8 Best iOS Emulators For PC (Windows And Mac) To Run iOS Apps
There are many benefits to running a mobile app on your PC using an Android or iOS emulator. While there are several good Android emulators available, there aren’t many ways to run iOS apps on Windows and Mac. I’ve put together a list of the top iOS emulators for PC and Mac to aid you.
You can mimic the actions of an iOS smartphone using these emulators without investing in additional hardware. Using an emulator, you can play games like PUBG and Pokemon Go on your computer. Additionally, it aids in the discovery of anomalous behaviour by app developers when the apps are being tested.
The majority of the emulators in this article are free, and some others are trial versions. Let’s begin, then:
Note: The iOS emulation software mentioned in the list are mostly targeted at app developers who wish to test their apps before pushing it to final release. Some apps might be a bit technical to set up, and regular users willing to use a simple iOS app on their computer might not find them much helpful. As mentioned above, there s an actual lack of easy-to-use iOS simulation software.
Top iOS Emulators for PC and Mac | 2022 Edition
1. Appetize.io
Platform:Web (browser-based) (browser-based)
Pricing: Free and Premium
Because of how simple to use this freemium service is, I decided to add it and list it first. It’s nice to find a solution that only requires you to upload your programme to its website and you’re ready to go, especially given the dearth of iOS emulators for PC and Mac in the first place.
Appetize.ion allows developers to stream iOS simulators in the browser. It is utilised for testing, integrating apps into websites, and other stages of development.
Regarding the cost, you are given 100 minutes of app streaming time during the free trial term of this iPhone simulator. From the dashboard, you can keep an eye on your usage and set up alerts for when you go over your limit.
2. Corellium
Platform:Web (browser-based) (browser-based)
Pricing options include a 2-core CPU plan for $99 per month and a 6-core CPU plan for $295 per month.
Another iOS emulator for PCs is called Corellium, and security researchers typically utilise it to run a simulated iOS device inside of the browser. You are in good hands because Corellium’s creators were among the first jailbreakers of the iPhone.
Corellium was previously exclusively accessible to business users, but now everyone may utilise the iOS virtualization tool. Since Corellium doesn’t want the tool to be misused, getting your hands on it can be challenging.
3. iOS Simulator in Xcode
Platform:Mac
Price ranges: Free
For iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and iMessage, Apple’s in-house Xcode software development environment for Mac includes a dedicated app simulator. Therefore, it is sufficient to simulate various types of interactions including taps, device rotation, scrolling, and other user activities when utilising Xcode as the primary app development suite.
The Xcode project allows Mac users to launch their programmes immediately. The advantage Safari has over other free iPhone emulators is the capability to visit Safari from within Xcode and test web apps.
4. TestFlight
Platform:Mac
Price ranges: Free
Developers frequently utilise TestFlight, now owned by Apple, to beta test their Xamarin-written iOS apps. You may also think of it as Apple’s officially suggested approach to app testing.
The detailed documentation for TestFlight’s iOS emulator for PCs is a plus. This free app works with iMessage, watchOS, tvOS, and iOS apps. Prior to the final assessment, there is also the opportunity for the apps to undergo external beta testing. A rather difficult setup and the requirement to create an App Store distribution profile are drawbacks of this emulation service.
5. iPhone 11 On QEMU
Platform:Mac
Open-source software is free.
You can now simulate iOS with QEMU, a well-known open-source emulator. Although it is still far from being a polished product, you can download it for free because it is open-source. The code for the QEMU iPhone emulator is accessible from the page listed below and can be downloaded for free.
As of the time of writing, QEMU includes a few features, including support for USB, SPRR, and GFX emulation as well as S8000 secureROM emulation. Therefore, this is one of the finest options if you want to run an iOS emulator for free. But keep in mind that this only works on Macs.
6. Electric Mobile Studio
Platform:Windows
Trial and paid pricing options
Although Electric Mobile Studio is a paid option for testing and running iOS apps on Windows desktops, it provides a 7-day full product trial, which qualifies it for this list. Its standout features include the ability to utilise the same product on two PCs for typical work arrangements at the office and at home, as well as full-featured emulation of iPhones, iPads, and responsive apps.
The integrated WebKit and Chrome debugging tools in this iPhone emulator for Windows 10 are another reason why developers favour it for their projects. One can map their preferred shortcuts by adding hot-key navigation keys. This iOS app development tool is simple to integrate with Visual Studio for Windows users as well.
7. Remoted iOS Simulator for Windows PC
Platform:Windows
Free and paid pricing options
Remoted iOS Simulator for Windows is another well-liked choice for testing iOS applications on your Windows computer. It is a tool for developers that is pre-loaded with Xamarin in Visual Studio. Users can follow the thorough instructions on Microsoft’s website and test their apps using the iOS simulator.
There is a helpful toolbar with options like Home, Lock, Settings, and Screenshot shown at the top of the tool’s display. You may enable Touch ID-like features from the Settings menu, as well as imitate static and moving situations, shaking movements, rotation, and other actions. The tool also supports stylus input and touch movements similar to the iPhone.
The fact that it is a remote iOS emulator for Windows should be noted. Simply explained, the iOS emulator must be run on a Mac before sending the stream to a Windows PC.
8. iPadian- iOS Emulator For PC
Platform: Mac and Windows
Price ranges: paid
A lot of tools, including iPadian, are well-liked for giving users of PCs and Macs an experience similar to that of an iPad or iPhone. While those solutions function as a custom layer on top of your OS and allow you to install some iOS-like apps from their app store, they do not allow you to upload your app or code and test it. You can choose iPadian if all you want to do is utilise an iOS simulator that mimics the style and appearance of iOS hardware.
How to test iOS apps on Windows?
Since you can only imitate iOS on Mac hardware with macOS, it is theoretically impossible. To test iOS apps, you must run macOS natively since you cannot run a macOS virtual machine on Windows. Apple might offer a developer tool for this in the future, but for the time being, we are limited to testing iOS apps via emulators. In the interim, click here to read our post about Nintendo Switch emulators for computers and Android smartphones.
iOS Emulator For PC FAQ
Can I run iOS apps on my PC?
The iOS emulators described above can be used to run iOS apps on your PC.
Can BlueStacks emulate iOS?
BlueStacks is unable to simulate iOS. It is an Android emulator that enables Windows and Mac computers to use Android apps and games.
Can I run an iOS emulator on Windows?
Yes, you can use a variety of browser-based iOS simulation programmes to run an iOS emulator on Windows.
Why there is no iOS emulator?
Because iOS is a closed source operating system, Apple does not provide its source code. Because of this, it is hard to create an iOS third-party emulator. We are limited to using the ones listed above unless Apple decides to develop an official iOS emulator for Windows on their own.
I hope you’ll find this listing of iOS-specific emulators to be just as helpful as our list of Android emulators for PCs. Stay tuned as we soon plan to compile a list of classic game emulators like RetroArch and PCSX2. Continue to read Fossbytes!
