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We all know that Apple Devices are a bit expensive compared to other brands. In this case what if want to experience iOS operating system on Windows? YES! You can run any iOS application on your Windows PC/Laptop with the help of iOS Emulators. In this post, we are going to discuss everything about How one can Run iOS Apps on Windows PC/Laptop.
What are iOS Emulators?
Basically, There are two terminologies 1. EMULATOR & 2. SIMULATOR
According to Computing language, an Emulator is Hardware or Software that enables one computer system (Host) to behave like another computer system (Guest). In Simple words, an iOS Emulators enables a windows bases system (Called Guest) to emulate iOS application with the help of programming. So, you can run an iOS application on a windows system with the iOS Emulators.
A simulator is a software which used to execute a computer program written in assembly/compiler language. The simulator can be used to find selected source code and bugs in any program. So we can say that Emulator is a combination of Hardware as well as software while Simulator behaves only as Software. (I hope now you can differentiate between Emulator & Simulator)
iPhone Emulator for pc
Now lets come to the main point on How you can run iOS apps on windows PC? To solve this issue there are dozens of iPhone emulator for pc available in the market (Some are Free while a few are paid). If you search iOS emulators on google you might get into confusion because there are many. That’s why I am writing this post because I have tested many iOS Emulators to run a few iOS applications on my Windows PC and after testing them I have selected Best 8 Emulators you can use to run your iOS application. The list is as follows:
#1 Mobione
Mobione emulator is easy to use and one of the best in the market. Developers have made Mobione software using Latest HTML5 open source Cordova/PhoneGap Framework. Mobione Software is a Windows-based tool for making cross-platform for iOS as well as Android. We have used this software for almost 4 days and trust me It’s one of the best with lots of great features and straightforward navigation.
Ratings – 4/5
#2 Xamarin Testflight
Xamarin Emulator has all the functionality, Advanced support and comes with user-friendly user-interface. TestFlight is Apple’s beta testing service for iOS apps and is accessible only through iTunes Connect. Guys let me inform you that TestFlight is now owned by Apple, and is the primary way to beta test your Xamarin.iOS apps. Here I would like to mention that it can only test or run the app which is based on iOS 8.0 or above version. Below 8.0 version will not work. Check out This article on How to use Xamarin Testflight?
Ratings – 4.5/5
#3 iPadian
iPadian is a Simulator means you can run the iOS application on PC. iPadian is an application which will give you an experience of the iOS system on Windows PC. In order to use iPadian, you need to install Adobe AIR software. While testing the software we came out with some Pros & Cons:
Pros
- User-Interface is easy and effective.
- In the free version, you can get a variety of Apps
- Premium version is cheap and ad-free.
- Appearance, features, and designs will give you feelings of the iOS operating system.
Cons
- iPadian does not create a local version of the iOS on your device.
- Using iPadian you can run only apps which were designed especially for the iPadian simulator. You won’t be able to access the official App Store.
- iPadian does not create a local version of the iOS on your device.
Ratings – 3.5/5
How to use iPadian on Windows?
- In the first step, you need to download iPadian from the link given in the heading.
- After Downloading software install it on your windows system.
- Now you can see iPadian Software icon on the desktop.
- Open the software and click on store.
- You can see a variety of application in a store. Download and enjoy the iOS experience.
#4 Air iPhone Emulator
Air iPhone emulator is widely used by iOS programmers for testing their apps on Windows system for compatibility. AIR iPhone is an Adobe AIR application that reproduces the iPhone’s GUI. According to my experience, users who are not developers might use this application to see what the iPhone is all about looks-wise and how applications run on it. The only negative point of Air iPhone is it’s not compatible with Windows 10.
Ratings – 4/5
#5 Appetize.io
Appetize.io is a bit different platform from others. Appetize.io give you facility to Run iOS & Android apps within a web browser on any computer. Appetize.io has a clean and fast response compare to other iOS emulators which make it better than most emulators in the market. You can see the Full Demo here. Premium Version has many features like:
- A user can Run Appetize software in their own data center, or in a private cloud without any hustle.
- Single sign-on (SSO) for secure user auditing and provisioning
- It’s Highly configurable and customizable to meet your enterprise needs
- Appetize will give you 24/7 customer support.
There are basically 4 versions of Appetize
- Trial (Free)
- Basic ($40 / month)
- Premium ($400 / month)
- Enterprise ($2,000 / month)
Pros
- Fully managed, and always up to date
- Select any choice of device, operating system, and app version
- Easy to manage and maintain
- Track and audit usage by agent, fine-tune access controls and permissions
- Easily access network traffic, debug logs, and video recordings
Cons
- We have observed only 1 demerit of Appetize which is Price is little High compared to other emulators
Supported Devices – iPhone 4S, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S+, iPhone 7, iPhone 7+, iPhone 8, iPhone 8+, iPhone X, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 9.
Ratings -4.5/5
#6 Smartface
Smartface is very popular and easy to use application developing software as well as an emulator. All you need to do is install the app from the app store on your Host device and then connect it to the windows system. For Synchronisation make Make sure you have iTunes installed for your PC to recognize your Apple device and then start developing a native application with Smartface emulator. While developing applications developers will face lots of problems like Compatibility, responsive nature, screen technology, and OS versions and to avoid they are using Cross-platform mobile Application Development Platforms like smartface. I highly recommend all my users to at least try this emulator once.
Rating – 4/5
#7 iPhone Emulator
iPhone Emulator is the simplest among all the iOS emulators. The user interface is very Basic with few functionalities. You can run the basic application on your Windows PC. iPhone emulator has working apps like Calculators, Clock etc. It’s not so much advanced. You can only feel the Apple basic functionalities. Few demerits of iPhone emulators are: Big application can’t be executed using iPhone Emulator, you can’t get access to App Store and Few applications are by default disabled.
Ratings – 2/5
#8 Citra-Nintendo 3DS Emulator
Nintendo 3DS Emulator can be used on Android, PC, iOS and almost all platforms users can also play all the games and experience the Nintendo switch gaming experience without actually buying it yourself on there Windows PC. 3DS Emulator is especially for all the game lovers.
Ratings – 3/5
Conclusion!
Guys, We know that Purchasing iPhone is a big financial decision for everyone due to its cost so as an alternative we can use iOS emulators to get iOS operating system experience and that’s why I have tried my best to give you a proper review of all the iOS emulator which I have used. I hope you like this information. I also recommend all you that You should try all the iOS Emulator which has more than 3.5 Ratings and let us know which you like the most.
