5 best iOS emulators running on macOS, Windows and the browser

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You can still get access to iOS without buying an iPhone. Albeit with some reservations.

What you need to know about iOS emulators

Is there a working iOS emulator

On the Internet, you can find a lot of utilities that promise to almost install iOS on Android and Windows, but these are just useless and virus-infected dummies.

Since Apple's mobile operating system is closed source, there are no full-fledged emulators. Attempts to create such software ended in litigation with the company and inevitably failed. In fact, all programs that pass off as emulators are in fact simulators.

How the simulator differs from the emulator

Both terms are consonant and many consider them synonymous, but this is far from the case.

Emulation implies the recreation of an identical copy of the equipment and all its properties. In this case, the program code is executed in the "native" environment, which is built on the same components as the original.

A simulation is just an imitation of the original software's interface and behavior. The simulator does not fully implement the functions of applications and otherwise. Outwardly, they may look like a complete copy, but we are not talking about executing the original program code.

Is it possible to play the simulator

You won't be able to open a game or any other application from the App Store on a computer. Even in the official Apple simulator, you can run only programs created by yourself - someone else's projects for which there are no sources will not work.

So don't expect to play some loud iOS exclusive that isn't available on Android.

Why, then, are simulators needed at all

Only iOS app developers can truly benefit from such software. Simulators allow you to test your programs even if you don't have a real iPhone or other Apple gadgets at hand.

Ordinary users using iOS simulators can only satisfy curiosity and take a closer look at the interface of Apple's operating system.

1. Xcode Simulator

• Platform: macOS.
• Price: is free.

The best solution for testing iOS applications, second only to running software on real devices. The Simulator is part of Xcode, the proprietary development environment for Apple platforms, and simulates iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS as closely as possible.

The simulator runs directly from the Xcode project. At the same time, even here, a version specially compiled for the x86 architecture is created for working on a Mac. You can test both projects in Objective-C or Swift, and web applications - the Simulator fully reproduces the appearance and behavior of iOS on the selected device.

2. Xamarin iOS Simulator

• Platform: Windows.
• Price: is free.

The Xamarin cross-platform development toolkit is included with Microsoft Visual Studio and is the only way to get a full iOS simulator on Windows. True, to use it, you need to connect to a remote Mac, on which, in fact, everything is up and running. But the simulation capabilities are the same as in Xcode.

The built-in Xamarin iOS Simulator lets you test apps without using an iPhone. It has touchscreen support, screenshots and many other useful options. The main advantage of Xamarin is the ability to develop in a universal format and then deploy on both iOS and Android without having to rewrite everything from scratch.

3. Appetize

• Platform: web.
• Price: free 100 minutes per month or premium from $ 40 per month.

Unlike the previous two simulators, Appetize is an online solution and works in any browser, including mobile ones. The service provides access to the iOS desktop, and also allows you to launch your own applications after downloading the sources.

Appetize simulates all iOS devices from iPhone 4S to iPhone 11 Pro Max. In addition, there is a choice between different versions of the operating system, as well as a debug log and network logging.

4. Electric Mobile Studio

• Platform: Windows.
• Price: $ 40, 7 days free trial.

A useful utility for testing iOS applications on Windows. Electric Mobile Studio supports integration with Microsoft Visual Studio, so as you write your code, you can immediately debug it, check the interface display, and other components.

The simulator has built-in WebKit engine and Google Chrome debugging tools that simplify development and testing. It is possible to switch between profiles of different devices, change resolution, orientation and many other parameters.

5. Ripple

• Platform: Chrome.
• Price: is free.

Another online simulator, which, unlike Appetize, is not available as a service, but as an extension for Google Chrome. Ripple aims to make it easier to develop HTML5 web applications and lets you test them right in the browser.

When activated on the current page, the simulator reloads it and displays it in accordance with the selected settings. Among the parameters are screen resolution, platform, as well as geolocation data, accelerometer and several additional options.

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