Short of running on an actual device, Apple’s iOS Simulator is the best way to test your apps. It can be configured to act as a iPhone, iPhone 5, iPad, retina and non retina, landscape or portrait. It’s like having a whole closet full of devices.
Here’s how to set it up and get it running on your Mac, without having to start XCode.
- Download XCode. The easiest way to do this is using the built in App Store app. It’s big: more than 1.65 gigs.
- Go into your Applications folder and right click on Xcode.app. Choose “Show Package Contents”.
- Navigate to Contents/Applications
- Right click on ‘iPhone Simulator’. Choose Make Alias. (You’ll probably need to enter your system password).
- The file “iOS Simulator.app” will be created in the folder.
- Copy it to the desktop and remove it from the folder.
- Now, click on it in the Desktop. The Simulator will start.
- From the Hardware menu at the top of the screen, choose the iOS device you want to test.
- To run a web app, choose Safari, then enter the URL.
- You can save the app to the Home screen, just as you would on an actual device.
- This technique will not work on .ipa files – just web apps like AppStudio produces. It will not run PhoneGap apps.