Test iOS apps in the simulator changeddesktop-ios-simulator
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### Choose which Xcode the simulator pane uses ### The simulator pane fails with Xcode 27
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1717* Claude Desktop v1.24012.0 or later
1818* A Mac, since Apple's iOS Simulator runs only on macOS
1919* [Xcode](https://developer.apple.com/xcode/) with the iOS platform installed, which provides the simulator devices. If Xcode lists no simulators yet, see [The simulator pane says no simulators were found](#the-simulator-pane-says-no-simulators-were-found)
20 * Use Xcode 26.x. The pane doesn't yet work with Xcode 27, which replaces the Simulator app with Device Hub. If `xcode-select` points at Xcode 27 on your Mac, see [The simulator pane fails with Xcode 27](#the-simulator-pane-fails-with-xcode-27)
20 * Xcode 26.x or Xcode 27 is recommended, and the pane works with either. If you have more than one Xcode installed, see [Choose which Xcode the simulator pane uses](#choose-which-xcode-the-simulator-pane-uses)
2121
2222<Note>
2323 On this page, "device" refers to a simulated iPhone or iPad, one of the same simulator devices you manage in Xcode under **Window → Devices and Simulators**, not physical hardware.
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2626The simulator pane is available in local sessions only. In [cloud](/docs/en/desktop#run-long-running-tasks-in-the-cloud) and [SSH](/docs/en/desktop#ssh-sessions) sessions, Claude runs on a machine that can't reach the simulators on your Mac.
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28### Choose which Xcode the simulator pane uses
29
30If you have more than one Xcode installed, such as Xcode 26.x alongside Xcode 27, the pane uses whichever one `xcode-select` points at. To use a different install, select it by its path.
31
32For example, if the Xcode you want is installed as `/Applications/Xcode-26.4.app`, run this in Terminal:
33
34```bash theme={null}
35sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode-26.4.app
36```
37
38Then quit and reopen Claude Desktop so the pane uses the newly selected Xcode.
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40To check which install is selected, run `xcode-select -p`. It prints the selected install's Developer folder, such as `/Applications/Xcode-26.4.app/Contents/Developer`.
41
2842## Run your app in the simulator
2943
3044You don't need a command or setting to open the simulator pane. Claude opens it when it runs your app in a simulator.
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5266The simulator pane shows whichever device the app actually launched in. To test on a specific device, name it in your request, for example "run it on the iPhone SE simulator", and Claude targets that device when it builds and launches.
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54A device Claude boots also appears in Apple's Simulator app, and Claude can install the app on a device you already have booted.
68A device Claude boots also appears in Apple's Simulator app, or in Device Hub on Xcode 27. Claude can install the app on a device you already have booted.
5569
5670You can also open the simulator pane yourself. Once the session has a simulator attached or has edited Swift files, the **Views** menu in the session toolbar shows an **iOS Simulator** entry. If the pane isn't showing a device yet, click **Attach simulator**, or pick a specific device from the device menu next to it; picking a shut-down device boots it. If Xcode or its simulators are missing, the pane shows the setup steps instead and checks them off as you complete them.
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7589Each device belongs to the session that launched it, so [parallel sessions](/docs/en/desktop#work-in-parallel-with-sessions) don't share a device: what you see in one session's pane reflects that session's work, not another's. Switching sessions in the sidebar switches the simulator view along with the conversation, and switching back resumes the same device where it left off. If Claude works with more than one device, each opens its own pane, up to 4 per session.
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77Claude Code Desktop shuts down the simulators it booted once they're no longer in use: when you quit the app, when you archive the session, or 10 minutes after you detach a device from its pane. Devices you boot yourself, whether from the pane or in Apple's Simulator app, are never shut down automatically. To shut down the attached device right away, use the shutdown button in the pane.
91Claude Code Desktop shuts down the simulators it booted once they're no longer in use: when you quit the app, when you archive the session, or 10 minutes after you detach a device from its pane. Devices you boot outside Claude Code Desktop, such as in Apple's Simulator app or in Device Hub, are never shut down automatically. To shut down the attached device right away, use the shutdown button in the pane.
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7993## Grant Claude access to a device
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115129Claude may not have recognized that you wanted to run or test the app, or the simulator tooling may be missing. Check the following:
116130
117131* State the goal explicitly, for example "run the app in the iOS Simulator and tap through the signup flow".
118* Confirm Xcode and the iOS simulators are installed and that your Xcode version meets the [requirements](#requirements).
132* Confirm Xcode and the iOS simulators are installed and that you're using a [recommended Xcode version](#requirements).
119133* If your organization manages Claude Code, the [simulator tools may be disabled by policy](#turn-off-simulator-access).
120134* If you're in an Enterprise organization that has a HIPAA configuration enabled, the simulator pane isn't available to you.
121135* The simulator pane requires Claude Desktop v1.24012.0 or later. Open **Claude → Check for Updates**, then restart the app.
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122136
123137### The simulator pane says no simulators were found
124138
125If `xcode-select` points at Xcode 27, the pane can report no simulators even though devices exist; see [The simulator pane fails with Xcode 27](#the-simulator-pane-fails-with-xcode-27). Otherwise, Xcode is installed but has no iOS simulators to list. The simulator pane shows the setup steps to follow and checks them off as each one completes. To install the missing piece manually, download the iOS simulator runtime from Xcode's settings, or run `xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS`.
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127### The simulator pane fails with Xcode 27
128
129The pane doesn't yet work with Xcode 27, which replaces the Simulator app with Device Hub. With Xcode 27 selected, attaching a device fails, or the pane reports that no simulators were found even though devices exist.
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131The pane uses whichever Xcode `xcode-select` points at. If Xcode 27 is your only install, install Xcode 26.x alongside it first. Then select the 26.x install by its path. For example, if it's installed as `/Applications/Xcode-26.4.app`:
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133```bash theme={null}
134sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode-26.4.app
135```
136
137Run `xcode-select -p` to check which install is selected.
139Xcode is installed but has no iOS simulators to list. The simulator pane shows the setup steps to follow and checks them off as each one completes. To install the missing piece manually, download the iOS simulator runtime from Xcode's settings, or run `xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS`.
138140
139141## See also
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