Glossary

From The Apple Wiki

This glossary lists common jargon you will frequently come across as you browse this wiki. Definitions you see below will appear in a popup when hovering on them in articles.


Hardware[edit]

AOP
Always-On Processor, marketed as "motion coprocessor" in early 64-bit SoCs.
AMCC
Apple Memory Cache Controller.
AP
Application Processor, the primary CPU of an Apple Silicon system-on-a-chip that most code executes on
ARM
The ARM instruction set used by the CPU and other coprocessors of an Apple Silicon system-on-a-chip
armv6
The ARM instruction set used by the CPU on early iOS devices
armv7
The ARM instruction set used by the CPU on early iOS devices
arm64
The ARM instruction set used by the CPU on current iOS devices
baseband
The modem chipset that provides cellular capabilities to a device
JTAG
An industry standard for testing hardware after manufacturing
NAND
"NOT-AND" logic gate, frequently used to refer to flash memory (solid-state drives)
NOR
"NOT-OR" logic gate, likely used to refer to the NOR flash memory used to hold boot data on early iOS devices
NVRAM
Non-volatile memory, used to store small amounts of data used during the boot process
S5L
The series of Samsung systems-on-a-chip used by iPods and early iOS devices, prior to A9
SEP
Secure Enclave Processor, a coprocessor on the system-on-a-chip that handles encryption requirements such Touch ID and Face ID
SoC
System on a chip, an integrated set of processors that provide the majority of an iOS device's core hardware functionality

Boot[edit]

bootrom
SecureROM
The first significant code that runs on an iOS device
DFU
Device Firmware Update mode, a feature of the bootrom allowing for emergency restores when the installed firmware is invalid
iBEC
iBootStage2
A stripped-down variant of iBoot, used to enter Restore Mode
iBoot
The bootloader on iOS devices and some later iPods, or a general name for the pre-kernel boot process
iBSS
iBootStage1
A stripped-down variant of iBoot, providing some services for the restore process
LLB
Low Level Bootloader, a component that runs setup routines before starting iBoot
Recovery Mode
The mode an iOS or later iPod device boots into when the operating system fails to boot, known by its "connect to computer" graphic
WTF
What's The Firmware, an early variant of DFU mode

Protocols[edit]

SWD
Serial Wire Debug, an electrical interface that can debug processors in a device
TSS
Tatsu Signing Server, the server that generates cryptographically signed strings that certifies that components of the boot process are allowed to run on the device

Firmware & Boot[edit]

APTicket
Application Processor Ticket, a cryptographically signed string that certifies that components of the boot process are allowed to run on the device
ASR
Apple System Restore, the program that installs a root filesystem image to a device
GM
Golden Master, an outdated term for a Release Candidate software version
IMG2
File format used for images an early iOS or later iPod device can boot to
IMG3
File format used for images later 32-bit iOS devices can boot to
IMG4
IM4P
File format used for images 64-bit iOS devices (including 32-bit Apple Watches) can boot to
IPSW
The file format that holds iOS and iPod firmware restore images
OTA
Over-the-air, often used to refer to OTA Updates, where an iOS device downloads and installs an update on itself without assistance from external hardware
ramdisk
A firmware image that contains a minimal operating system for certain tasks, named as such because it is stored temporarily in memory rather than permanently on disk
RC
Release Candidate, a software version that is receiving final beta testing in anticipation of its official release.
RSR
Rapid Security Response, a mechanism allowing Apple to release urgent security updates without issuing a full OS release

IMG3/IMG4 tags[edit]

ECID
Exclusive Chip Identification, the serial number of an Apple Silicon system-on-a-chip
KBAG
Keybag, a value in the IMG3/IMG4 formats that forms part of the decryption keys for encrypted firmware files
SHSH
Signed hash, a cryptographically signed string that certifies that components of the boot process are allowed to run on the device

iTunes[edit]

AAS
Apple Application Support, a program consisting of the base libraries used by iTunes and other Apple apps on Windows
AMDS
Apple Mobile Device Support, a program consisting of libraries and a driver for iOS and iPod devices, used by iTunes, Xcode, and other Apple apps on macOS and Windows
QT
The QuickTime media player, previously required for iTunes for audio/video playback

Security[edit]

ASLR
Address Space Layout Randomisation, a security technique to prevent memory from being taken over
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, a central database of security vulnerabilities reported in software

Jailbreak[edit]

brick
A device that is failing to boot into a working operating system
semi-tethered
A jailbreak that is temporarily applied until the device powers off or reboots, but can still be booted into a non-jailbroken state
semi-untethered
A jailbreak that is applied through an app installed on the device, leaving the device boot process unmodified
tethered
Often used to refer to a jailbreak that is temporarily applied until the device powers off or reboots
untethered
Often used to refer to a jailbreak that reapplies when the device is powered off or rebooted

Codenames[edit]


This page lists several code names of Apple features.

ACE
The USB-C port controller on the Mac
ACSN
"Anonymous Crowd-Sourced Network", the server-side part of Find My offline finding (see also Search Party)
Akashi
Cellular data on Apple Watch
Andromeda
Always-on Display on iPhone 14 Pro[1]
Bobcat
The internal framework "Siri Natural Language Generation" introduced in tvOS 16.4
Broadway
Apple Card
Brook
Handwashing detection (BrookServices and BrookDataCollection private frameworks since iOS 14).
Burrito
Bedtime (unsure of boundary with Eucalyptus)
Chamois
Stage Manager (window management on macOS 13 / iPadOS 16)
Charon
"Dive" app for Apple Watch Ultra[2]
Cinnamon
Apple Watch electrocardiogram
CKKS
CloudKit Keychain Syncing, part of iCloud Keychain
Durian
AirTags (seen eg. in the firmware update)
Ensemble
Universal Control (macOS 12/iOS 15)
Eucalyptus
Sleep tracking (unsure of boundary with Burrito)
Glimmer
Previously named Gobbler, this app created in 2017 is installed on Apple employees’ phones to improve Face ID
Green Tea
Chinese region customizations
Haywire
Lightning video adapters (eg. Lightning to HDMI)
HiFive
Chip present in Lightning cable connectors to negotiate the Lightning protocol.
Hydra
Multiplexing chip in iDevices since iPhone X to deal with the Lightning protocol.
Lisa
Digital Crown on the Apple Watch.
Newton
Apple Watch fall detection
Madrid
iMessage[3]
Mandrake
Siren on Apple Watch Ultra[4]
Marzipan
UIKit on macOS (Catalyst)
Maverick
Update protocol from AP to Baseband chip
Medusa
iPad Split Screen (probably Slide Over etc. too), not to be confused with the T1 EFI device (http://www.cmizapper.com/products/medusa-3.html)
Mesa
TouchID on iDevices
Munin
Apple Maps "Look Around" feature (streetview-like)
Pallas
Apple's software update server (gdmf.apple.com) as of iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/audioOS 14, watchOS 6 and macOS 11
Quadra
ProRaw
Rose
U1 / Ultra Wide Band chip
Sanddollar
TouchID on the T1/T2 MacBook
Savage
Face ID
Scandium
Apple Watch blood oxygen saturation measurement
Search Party
Find My network (SP prefix in frameworks etc)
SOS
Secure Object Sync, part of iCloud Keychain
Splat
Rapid Security Response updates
Stark
CarPlay
Stewie
Roadside Assistance over satellite (iOS 17)
Sting
Action Button on Apple Watch Ultra[5][6]
Stockholm
Apple Pay / Secure Element (handles NFC as well)
Skywagon
Xcode Cloud
Tincan
Walkie-Talkie
Tinker
Apple Watch Family Setup
Tristar
Multiplexing chip in iDevices that deals with the Lightning protocol.
Tritium
Apple Watch always-on screen (series 5 and later)
UARP
Universal Accessory Restore Protocol[7]
Vinyl
The eSIM or eUICC
Wormhole
AirDrop[8]
Yonkers
Face ID (A12+)
Zeus
Hermès variants of products (like Apple Watch and AirTag)

Unknown names[edit]

Codenames seen somewhere, but for which we don't know the meaning or it's not certain, and needs more investigation.

Absinthe
FairPlay-related
Avocado
Seen in SpringBoard code os_feature_enabled_impl("SpringBoard", "Avocado")
Engram
A "keychain view" (whatever that is), related to iCloud Keychain; there's also a related Engram private framework
Futhark
Private framework since iOS 9 (text detection?)
Hawkeye
Some FindMy-enabled product, probably means third-party devices.
(mentioned in FMIPCore, SiriFindMy and SPShared frameworks, locationd and searchpartyd daemons).
Madia
Unknown
Manatee
A "keychain view" (whatever that is), related to iCloud Keychain
Mescal
FairPlay-related
Morphun
Private framework, there's also a MorphunData asset in mesu.
Neutrino
Private frameworks since iOS 11 (NeutrinoCore and NeutrinoKit).
Nitrogen
Unknown
Octagon
Related to iCloud Keychain
Orion
MCU of some kind
Oslo
Related to NFC payments; mentioned in SEP OS, nfcd, and PrivateFrameworks/iCloudQuota*.
Osprey
Private framework iOS 13, related to Siri, uses Absinthe
Pegasus
Private framework since iOS 9 (not related to NSO's exploit tool).
Peppy
Unknown
Piggyback
Some protocol related to Secure Object Sync / iCloud Keychain.
Prague
Related to NFC payments; mentioned in SEP OS, nfcd, mobileactivationd, and PrivateFrameworks/DeviceIdentity.
Proud Lock
Mentioned on SpringBoard code, possibly FaceID unlock?
Silex
Private framework since iOS 11.
Vapor
Seen in SpringBoard code os_feature_enabled_impl("NotificationCenter", "Vapor")
Veridian
Viceroy
Seen in multiple frameworks, FaceTime-related.
Xavier
Private frameworks since iOS 14 (XavierCore/XavierNews).

SoCs[edit]

Starting with A6X, Apple added island/place codenames to SoCs, according to John (@nyan_satan) on the Hack Different Discord.[9]

Starting with the M1 series, Apple additionally uses a suffix to indicate the multiplier of chiplets in the design. The "Chop" variant removes some portion of the "1C" design - for instance, M1 Pro (Jade Chop) is identical to M1 Max (Jade 1C), but with 16 fewer GPU cores. This is further explained with diagrams by John Siracusa on Twitter.

SoC Codename
A6X Bali
A7 Alcatraz
A8 Fiji
A8X Capri
A9 (Samsung) Maui
A9 (TSMC) Malta
A9X Elba
A10 Cayman
A10X Myst
A11 Skye
A12 Cyprus
S4 and S5 M9
A12X Aruba
A13 Cebu
A14 Sicily
M1 Tonga
A15 Ellis
M1 Pro Jade Chop
M1 Max Jade 1C
M1 Ultra Jade 2C
M2 Staten
A16 Crete
M2 Pro Rhodes Chop
M2 Max Rhodes 1C
M2 Ultra Rhodes 2C
A17 Coll
M3 Ibiza (rumored)

CPU cores[edit]

Since the A6, Apple SoCs have Apple-designed CPU cores. This table lists their names.


Swift
A6 CPU core design
Cyclone
A7 CPU core design
Typhoon
A8 CPU core design
Twister
A9 CPU core design
Hurricane
A10 performance core design
Zephyr
A10 low-power efficiency core design
Monsoon
A11 performance core design
Mistral
A11 low-power efficiency core design
Vortex
A12 performance core design
Tempest
A12 low-power efficiency core design
Lightning
A13 performance core design
Thunder
A13 low-power efficiency core design
Firestorm
A14/M1 performance core design
Icestorm
A14/M1 low-power efficiency core design
Avalanche
A15/M2 performance core design
Blizzard
A15/M2 low-power efficiency core design
Everest
A16/A17 performance core design
Sawtooth
A16/A17/M3 low-power efficiency core design