Emulators make it easy to run and test iOS apps on Windows PC or Mac. These are especially useful for developers who want to know how a specific app will appear and function on the iPhone and iPad. Emulator software works by replicating Apple’s design, interface, and some limited functionality. If that sounds interesting, try these best iOS emulators for PC.

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1. iPadian

iPadian is more of a simulator than an emulator. That is, it does not create a local version of iOS on your device but gives you a taste of using it. You cannot access the iOS app store, but you can use the apps that have been specially designed for iPadian. These include the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Tiktok, Whatsapp, Crossy road, and more.

This software imitates the design and appearance of iOS but not the features and system actions. The interface is clean and clutter-free while also not consuming a large amount of power. So it’s perfect and the most popular option for all those who simply want to get a feel of iOS on their Windows or Mac computers.

Platform: Windows and Mac
Pricing: $25.00

2. Smartface

This is one of the best iOS emulators for PC because it provides an incredibly user-friendly experience. It is widely utilized by developers to test the iOS apps that they are creating. This requires an Apple device with the Smartface app to be connected to a Windows system that has iTunes installed.

Once that setup is in place, you can initiate emulation with a couple of clicks and experience a cross-platform programming experience. Further, it is frequently updated to keep up with changes in operating systems. In case you don’t have an Apple device and just want to run some iOS apps, Smartface lets you do so in a browser.

Platform: Windows, Mac, and Linux
Pricing: Free

3. Appetize

Although one can only use this for 100 minutes a month for free, it is an emulator that very closely resembles what an actual iPhone would run like. This is due to features that help users easily develop, test, and update iOS and Android apps. Moreover, it also offers iCloud access, which is an additional benefit.

You can upload your app to its website or through an API. And within mere seconds, your app runs within any major web browser on your PC. The interface is easy to use, and there is a demo available on the website. This is best suited for both independent developers as well as large scale enterprises. There is flexible pricing according to your needs.

Platform: Windows (works in any browser)
Pricing: $40 per month for the basic plan

4. Xamarin

This is a plugin that you can use in Microsoft Visual Studio to develop iOS apps. It’s quite an advanced iOS emulator that is pretty complicated to configure on PC. But once you do the hard work, you have a powerful tool to code iOS apps from Visual Studio IDE on your Windows computer.

The minimum requirements include a PC with the latest version of Visual Studio and a network-connected Mac that has Xamarin.iOS and the Apple build tools installed. It is powerful enough to support enterprise applications.

Platform: Windows
Pricing: $99/Month

5. Xcode

Xcode is Apple’s own Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which helps developers create and review the performance of apps. Moreover, they can check the compatibility of their apps on several different iPhone models.

Unlike other emulators, Xcode is made for macOS only; hence, you cannot use it on Windows systems. For iOS developers, they can take full advantage of SwiftUI, which has a declarative Swift syntax.

In a single click, you can bring your iPad app to Mac. Xcode 11 has support for Swift packages; therefore, you can share code among all of your apps or use packages created by the community.

Platform: Mac
Pricing: Free

6. Adobe Air

This iPhone emulator can replicate the graphical user interface of iOS. Before any developer goes for the final release of their apps, they can use AIR to upload the app. Here, they can check how the app will look like.

However, it should be noted that hardware replication limits do not give an entirely accurate comparison of an app’s behavior. What you see within this emulator may not be precisely what renders or occurs on an actual iOS device. Nonetheless, it’s suitable to get a feel of what your iOS app will look like.

Platform: Windows and Mac
Pricing: Free

7. Electric Mobile Studio

Electric Mobile Studio allows full-fledged emulation of iPhone and iPad apps. You can test out responsive apps, and Windows users can integrate this tool with Visual Studio for convenience.

Further, you can add hot-key navigation for your favorite shortcuts. There are also integrated WebKit and Chrome debugging tools to take advantage of. Once you buy this product, you can use it on two machines to work seamlessly between them.

Platform: Windows
Pricing plans: $39.99 (Free 7-Day Trial)

8. TestFlight

This iPhone emulator is Apple’s officially recommended method for testing iOS apps. It comes with extensive documentation that makes it easier to use. It supports apps for iOS, iMessage, watchOS, and tvOS.

Further, there is an option for external beta testing of your app before a final review that helps get a better picture of any issues faced by users. However, the setup is quite technical, and you will need to have an Apple Developer account to use it.

Platform: Mac
Pricing: Free

Summing Up

So, which of these iPhone emulators have you tried out on your Windows or Mac computer? Share your experience with us in the comments below. You can also check out our guide to run Android apps on your Mac.

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A month ago, I wrote a list of gadgets I love. In it, I mentioned that I gave my old iPad to my wife. I didn’t use it enough to justify keeping it for myself. Yet, I conceded the appeal of the newer iPads:

I’m not saying never again to owning an iPad. The newer, fancy models with the pencil cast a certain spell on me.
Still, I reached a point where gadgets are only added to my collection if they get used. So I’ll only get an iPad if I can find a workflow that makes it a necessity.

In doing so, I fear a seed was planted. I started asking myself what said workflow might look like.

What is an iPad useful for?

iPads tend to be great consumption devices. They are lightweight and easy to transport. Fast, thanks to great specs and tight integration with the operating system. Their battery life lasts for most of the day. If you are watching videos, casual browsing, or playing games they are quite convenient.

I don’t hate consumption, but I’m trying to focus more on production than consumption in my life. So the iPad doesn’t hold great appeal when solely considered as a consumption device.

In recent times, I have seen people use them to be more productive, however. Doctors and medical students appear to be quite fond of domain-specific apps as well as its note-taking capabilities. Digital artists create great paintings and drawings on them. Musicians and even photographers/videographers are increasingly using the iPad, particularly the Pro line, on the go.

Could the iPad be a great option for programming as well?

My ideal use case

C++ In Visual Studio

Before we discuss how one might configure an iPad for programming, I’d like to point out that my primary use would be reading technical PDFs, annotating them, and taking notes. If you are only interested in programming, laptops are a superior choice.

Still, you are there sitting at the library or a coffee shop. You’re reading a programming book, jotting down notes. It’s only natural to want to write code to validate and experiment with what you’re learning.

We know from neuroscience studies that the act of taking notes by hand is superior to typing them when it comes to retaining the information. For programming related material, however, I’d say that writing actual code is just as important.

You could bring both a laptop and an iPad but it becomes quite inconvenient at that point.

So for me, the ideal scenario would be an iPad that allows me to read technical books, annotate them/take notes, and program on it.

It already excels at the first two tasks, but can the iPad work for programming? The screen, in landscape mode, is certainly big enough. If you opt for the 12.9″ model, it’s essentially no different than my current MacBook Pro. Spec-wise, it might even be as fast, if not faster.

So it’s really a matter of software. These babies should be called iFortKnox. They are quite locked down.

A possible iPad setup for programming

If you search for them, you’ll find the occasional IDE for iOS. Pythonista for iOS, for example, will mostly work if you’re writing Python scripts.

Unfortunately, there isn’t an equivalent for Elixir and Phoenix, which I tend to favor these days. Plus, I like to use Git as a mechanism to share code between different laptops.

VNC is not a great option either, in my experience. You’ll face quite a bit of lag and the smaller screen of the iPad doesn’t lend itself too well to showing a whole computer desktop.

It seems to me that the best approach is to have the development environment on a remote machine and use the iPad as a client.

Amusingly, dedicated services like C9 by Amazon do not support mobile browsers that well. Though, with the upcoming iPad OS defaulting Safari to a full browser, it’s possible that these will become a viable option.

Based on my research, the most promising alternative is running a cheap remote box on DigitalOcean or similar provider, and connecting via a mosh-shell like Blink Shell. That appears to work really well even with spotty connections.

It would mean using a terminal-based editor. It’s not for everybody, but even though I tend to use Visual Studio Code these days, I would have zero problems with using Vim for this purpose. (Hello Vim, my old friend, I’ve come to type with you again.)

This caveat aside, I really don’t see a downside to this workflow. I get all the benefits the iPad brings plus the ability to actually do real programming (with a cover keyboard, of course).

The new iPad Pros are rumored to come out soon. They might be announced in less than two weeks. So I’m going to sit tight on this one but I’m eagerly waiting.

What about you? Do you have an iPad? Do you use it for programming? Is your workflow different than the one I propose here? Let me know in the comments below.

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