Testing iOS simulation in React Native?
I read about iOS simulation for building apps in React Native and it seems impossible to simulate iOS apps without macOS? Surely can't be the case right? Does anyone know of some workarounds so I can develop and test on Windows?
45 Replies
I'm not 100% sure it's still the case, but for the longest time the best/only way to test iOS stuff was to buy a mac mini and an Apple developer license
you can buy a cheap used mac laptop
Luke Miani
YouTube
Living with the CHEAPEST Apple Ecosystem in 2025
Thanks to ESR for sponsoring! Shop ESR HaloLock Classic Hybrid Case (Camera Control, Stash Stand): https://amzn.to/3BVCsZe
The last few years have seen a massive drop in prices for used Apple products- and that got me wondering how little you can spend to get a usable experience! Today with a budget of just $300 to buy an iPhone, MacBook, and ...
this might get you an idea of what to look for
you might be able to hackintosh it too if you only need a one-off?
it's possible, but thats actually illegal, according to the mac tos
oh huh, nevermind then!
if you want 100% legit, you need the overpriced hardware
why not use a vm?
does macOS not work in vm?
it goes against the license
you are not allowed to run macos on non-apple hardware
it works, and you can trick your vm to look like an intel mac, but it's not legal
it also runs like ass without gpu acceleration
damn.. hmmm... well the "illegality" sounds like bs to me
like this is a simple task. why would u want to buy a whole MacBook just so u can see how your app looks on macOS
also vince, why not use an iphone if u have one laying around. is there no option for that?
it's not a simple task
"illegal" in this case is "breaking TOS", which makes it against Discord TOS to discuss... but also, you generally have to emulate iOS inside macos inside the VM I think, and I don't think you can nest virtualization
simple as in, u need to have an ios emulator running right?
you can
virtualization nesting isnt something new
no
you need to emulate the cpu, gpu, hardware and os
with simplified network
by simple m meaning like, the need is simple. other than that there is no need for it
it's not an easy task, specially if you want it to run at a decent pace
hmm i see
you have to trick the ios os into thinking that it is in a phone
a real phone
which, again, illegal
i tried making an android app in react native
i used expo. which allows u to emulate the app in an emulator or web or on mobile
yes, in qemu, for android
what's qemu
almost everything uses qemu under the hood
expo doesn't work for ios?
try it
lemme search up
if it does, i would be surprised
as far as i know, the only legitimate way to run apple stuff, the legal way, is to run it on apple hardware
well expo works with react native so i guess it makes sense that it works on ios as well
the googles cloud ide, google idx also allows app development in react native. it provides emulator in the web.
i wonder if OP can use that
but does it run the ios apps on windows? and on linux?
what it says is that you can make ios apps, not run them
wait, the 2nd link says run
but doesnt say the required host
when u say run, u mean running the app in an emulator right?
yes
ok so it seems like u DO need an IOS device..
yeah
pretty useless for his use-case
the easiest is an older ios device for cheap cheap cheap
i checked google idx
it seems like it doesn't support ios emulators yet all though it is a hot demand with 279 votes asking for it
https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/iOS18_iPadOS18.pdf
2. Permitted License Uses and Restrictions. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to use the Apple Software on a single Apple-branded Device.ios emulation will probably never happen because of that line it only exists, legally, in macos
1) Get any device
2) Get a metal apple logo really hot
3) Press hot metal to device
Tada! Apple Branded devices
🤣
well, it is branded
I'm sure there's a definition of apple-branded device somewhere in the TOS, but if there's not it'd be hilarious to argue that it's apple branded just cause you added a sticker
there probably is
Thanks guys. I have a ~2020 Macbook Air (before M1) hopefully that will be enough
Really ridiculous I can't test iOS apps properly without an iPhone though 😐
you can, in that macbook air
if you have LOTS of cooling
Lol alright I hope it runs decent
I couldn't even run Oldschool Runescape on this thing
yeah, it might struggle