FAQ
Honest answers to the most common questions.
Does Replicate work on real devices? #
No. Replicate works exclusively with the iOS Simulator on macOS. Real device support is not planned — the simulator's sandboxed environment is what makes zero-config interception possible without proxy setup or certificate installation on the device.
Does Replicate store or upload my app's data? #
No. Everything stays on your machine. Your network tape, request bodies, response data, and keychain entries are never sent to Replicate's servers. The .replica file is a local file on your Mac. See How it works for a full technical breakdown.
Can Replicate see my .replica files? #
No. Replicate has no access to your .replica files. They are files on your Mac, just like any other file. When you share one with a teammate it goes directly from your machine to theirs — Replicate is not involved.
Does it work with certificate pinning? #
Yes, in the typical case. The Flutter and React Native interceptors work at the HTTP client layer inside your app process, below the TLS handshake, so standard certificate pinning does not affect interception. There is no MITM proxy; Replicate does not install any certificates.
If your app implements additional certificate verification beyond standard TLS (for example, custom public-key pinning using a third-party SDK that bypasses the HTTP client layer), results may vary.
Does it affect production builds? #
No. The interceptor packages check for debug mode on init() and return immediately in release builds. They have zero performance impact on production apps. It is safe to ship the package as a regular dependency.
What happens to my data if I cancel my subscription? #
Nothing changes. All your .replica files are on your machine and stay there. Cancelling your Replicate subscription does not affect your local files in any way.
Is the interceptor package open source? #
Yes. The Flutter and React Native interceptor packages are open source on GitHub. You can read exactly what they do to your network calls.
Does it work with Expo? #
The React Native plugin works with Expo bare workflow. It does not work with Expo managed workflow because managed workflow does not support custom native modules.
Does it work with SwiftUI or UIKit apps? #
Not yet. Native Swift app support is in progress. When available it will work without any package installation — Replicate will configure the simulator environment automatically, without affecting your Mac's system network settings.