Do you want to test your iOS applications before releasing them?
If you want to test iOS apps on your Mac or PC, you will need to use an iOS app simulator.
Simulators are different from emulators because they are designed to model the underlying state of the hardware rather than replicate it.
A good simulator will precisely model certain conditions to the point that it can emulate the hardware. You can use simulation software to recreate iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and even Apple TV environments, but for the greatest results, you’ll need a Mac.
What is an iOS App Simulator?
The Apple iOS simulator is a tool for designing and prototyping mobile apps that comes along with Xcode. The iOS simulator can be used to test the fundamental functionality of your app, however, it is severely limited as a testing platform. It’s critical to use genuine mobile devices to effectively test your app in real-world circumstances.
How does it work?
The simulator allows you to easily prototype and test several versions of your software during development. The simulator is a Mac app that runs as part of the Xcode tools and acts like any other Mac app while mimicking an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Apple TV environment. Consider the simulator to be a preliminary testing tool to be used prior to testing your app on a real device.
The simulator allows you to create realistic iOS, WatchOS, and tvOS devices that run current and legacy operating systems. Each combination of simulated device and software version is treated as its own simulation environment, with its own settings and files, independent from the others. These settings and files are present on all devices tested in a simulated environment.
At a glance,
- You can: Identify major flaws in your app during design and early testing by replicating its operation in a simulator.
- Use developer tools that are exclusively available for simulators to test your app.
- Before enrolling in the iOS developer program, learn more about the Xcode development experience and the iOS development environment.
Now let’s see some examples of iOS simulators for testing iPhone and iPad apps
Appetize.io
Platform: web (browser-based)
Because of the ease of use given by this freemium service, we ranked Appetize.io first. Given the rarity of iOS emulators for PC and Mac, to begin with, it’s preferable to locate a solution that requires you to publish your program to its website and you’re good to go.
Appetize.io allows developers to create iOS simulators that can be streamed in the browser. It’s for embedding apps in web pages, testing, and other development stages.
The free trial period of the iPhone simulator gives you 100 minutes of app streaming time. You can monitor your consumption and create notifications for when you reach your limit from the dashboard.
Correllium
It’s an iOS emulator for PCs that are used mainly by security researchers to run a simulated iOS device in the browser. Correlium’s creators were among the first members of the iPhone jailbreak scene, so you’re in good hands.
Correllium was previously only available to businesses, but now everyone may use the iOS virtualization program. However, getting your hands on the tool is tricky since Correlium does not want it to be misused by the wrong people.
iOS simulator in Xcode
Platform- Mac
Apple’s Xcode software development environment for Mac comes with its own iOS, tvOS, WatchOS, and iMessage app emulator.
As a result, if Xcode is used as the primary app development suite, it is sufficient to simulate many forms of user interactions like taps, device rotation, scrolling, and other actions.
Mac users can run their programs directly from the Xcode project. In comparison to other free iPhone emulators, Safari allows you to test web apps from within Xcode.
Conclusion
The iOS app simulator is an extremely strong tool that can greatly accelerate your development process. But only if you are familiar with all of the essential information stated above. As a good developer, you must understand your tools.
If you want to make an iOS app and test it out, come to Stellar Digital, a professional mobile app development company in Gurgaon with an excellent team of developers who can help you with your project. Learn more about our mobile app development services at stellardigital.in.
