Claude Code’s Mac app allows users to test iOS apps on an interactive simulator panel, provided they already have Xcode with the iOS platform installed. Here are the details.
The feature is now available in public beta
Claude users on Pro, Max and Team plans can now Build, run, and test iOS applications in an interactive simulator panel within Claude Code Desktop. MacRumors.
Available in Claude Desktop v1.24012.0 or later, the feature allows users to watch Claude running, interact with its interface, and replay changes while the simulator panel remains open alongside the chat.
Users can also interact directly with the app in the simulator with taps and swipes, in addition to the usual shortcuts in Apple’s Simulator app.
Anthropic adds that this is a Mac-only feature, as “Apple’s iOS Simulator only works on macOS.” The company also explains that users must have Xcode installed on the iOS platform.
Here are Anthropic’s official instructions for running the iOS app in the simulator:
- Open your iOS project: Open Claude Code on Desktop Code tab and start a session with your app’s project project folder. Any project that builds an app for iOS Simulator works.
- Ask Claude to run or test the program: Express the task around running or testing the application. For example:
Build the app and run it in the simulator to check the onboarding flow.- View the program in the simulator panel: When the app is launched in the simulator, the iOS Simulator panel opens next to the chat. When Claude uses the device for the first time, the desktop app asks you to give him permission; see Give Clod access to the device. Claude installs the app, taps it, and reads the screen to check his changes while you watch.
Anthropic explains that “the simulator panel controls the simulator directly, so it doesn’t need to be on a computer, and it never takes over your screen or hides your other windows.” However, from the CLI, “Claude accesses the iOS Simulator using a computer, controlling it the same way you control a simulator on your screen with a mouse.”
Importantly, the feature is only available in local sessions, as cloud and SSH sessions cannot access the simulators on the user’s Mac.
How sessions manage devices, give Claude device access, and more. To learn more about the feature, including follow this link.
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