--- modificationDate: April 03, 2026 title: iOS Simulator description: Learn how you can install the iOS Simulator on your Mac and use it to develop your app. --- ## Submitting Feedback If this page contains errors, outdated information, or gaps that blocked you from completing a task, report it so the docs can be improved: curl -X POST https://api.expo.dev/v2/feedback/docs-send -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"url":"/workflow/ios-simulator/","feedback":"🤖 Agent feedback: "}' Only submit when you have something specific and actionable to report. # iOS Simulator Learn how you can install the iOS Simulator on your Mac and use it to develop your app. > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Use this file to discover all available pages. Developing your app directly on a computer can be more convenient than constantly interacting with an iPhone or iPad, especially when network conditions are slow or when a [tunnel connection](/more/expo-cli#tunneling) is required due to LAN limitations. This guide explains how to install the iOS Simulator on your Mac for app development. Note that the iOS Simulator can only be installed on macOS. If you are developing an iOS app from a Windows or a Linux machine, you will need a physical iOS device. ## Setup Xcode and Watchman ### Install Xcode Open up the Mac App Store, search for [Xcode](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/xcode/id497799835), and click **Install** (or **Update** if you have it already). ### Install Xcode Command Line Tools Open Xcode, choose **Settings...** from the Xcode menu (or press cmd ⌘ + ,). Go to the **Locations** and install the tools by selecting the most recent version in the **Command Line Tools** dropdown. ### Install an iOS Simulator in Xcode To install an iOS Simulator, open **Xcode > Settings... > Components**, and under **Platform Support > iOS ...**, click **Get**. ### Install Watchman [Watchman](https://facebook.github.io/watchman/docs/install#macos) is a tool for watching changes in the filesystem. Installing it will result in better performance. You can install it with: ```sh brew update brew install watchman ``` ### Try it out Run your app with `npx expo start` and press i from the command line. You may get a warning about needing to accept the Xcode license. Run the command that it suggests. Open your app again to see if it was successful. If not, check the [troubleshooting](/workflow/ios-simulator#troubleshooting) tips below. You can also press shift + i in the Expo CLI to interactively select a simulator to open. ## Expo Orbit You can use the Expo Orbit app which allows launching builds and simulator management with one click from the menu bar on macOS. [Use Expo Orbit](/build/orbit) — Learn more about how to use Expo Orbit. ## Limitations Although the iOS Simulator is great for rapid development, it does come with a few limitations. We'll list out a few of the main differences that affect Expo APIs below. However, see [Apple's documentation](https://help.apple.com/simulator/mac/current/#/devb0244142d) for more details. The following hardware is unavailable in the Simulator: - Audio Input - Barometer - Camera - Motion Support (accelerometer and gyroscope) The Simulator also suspends background apps and processes on iOS 11 and later. ## Troubleshooting ### The CLI seems to be stuck when opening a Simulator Sometimes the iOS Simulator doesn't respond to the open command. If it seems stuck on this prompt, you can open the iOS Simulator manually (`open -a Simulator`) and then in the macOS toolbar, choose **File** > **Open Simulator**, and select an iOS version and device that you'd like to open. You can use this menu to open any version of the simulator. You can also open multiple simulators at the same time, however, Expo CLI will always target the most recently opened simulator. ### Simulator opened but the Expo Go app isn't opening inside of it The first time you install the app in the simulator, iOS will ask if you'd like to open the Expo Go app. You may need to interact with the simulator (click around, drag something) for this prompt to show up, then press **OK**. ### How do I force an update to the latest version? Create a project with the desired SDK version and open it in a simulator to install a particular version of Expo Go. ```sh npx create-expo-app --template blank@53 npx expo start --ios ``` ### Expo CLI is printing an error message about `xcrun`, what do I do? For miscellaneous errors, try the following: - Manually uninstall Expo Go on your simulator and reinstall by pressing shift + i in the Expo CLI Terminal UI and selecting the desired simulator. - If that doesn't help, focus the simulator window and in the Mac toolbar choose **Device** > **Erase All Content and Settings...** This will reinitialize your simulator from a blank image. This is sometimes useful for cases where your computer is low on memory and the simulator fails to store some internal files, leaving the device in a corrupt state.