Running Multiple Versions of the Same App on iPhone

The App Store enforces a strict one-version-per-app policy. When you update an app, the old version is gone. And because of how Apple structures app bundles, you cannot install two copies of the same App Store app simultaneously. This causes real problems in specific situations: maybe you need an older version of a social app because a recent update broke a feature you relied on, or you want to run two separate accounts in the same app without logging in and out constantly.

Sideloading through Scarlet iOS breaks this limitation. With the right approach, you can run multiple versions of the same app on a single iPhone, each maintaining its own data and login session. Here is how. Last checked: October 27, 2026, against the Sideloadly site and FAQ, the AltStore App IDs page, the Azule README and Apple’s developer membership page.

The Risks First

A copy with a new bundle ID is a new app to iOS. It starts with no data, and it never shares data with the original.
Some services check the app they talk to. Logging in with a re-signed or modified copy can get an account flagged or banned, especially on social apps.
Features tied to the original bundle ID can break in the copy. Sideloadly’s FAQ, for example, says Game Center does not recognize an app with a changed bundle ID, so game progress synced through Game Center will not restore.
With a free Apple ID, every extra copy counts toward Apple’s limits (3 apps per device, 10 App IDs).

Ways to Get a Second Copy

Method	How	Needs	Note
Pre-modified IPA	Install a “cloned” IPA that already has a new bundle ID	A trusted source	You rely on whoever modified it
Sideloadly	“Change Bundle ID” option before sideloading	Windows or Mac, an Apple ID	Also changes app name and icon
Azule	Command-line option to change the bundle ID, version and display name	Mac, Linux or iOS terminal	Produces a new IPA to sign with any tool
Manual edit	Change CFBundleIdentifier in Info.plist, repackage, sign	An unzip tool and a signing tool	Extensions may need their IDs changed too
LiveContainer	Run several copies inside one sideloaded app	A sideloaded LiveContainer	Counts as one app on the device

Why Multiple Versions Are Useful

Before getting into the mechanics, it is worth understanding the real-world scenarios where this matters.

Dual accounts: Running two Instagram, WhatsApp, or TikTok accounts without logging out
Version rollback: An app update broke something; you want to revert while keeping the new version available for comparison
Modded vs. original: Running a modified version of an app alongside the official one for specific features
Regional versions: Some apps have different features in different regional editions; running both gives access to all features
Beta testing: Running a beta IPA alongside the stable release to compare behaviour

The Key: Bundle ID Modification

iOS identifies apps by their Bundle Identifier (Bundle ID), a reverse-domain string like com.instagram.Instagram. The OS treats any two apps with different Bundle IDs as completely separate apps, regardless of how similar they are. To run a second copy of an app, you need a version with a different Bundle ID.

Some IPA files available for sideloading are pre-modified with unique Bundle IDs specifically to enable multi-installation. These are often called “cloned” or “parallel” versions. When you install one of these through Scarlet iOS, it coexists with the original App Store version as a completely separate app with its own data and login.

How Bundle ID Modification Works

Modifying a Bundle ID in an IPA file requires access to the app binary and the Info.plist file inside the IPA package. The process involves:

Extracting the IPA (which is a ZIP archive)
Editing the CFBundleIdentifier key in Info.plist
Optionally editing display names and icon sets to distinguish the two versions visually
Repackaging as a new IPA
Signing and installing through Scarlet iOS

Changing the Bundle ID with a Tool

You do not have to edit the IPA by hand. Sideloadly lists “Change Bundle ID” among its features, described as a way to “allow multiple or duplicate app installs”, next to options to change the app name and icon so the copies are easy to tell apart. Azule’s README lists the same kind of options: “Change an app’s bundleid”, “Change an app’s display name” and “Change an app’s version”. Pick a bundle ID that is clearly yours, such as the original with “.second” added, and note it down: Sideloadly’s FAQ says that to overwrite a copy later, “if you manually set a custom bundle ID earlier, use the same ID again”. Using a different ID next time creates yet another copy without the data.

For most users, the easiest path is finding a pre-modified IPA for the app you want. Many popular apps have community-maintained parallel versions available from trusted IPA repositories.

Running Two Social Media Accounts

This is the most commonly requested use case. Here is the workflow for installing a second instance of a social app:

Find a cloned or parallel IPA for your target app from a trusted source
Open Scarlet iOS and install the IPA file
After installation, the cloned app appears on your home screen with a different icon or name (commonly labeled with a “2,” “Plus,” or “Parallel” suffix)
Open the cloned app and log in with your second account
Both instances run with independent login sessions and data

The cloned app and the original App Store version do not share data; they are as separate as two completely different apps. Another way to keep several copies of an app, each with its own data, is LiveContainer, which runs them inside one sideloaded app.

Running an Older Version Alongside the Current One

Running a legacy version of an app alongside the current release is slightly different because you are working with two versions of the same Bundle ID. iOS will not allow two apps with the same Bundle ID to coexist. To solve this, one of the two versions needs its Bundle ID modified.

Note that with a free Apple ID this may already happen for you. Sideloadly’s FAQ explains that Apple blocks free Apple accounts from sideloading an app with the same bundle ID as an App Store app, so Sideloadly has to give the copy a unique bundle ID. That is why a sideloaded copy and the App Store original can sit side by side, and also why the sideloaded copy does not see the original’s data.

Practical approach:

Keep the App Store version as-is (it has the original Bundle ID)
Obtain the older IPA and modify its Bundle ID before installing through Scarlet iOS
The modified older version installs alongside the current App Store version

This approach is useful when an app update removed a feature. You use the newer version for everything except the specific feature that was removed, and open the older version when you need that feature.

Data Separation and Account Safety

A common concern with running cloned apps is account security, specifically whether the cloned version might compromise your account. There are a few key points:

Cloned apps that are simply repackaged versions of the original binary with a modified Bundle ID generally behave like the original, though platforms can still detect re-signed clients. They communicate with the same servers using the same protocols.
Modified apps that change functionality (adding features not in the original) carry more risk. Some social platforms detect unusual client behaviour and may flag or ban accounts.
Always source IPA files from trusted, established repositories. Untrusted sources may distribute modified versions with additional code. Our guide on how to scan IPA files for malware shows how to check one.
Never sign in to a second copy with an account you cannot afford to lose. Use it for a secondary account first.

Managing Multiple Versions Effectively

Running multiple versions creates a management overhead that is worth addressing proactively.

Name them clearly: Use Shortcuts to create clearly named home screen icons for each version (e.g., “Instagram Work” vs “Instagram Personal”).
Signing: Each installed instance relies on a valid signing certificate. If one instance gets revoked, reinstall it through Scarlet iOS.
Notification management: Both instances will send notifications independently. Configure notification settings per app to avoid being double-notified for the same account activity.
Free Apple ID limits: Apple’s membership page says a free account can “install up to 3 apps per device” and “register up to 10 App IDs, which expire after 7 days”. AltStore’s docs add that the number of App IDs an app needs “depends on the number of app extensions each app contains”, so one copy of a big social app can use several. See our guide to the 3-app limit, and keep the copies refreshed (7-day expiry guide).
Storage awareness: Multiple versions of data-heavy apps can double your storage usage for those apps. Monitor this through Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

For overall storage management when running multiple app versions, see our guide on how to free up iPhone storage for more sideloaded apps.

Reinstalling After Certificate Revocation

Because sideloaded apps, including cloned versions, rely on a signing certificate, they are subject to the same certificate lifecycle as all sideloaded apps. When a certificate is revoked, the affected app version will not open until reinstalled with a fresh certificate through Scarlet iOS.

The reinstallation process is fast and usually keeps app data when you install over the existing app, but back up first. For a detailed recovery walkthrough, see our guide on how to reinstall Scarlet iOS without losing data.

FAQ

Can I move my data from the original app to the copy?

Not directly. iOS keeps each bundle ID’s data separate. Use the app’s own export, backup or cloud sync if it has one, or sign in again.

Does the copy get push notifications?

Often not reliably. Notifications are tied to the developer’s own setup for the original app, so a re-signed copy with a new bundle ID may receive none. Test before relying on it.

Will a copy installed through Scarlet keep working on iOS 27?

Scarlet is confirmed on iOS 14 through iOS 26; iOS 27 support is reported by third parties but not officially confirmed.

Final Thoughts

Running multiple versions of apps is one of the more useful things sideloading allows, for account separation and version management. Keep the risks in mind: a copy is a separate app with its own data, it can break features tied to the original, and some services do not like modified clients. For the signing side, see our Sideloadly guide or how to install Scarlet iOS. You can also start from our Scarlet iOS install page in Safari.

Running Multiple Versions of the Same App on iPhone