diff --git a/nix/dev-shell.nix b/nix/dev-shell.nix
--- a/nix/dev-shell.nix
+++ b/nix/dev-shell.nix
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 , boost
 , cargo
 , cmake
+, cocoapods
 , cryptopp
 , darwin
 , folly
@@ -52,7 +53,8 @@
     pkg-config
     protobuf_3_15_cmake
     grpc
-
+  ] ++ lib.optionals stdenv.isDarwin [
+    cocoapods # needed for ios
   ];
 
   # include any libraries buildInputs
@@ -77,6 +79,11 @@
       export MYSQL_UNIX_PORT=''${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR:-/run/user/$UID}/mysql-socket/mysql.sock
     fi
 
+    if [[ "$OSTYPE" == 'darwin'* ]]; then
+      # Many commands for cocoapods expect the native BSD versions of commands
+      export PATH=/usr/bin:$PATH
+    fi
+
     echo "Welcome to Comm dev environment! :)"
   '';
 }