12, 2017 at 7:41 Comment(0)

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I realised I had less than 100 MBs of free space on my disc. Freeing up disk space solved the issue for me!

Inextensible answered 27/1, 2018 at 12:7 Comment(0)

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Simple solution:

Open Window -> Devices and Simulators
Unpair iPhone on the side list
Unplug and plug again the USB cable
Press Trust in the prompt message in the device!
Then it should work! It worked for me

Boletus answered 1/3, 2018 at 21:55 Comment(0)

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I had the same problem many times, these things worked for me:

restarting my phone + xCode.
checking that both your Mac and your iPhone are connected to the same Network.( has a high potential ).
repairing my phone.

Milepost answered 15/11, 2017 at 20:48 Comment(0)

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When you plug a New device which is having iOS 11, Xcode 9 will Prepare Debugger Support for that device, At this time you should Wait to complete it.

Then run the project in that device it will run smoothly.

If you didn't keep patience while creating Debugger Support then it will throw the error mentioned in the question.

Quagmire answered 27/12, 2017 at 9:57 Comment(5)

This worked: just wait a few minutes to let the process complete. – Woodberry 12/1, 2018 at 11:9

Yes, Try to be calm or have a cup of coffee at that time 😂 – Quagmire 13/1, 2018 at 11:50

This doesn't always worked. Xcode "Processed" the device for 2 hours, no actual progress. – Tontine 2/8, 2020 at 1:55

@Tontine In which Xcode, it did not worked? – Quagmire 3/8, 2020 at 12:54

@R.Mohan in Xcode 11.6 and Xcode 12 beta2. Trying to use an iOS9 device, iPod touch. – Tontine 4/8, 2020 at 14:33

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The Best way:

Disconnect the Iphone.
Clean xcode by command+ shift + k or by going to Product -> Clean

Connect again

Run again

Kingship answered 13/7, 2018 at 10:3 Comment(0)

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My setup

macOS 10.14.6
iOS 13.2.3
Xcode 11.2

Tried all the "speedrun" tips up till 2019-11-24 without luck. The wait seemed inevitable but incredibly long in my case:

with a freshly upgraded iOS version.

I then found this comment on reddit which makes the most sense:

This is required when you connect a device with an iOS version that the respective computer's Xcode didn't see before. It saves them in /Users/username/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport and it does take a while. Don't restart Xcode as it will not help you, just wait for it to finish.

It takes quite some time because these debugger support files occupy a lot of space (29 GB for me), though you can safely delete any version from there, and if you connect a device with that version again, it will re-save it from scratch.

So if you just upgraded your iOS, then the "from scratch" part could take longer than usual, also depending on your network condition. In my case, it is definitely much much longer than the "10-15min" other people claimed. I measure it by hours.

A lot of tricks seem to have worked but they neglect the fact that time goes on as you try things while Xcode keeps working on the setup in the background, and quite possibly resumes its job whenever you do a restart/reboot cycle.

This led me to noticing that my Xcode version is just one step behind the iOS point release. After upgrading my Xcode, it worked.

But it took longer because I removed the iOS DeviceSupport folder by following a tip!

So here are my suggestions:

Check your Xcode version down to the minor version to make sure it should actually support the iOS version.
Check your Mac's free disk space to make room for newly generated device support content under ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport as this tip suggested.
Check if you have connected your device to a fast-enough USB port, as this tip suggests.
Wait till Xcode finishes "preparing for debugging".
If it doesn't finish in a few seconds or minutes, keep waiting.
DO NOT remove any folder as some tips may suggest. Removal would simply make you wait longer!

Smoulder answered 24/11, 2019 at 4:51 Comment(1)

I think Xcode 11.3.1 is broken. Had problems with multiples devices after the update. – Onomasiology 23/2, 2020 at 0:45

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rebooted iPhone, closed all other open applications and unlocked phone worked

Meraree answered 26/9, 2017 at 4:48 Comment(0)

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Clean : Shift-Command-K is what works for me.

Limburger answered 11/5, 2018 at 18:27 Comment(0)

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For me it Worked after following the below steps

Step-1 Go to Devices and Simulator

Step-2 Deselect Show as run destination and Connect via network Options

Wait for Few seconds to Load the Xcode, If you want you can restart Xcode also.

Step-3 Follow the same steps and got to Devices and Simulators

Tick back both the options and it will be normal to install your app back.

Colleen answered 7/5, 2019 at 6:32 Comment(0)

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Do this Two Task to solve your problem:

First Go to Xcode then -> Preferences -> Accounts then below click the plus icon to add apple id it must me same as your iphone device apple id.

Second Just change the cable if first solution can not work

Empathy answered 5/5, 2021 at 10:44 Comment(0)

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I updated to iOS 11.0.3 then the error appeared. After restarting my iPhone and XCode, it showed "Could not launch the app", so I navigated to the phone's device management to trust, then it solved.

Gleiwitz answered 15/10, 2017 at 20:41 Comment(0)

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I had this problem because I hadn't given iTunes permissions to run on the computer. (I don't use iTunes for music, so I had foolishly just hit "decline" in annoyance whenever the EULA dialog box came up.)

Sateen answered 14/12, 2017 at 18:4 Comment(1)

Please provide answers only. No opinions or I feel with you like answers – Parthenope 14/12, 2017 at 18:22

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Unpaired my iPhone
Removed my USB cable and reconnected it (Do make sure that you unplugged the USB and plugged it back in)
Paired the iPhone.

(3 important steps)

Garrulous answered 6/3, 2018 at 11:16 Comment(0)

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Xcode 10.3 Solution

The following error messages apply:

iPhone is busy: Preparing debugger support for iPhone Xcode will continue when iPhone is finished.

An error was encountered while attempting to communicate with this device. (The service is invalid.) Please try rebooting and reconnecting the device. (0xE8000022).

Follow the steps in Jayprakash Dubey's post above

and

Close Xcode;
Delete contents of DerivedData folder ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData
Restart Xcode & iPhone
Pair Xcode & iPhone again
& run application

Muckrake answered 24/7, 2019 at 6:43 Comment(0)

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Today, I have faced the issue and tried out everything mentioned here and different pages as well. Nothing worked for me.

Lastly, I have reset the iPhone, then tried building the application and finally it worked for me.

Chloroplast answered 13/1, 2022 at 15:12 Comment(1)

Phone reset and removing the pin code worked for me after wasting over 3 hours trying everything else from the other answers – Gastrin 3/12, 2022 at 21:32

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I spent like 10 or more hours trying all the answers and none worked for me! From here can be read this too:

This usually means that Xcode is busy copying debug symbols from the device. This can be impacted by...

But it worked for the other, newer phone, so my issue was located to a question: "why XCode can't copy..." - whatever he needs?

because it is an error at the motherboard around the microphone, not the device itself, and that's why some apps are working, like registering a video ( without sound) and other apps like Talking Tom not. I have changed the phone owner, changed the privacy settings, unlugged, unpaired, rebooted: none worked. -and on that phone it will work after the motherboard it is replaced.

So sometimes can be a hardware issue.

Deliadelian answered 19/7, 2022 at 5:17 Comment(0)

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This is a suggestion when I open the details:

Please delete apps signed with your free account from this device to remain under the limit.

So I've deleted 1 app from the iPhone, then the new app installed successfully.

Allred answered 11/8, 2022 at 13:46 Comment(0)

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I updated my iPhone to the latest version 11.0.3, then restarted my iPhone. Restarted my XCode 9. Then it worked.

Olnek answered 14/10, 2017 at 11:56 Comment(0)

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For those looking for solution with Apple TV, I just experience the exact problem "Apple TV is busy: Preparing debugger support for Apple TV” with Apple TV 4K with my Macbook Air (Early 2015)

The solution is not to unpair or restart devices. But to switch network. I brought it to a faster and more open network and it works perfectly.

Swatch answered 27/12, 2017 at 11:7 Comment(0)

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TL;DR: Settings > General > Profile & Device Management > (Under DEVELOPER APP category) click my email address that happens to be my Apple ID > Trust Developer

This might not be relevant to anyone else, as I am new to iOS development and this was my first attempt to install an application on my phone, but I'll provide the answer as it wasn't yet listed.

I went through restarting my phone, restarting Xcode, unplugging and plugging back in, clean building, and even removed the device from the Devices and Simulators menu. However, I believe the cause for me was that I hadn't added my developer certificate to the listed of trusted certificates on my device.

I am on iOS 10.3.3 so the navigation and wording in Settings on the phone might be slightly different, but the final step I took before this issue was fixed was to trust my developer certificate as an individual developer on my phone.

To do that, go Settings > General > Profile & Device Management > (Under DEVELOPER APP category) click my email address that happens to be my Apple ID > Trust Developer

Whether or not that was the cause of my problem, I am unsure. This was, however, the last step that I took before the app ran on my phone successfully after doing all of the other steps listed above.

Inhuman answered 1/1, 2018 at 22:58 Comment(0)

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If running beta software and you update the OS, make sure to get the latest Xcode beta also. This fixed it for me.

Hagioscope answered 22/2, 2018 at 13:11 Comment(0)

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I left AppCode open while Xcode was trying to process the device, closing it solved the problem. Maybe can be one of the possible issues.

Onomasiology answered 27/2, 2018 at 17:54 Comment(0)

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I had the same problem on macOS 10.14.5 using Xcode 10.2.1. After none of the solution here worked for me I restarted the Mac and this did the trick...

Unpaidfor answered 18/7, 2019 at 10:35 Comment(1)

Didn't work for me: iOS 13.2.3, macOS 10.14.6, Xcode 11.2. – Smoulder 24/11, 2019 at 3:36

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I've faced the same problem because of a cable. I changed my third party USB/lighting cable into original Apple cable, and it worked.

Knotts answered 6/3, 2020 at 10:52 Comment(0)

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** Solution : Shutdown your Apple Watch [x], unplug cable and then plug it again. Reason: You can try this solution if you don't develop an apple watch application, because Xcode is looking for an apple watch developer sdk. **

Thinking it would be apple watch related, I turned off the watch, then restarted my phone for all connections to be closed. This way, I was able to connect to my phone without any problems. but a few days ago I was desperately turning my phone off and on while trying to fix this problem. the problem was not fixed. Instead of checking the devices, I think it is necessary to focus on what the problem is. Apple officials have to explain something about this.

Tagalog answered 27/2, 2022 at 10:14 Comment(0)

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In my case it was my apple watch that caused the issue. Xcode was trying to pair with my watch, but didnt seem to succeed.

So i disconnected my watch by turning off bluethooth, after that the problem was solved.

Brookweed answered 11/5, 2023 at 8:9 Comment(1)

This does not provide an answer to the question. Once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post; instead, provide answers that don't require clarification from the asker. - From Review – Contributor 15/5, 2023 at 4:33

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My issue was that the device time was incorrect. After correcting it and restarting the device, my problem was solved.

Tagmemics answered 16/4 at 10:46 Comment(0)

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The 'Continue' button is under the error message. Just hit 'Enter'

You should confirm that the device was listed on my 'Managed Devices' on Apple @ https://appleid.apple.com/account/manage

Herb answered 27/11, 2017 at 19:51 Comment(0)

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Solution1:

In Xcode Goto window>Devices and Simulators. you will see the connected device busy processing
Just remove the USB and connect again.

Solution2: Restarting the device will also solve problem.

Solution3: Wait for 4 to 5 minutes will also works.

Payload answered 9/10, 2017 at 10:15 Comment(0)

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There seem to be a lot of issues related to the same error. For me it was the applications which I've installed from another iMac whose files where not present on my MacBook so Xcode was not able to find the files making the debugger to wait forever!

Solution: Deleting all the application which I've installed from the iMac helped me solve the problem.

Rowney answered 9/11, 2017 at 17:34 Comment(0)

with a freshly upgraded iOS version.

So here are my suggestions:

Xcode 10.3 Solution

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