Introduction#

iOS, watchOS and tvOS Simulators are great ways to test your apps without using an actual device. Here we will talk about working with Simulators.

Remarks#

Different Types of Simulators

• iOS Simulator
• watchOS Simulator
• tvOS Simulator
• Touch Bar Simulator

There is no simulator for macOS, because Xcode is run on macOS and whenever needed, it will run the apps native.

Getting Help

You could always visit Simulator help at Help -> Simulator help:

Launching Simulator

You should go to Xcode -> Open Developer Tool:

Using “Simulator”, you could run iOS and tvOS, but “Simulator (Watch)” will only run watchOS.

3D / Force Touch simulation

Go to Hardware -> Touch Pressure:

To simulate a normal press, use Shift-Command-1 and a deep one, Shift-Command-2.

If your MacBook has a Force Touch trackpad, you could use your trackpad force to simulate 3D / Force Touch.

Change Device Model

Go to Hardware -> Device:

Navigating Simulator

Home button

You should use Shift-Command-H to have an animation when closing an app.

Lock

To lock the device, use Command-L.

Rotation

Use Command with arrow keys.