Property List (PList) Files

Property List files can be used to store information for later use on iOS devices.

PList files can be either a standard XML file or it can be in a binary format. If the file is a standard XML file then there is no need for external tools to read the file, however if the file is in a binary format you can use a tool known as plistutil in order to read the information.

Objection can be used to read plist files:

ios plist cat {plistfile}

It is possible to read an encrypted .plist file by running the following command from the SSH service:

plistutil -i Info.plist

There can be multiple locations in which a plist file can be stored. This depends on why the plist file has been created or is being used.

The following locations are possible:

/var/mobile/Containers/Shared/AppGroup
/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application
/Applications/
/var/mobile/Applications/

The sandbox file location is:

/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/{GUID}