IOS emulators: Difference between revisions

Unlike its direct competitor, [[Android emulators|Android]], there are practically no usable emulators, as the official iOS SDK (macOS-only) only allows for running your own projects, i.e., they run code generated for an x86 target rather than ARM code as used by iOS. Similarly to most of the Android emulators, some emulators (e.g., [[BlackThunder]]) use two-step approach, making use of the simulator in the iOS SDK to run a few chosen iOS apps that are recompiled for x86. Unlike previous emulation trails, BlackThunder first loads a highly trimmed Hackintosh image via VirtualBox, which loads Xcode and an iOS simulator into it, then runs decompiled iOS apps recompiled for the x86 architecture. Appetize.io and other tools that claim to emulate iOS on a web browser are in reality just the iOS simulator in XCode wrapped around a cloud stream to the web browser, and like the iOS XCode simulator, need the source code to run. More recently, touchHLE managed to get a few older iPhone OS apps running by recreating some of iOS’s standard libraries and emulating just the iPhone’s CPU, and nearly the same time, QEMU-iOS got released and can successfully emulate iPhone OS 1.0 on an iPod Touch 1st generation, albeit with bugs.

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|Platform(s)

! scope="col"|Latest version

! scope="col"|[[#Hardware_features|Hardware features]]

! scope="col"|[[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]

! scope="col"|Compatibility

! scope="col"|[[Licensing|License]]

! scope="col"|Active

! scope="col"|[[Recommended emulators|Recommended]]

|[https://github.com/HyperHLE/HyperHLE/ HyperHLE]

|[https://github.com/HyperHLE/HyperHLE/]

|[https://touchhle.org/ touchHLE]

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS|Linux|LinuxARM}}<ref group=N>Linux release requires you to build it yourself from source, however unofficial compiled AppImages can be found [https://github.com/pkgforge-dev/TouchHLE-AppImage here].</ref>

|{{Emulator compatibility|link=https://appdb.touchhle.org/|252|664}}

|?

|{{?}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|align=left|{{Icon|Android}}

|[https://touchhle.org/download/ 0.2.2]

|{{Emulator compatibility|link=https://appdb.touchhle.org/|252|664}}

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|Platform(s)

! scope="col"|Latest version

! scope="col"|[[#Hardware_features|Hardware features]]

! scope="col"|Compatibility

! scope="col"|[[Licensing|License]]

! scope="col"|Active

! scope="col"|[[Recommended emulators|Recommended]]

|{{Green}} {{License|MIT}}<ref group=N>Formerly licensed under {{License|WTFPLv2}}</ref>

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|Platform(s)

! scope="col"|Latest version

! scope="col"|[[#Hardware_features|Hardware features]]

! scope="col"|Compatibility

! scope="col"|[[Licensing|License]]

! scope="col"|Active

! scope="col"|[[Recommended emulators|Recommended]]

:::A fork of touchHLE that supports higher versions of iOS, up to iOS 10.

| colspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:IOS#Home_screen|Home screen]]<br/><small>This shouldn't be confused with emulator frontend/GUI.</small>

| {{✓}}[https://github.com/hikari-no-yume/touchHLE/blob/trunk/OPTIONS_HELP.txt#L33 *]

| [[Preservation_projects#Private_Platform_Servers|Game Center]]<br/><small>Achievements, Challenges, Leaderboards etc.</small>

| colspan=2 | iPhone OS 2<br/><small>iPhone OS 2.2.1 was the last version compatible solely with ARMv6 chips.

| colspan=2 | iPhone OS 3<br/><small>Supported both ARMv6 and ARMv7-A chips.</br>

| {{~}} <br> <small>TouchHLE currently only supports 3.0 and 3.1.x.</small>

| colspan=2 | iOS 4<br/><small>iOS 4.2.1 was the last version supported ARMv6 chips.</small>

| {{~}}

| colspan=2 | iOS 6<br/><small>iOS 6.1.6 was the last version compatible solely with 32-bit ARMv7-A chips.</small>

| colspan=2 | iOS 7 to 10<br/><small>Supports both 64-bit ARMv8''x''-A and 32-bit ARMv7-A chips. iOS 10.3.4 was the last version that supported 32-bit chips.</small>

| colspan=2 | [https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/writing-armv6-code-for-ios ios_armv6] (iPhone OS 1 – iOS 4.2.1)<br/><small>Supporting ios_armv6 ABI is crucial for emulators due to compatibility and [[Preservation_projects|preservation]] reasons.</small>

| colspan=2 | [https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/writing-armv7-code-for-ios ios_armv7a] (iPhone OS 3 – iOS 10.3.4)<br/><small>Supporting ios_armv7a ABI is crucial for emulators due to compatibility and [[Preservation_projects|preservation]] reasons.<br/> Older applications and games often rely on the [[Wikipedia:ARM_architecture_family|ARM 32-bit (Cortex)]] architecture, which isn't used in newer hardware.</small>

| colspan=2 | [https://developer.apple.com/documentation/opengles OpenGL ES x.x] (iPhone OS 2 – iOS 12.0)<br/><small>Supporting OpenGL ES x.x APIs is crucial for emulators due to compatibility and [[Preservation_projects|preservation]] reasons.</small>

| {{~}}[https://github.com/hikari-no-yume/touchHLE?tab=readme-ov-file#development-status *]<br/><small>TouchHLE currently support only OpenGL ES 1.[https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/1gqdrwm/touchhle_emulator_development_video/lx26wwu/]</small>

| [[Shader_Presets|Shader Chain]]

| [[Shaders_and_filters|Filters]]

|[[Shaders_and_filters#AI-powered filters|AI-powered filter compatible]]<br/><small>([https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/gfecnt/nvidia-freestyle-ansel-enhancements-geforce-experience-article/ Freestyle])</small>

| [[Wikipedia:Category:Anti-aliasing_algorithms|Post-rendering AA]]<br/><small>(FXAA, TXAA and MLAA/SMAA)</small>

| [[Wikipedia:Comparison_gallery_of_image_scaling_algorithms|Post-rendering scaling]]<br/><small>(Sharp bilinear, Lanczos and [[Wikipedia:GPUOpen#FidelityFX_Super_Resolution|FSR 1]])</small>

| [[Controllers#Mouse Injectors for Emulators|Keyboard input injection]]<br/><small>Early versions of iOS didn't support keyboard input.<br/>One way an iOS emulator can provide keyboard input for these versions is through the injection method, which sends keystrokes input data directy into emulated memory.</small>

| [[Controllers#Mouse Injectors for Emulators|Mouse input injection]]<br/><small>Early versions of iOS didn't support mouse input.<br/>One way an iOS emulator can provide mouse input for these versions is through the injection method, which sends cursor input data directy into emulated memory.</small>

| [[Controllers#Mouse Injectors for Emulators|Gamepad input injection]]<br/><small>Before [[Wikipedia:MFi_Program|MFi]] extended support in iOS 7 (unlocking gamepad compatibility for devices like the [https://blog.logitech.com/2013/11/20/compatible-games-for-logitech-powershell-controller-battery/ Logitech Powershell Controller]).<br/> Earlier iOS versions (1-to-6) offered [https://www.gottabemobile.com/ios-6-gaming-ipad-controller-iphone/ no native gamepad support].</small>

| On-Screen Display<br/><small>Showcases messages, controller input state which is useful for speedrunners, performance data, active settings, and various notifications.</small>

| Built-in On-Screen Control<br/><small>Simulating touch input on display via keyboard or gamepad. This QoL enhancement is crucial for lots of touch input exclusive games.<br/>Also you can use third-party apps such as [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shootingplus-v3/id1447087625 ShootingPlus V3] for this.</small>

|[https://www.portablefreeware.com/faq.php#portable Portable] and [https://www.portablefreeware.com/faq.php#stealth Stealth]<br /><small>Useful enhancement feature for non-personal computer use or plug-and-play scenarios. However, the software may still require the necessary [[Computer_specifications#Operating_System|prerequisites and dependencies]] for your operating system if it is not statically linked.</small>

|Rich Presence (RPC)<br/><small>Allows the emulator to share real-time game session details (e.g., current game title, level, boss, playtime, or custom status) with external applications. This enables features such as displaying what you're playing on your profile, inviting friends to spectate, or triggering join-in-progress functionality where supported.</small>

|Screen translator<br /><small>Using optical character recognition (OCR) and other techniques, this feature can provide live translation of in-game text, text-to-speech for visually impaired users, and more — either on demand or automatically.</small></small>