5 Best iOS Simulators for PC

iOS emulators are a fairly popular request among PC users. The problem is that such programs do not exist – there are only simulators that imitate the operation of the Apple OS. The best of them will be discussed in this article.

Why iOS Emulators Don’t Exist

Emulation means accurately reproducing the operation of one device on another. For example, running PlayStation games on a PC with a Windows operating system. In order to write good software, you need to know perfectly all the intricacies of the hardware and software of the emulated platform.

iOS is a closed operating system, and this fact alone makes it very difficult for enthusiasts. However, attempts to create an emulator of Apple’s OS have already been made, but all of them soon ended in lawsuits from the “apple” company.

Therefore, if you see programs on the Internet that are proudly called “iOS emulators”, these are “dummies”, malware or simulators. The latter only imitate the work of a real OS, but do not reproduce its functionality exactly. There are many such programs, and you can read about the best of them below.

Why do we need iOS simulators?

Since it is not possible to run any iOS exclusive on a PC, a logical question arises: what is the use of simulators? Ordinary users can simply have fun in an environment that looks similar to iOS. And software developers can figure out how their software will look on iPhone and iPad. There are no other uses for simulators.

Best iOS Simulators for PC

Most iOS simulators are available as web apps or macOS versions.

TestFlight

To be honest, this is not exactly an iOS simulator in the usual sense, but an official tool from Apple that allows developers to test their applications on PCs and other platforms. Therefore, it is definitely not suitable for ordinary users. In addition, it has a rather tricky interface.

It can be used to test software for iOS, watchOS, tvOS and iMessage.

Xcode

The second most important software in our top today. The program is part of the proprietary development environment for Apple platforms, so it imitates the appearance and functionality of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and tvOS with the utmost precision. In addition, it is completely free.

You can test both Objective-C or Swift projects, as well as various web applications.

Appetize.io

A convenient solution for testing with a simple and intuitive interface. The service allows you to play around with the iOS interface as much as you want, as well as launch your own software after downloading the source code.

The free trial of this iPhone simulator gives you 100 minutes of streaming time for apps. Limits can be monitored through the control panel.

Corellium

Corellium is primarily used by information security professionals to simulate iOS. It is noteworthy that the people behind the project were previously involved in hacking iPhones, and among the first.

Previously, Corellium was only available to corporate users, but now individuals can use the iOS virtualization software as well.

Electric Mobile Studio

A rare example of an Apple OS simulator available on Windows. Quite multifunctional, too. Thanks to the integration with Microsoft Visual Studio, you can immediately test the software and display in the iOS interface.

It has a number of useful settings that make it easier to use: change resolution, orientation. It also supports quick switching between profiles of different devices.