Xcode for Windows: Develop iOS Apps on PC

Written by Reinder de Vries on February 28 2020 in App Development

How can you run Xcode on Windows and develop iOS apps with a Windows PC? The short answer is: you can’t! You’ve got a few alternatives to get around that, however. In this tutorial, we’ll discuss how you can install Xcode on Windows to build iOS apps.

Here’s what we’ll get into:

• Rent a Mac in the cloud (starting at $20/mo)
• Run and compile Swift directly on Windows/Linux
• Learning to code with a Swift Sandbox
• Build your own “Hackintosh” by installing macOS on a PC
• Run Xcode on Windows by installing macOS on a virtual machine
• Develop iOS apps on Windows with cross-platform tools
• Get your hands on a second-hand Mac (starting at $300)

Xcode for Windows: What & Why

Xcode contains everything you need to build iOS apps, and it only runs on macOS!

That’s when the problems start. You want to make an iOS app with your Windows PC, but you can’t buy a PC or laptop with macOS pre-installed on it. Unlike Windows, Apple doesn’t license its operating system to other computer manufacturers. You can only use macOS on a Mac.

In fact, when you obtain a license to use macOS, which happens when you purchase a Mac computer, you have to agree to only run the operating system on Apple hardware. This effectively limits you to only develop apps on a Mac.

“It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy.”
— Steve Jobs (1983)

But… it’s more fun to be a pirate, than to join the navy, right? Let’s discuss a few alternatives that’ll let you run Xcode on Windows and develop iOS apps on a Windows PC!

Rent a Mac in the Cloud

An even easier way to get your hands on macOS, albeit more expensive, is to rent a Mac “in the Cloud”. You can work with Xcode on Windows with this approach, because you’re essentially connected to a Mac that’s elsewhere.

Here’s how that works:

• Someone connects a bunch of Mac’s to the internet
• You sign in on one of those Macs via a Remote Desktop Connection (RDP)
• Done! You can use this Mac from Windows/Linux and build iOS apps

Services like MacinCloud and MacStadium offer affordable rent-a-Mac products, usually paid on a monthly basis. Prices typically start at $20/month and you can choose from several hardware options, including Mac Mini and Mac Pro.

Starting at	Type
MacinCloud	$20/month	Dedicated, Virtual, Server
MacStadium	$79/month	Dedicated, Enterprise
virtualmacosx.com	$9.75/month	Shared (timesharing)
Mac Cloud	$49/month	Virtual
Flow	Premium	Dedicated, Enterprise
HostMyApple	$25/month	Virtual, Dedicated

You connect to those cloud-based Macs via a Remote Desktop Connection (RDP). Windows includes a stock Remote Desktop Client you can use, and so do most Linux operating systems. Once you’re logged on, you can launch Xcode, and start building your iOS app. That way you’re effectively running Xcode on your Windows PC!

Cloud-based Macs usually come in 3 flavours:

• A dedicated Mac, which means you get access to a physical Mac located in a data center, as if you bought a Mac in the Apple Store and put it on your desk.
• A virtual Mac, which means you get access to a virtual Mac in a data center, much like the VirtualBox solution mentioned earlier. Your Mac won’t run on Apple hardware, but it will run macOS.
• A Mac Build Server, which is a specialized kind of Mac that can be used to compile iOS apps. You’ll create those apps on your Mac, and then instruct the Build Server to compile the app for you.

A dedicated Mac is the most convenient, and the most powerful option. A virtual Mac is OK too, but it typically does not perform as well as a physical Mac computer.

Running Xcode via a Mac in the cloud has a drawback: you can’t easily connect your iPhone to Xcode via USB! With Xcode on your local Mac you can run and debug your app on your own iPhone, via the USB/Lightning cable. This obviously won’t work when your Mac is in the cloud…

Don’t worry! There are plenty of solutions for that:

• A simple approach is to run your app on iPhone Simulator, right from within Xcode. You can launch iPhone Simulator in Xcode, and debug your app with it. This is perfect for the development phase of your project.
• An alternative solution are tools like Flexihub, NoMachine and USB Network Gate. They only work with dedicated Mac hardware, and you need to have a dedicated IP address.
• Install your iOS app on your iPhone via TestFlight, and debug it with a tool like Bugsnag. You can monitor and debug live crashes in your app.

An interesting use case for renting a Mac in the cloud comes from the latest developments in Apple’s hardware. Many designers, developers and desktop-publishers have voiced their concerns over Apple hardware lagging behind, offering low-spec computers for a fairly high price.

If you don’t want to take your $3.000 MacBook Pro with you in a coffee shop, or on your next trip to Thailand, why not purchase a low-end Windows or Linux laptop, and connect to your Mac in the cloud? You can either host it at home yourself, co-locate it in a data center, or rent a dedicated cloud-based Mac.

Do you want to learn how to code iOS apps, but don’t want to invest money in a Mac? Rent a Mac in the cloud for the duration of the iOS development course you’re taking! It’s a great way to bootstrap learning iOS development, and you can always buy your own Mac later.

Learn how to code iOS apps

Get started with Xcode and Swift

Ready to get started with iOS development? Learn how to code iOS apps with Xcode and Swift with our immersive iOS development course. Works both on Mac and PC!

5 лучших эмуляторов iOS под Windows

Сегодня я расскажу, как использовать приложения для iOS на своем PC с помощью эмуляторов iPhone . В этой статье я перечислю все эмуляторы iOS , которые в настоящее время доступны для платформы Windows.

Что такое эмулятор iOS?

Эмулятор — это программное обеспечение, с помощью которого можно запускать приложения, предназначенные для других операционных систем: Android , iOS и т. д.

Эмулятор iPhone позволяет запускать iOS-приложения на PC без необходимости использования iPhone . Подобное программное обеспечение полезно для разработчиков, особенно при создании приложений под другие платформы. Если бы при тестировании приложение каждый раз нужно было переносить на iPhone , это занимало бы очень много времени. В таких случаях эмуляторы становятся практически незаменимыми.

Существует много эмуляторов iOS для Windows , но в этой статье я перечислю лучшие из них. Как вы, знаете, iOS — это любимая операционная система разработчиков, и большинство приложений сначала запускаются только для iOS . С другой стороны, iPhone очень дорогой, и многие считают, что он не стоит этих денег. Так что большинство покупает бюджетные смартфоны.

Для Windows существуют десятки эмуляторов iOS на ПК , и для большинства из нас трудно определить лучший из них. Но не волнуйтесь, поскольку наша команда до написания этой статьи тщательно изучила эмуляторы iOS , вы сможете легко выбрать лучшие из приведенного ниже списка.

Лучшие эмуляторы iOS для Windows 7/8/8.1/10

1) iPadian iPhone Emulator

Один из лучших эмуляторов iPhone для Windows. IPadian Emulator доступен в двух версиях. Одна бесплатная, другая стоит 10 долларов. С ее помощью можно запускать любые приложения для iOS, например WhatsApp, Snapchat и т. д., которые нельзя запустить в бесплатном iPad-эмуляторе. Я настоятельно рекомендую купить платную версию. Я лично попробовал iPadian для Windows 8:

Как установить iPad-эмулятор на компьютере с Windows:

Для запуска iPadian iPhone Emulator на компьютере выполните следующие действия.

• СкачайтеiPadian Emulator ;
• Дважды кликните по файлу установщика, который вы загрузили в предыдущем шаге;

• Следуйте указаниям мастера установки эмулятора iOS для Windows ;
• После успешной установки iPadian Emulator на компьютер можно выполнять дальнейшие шаги для запуска iOS-приложений .

Как запускать iOS-приложения на ОС Windows 7/8/8.1 с помощью iPadian Emulator:

• Дважды кликните по иконке iPadian ;
• Теперь в интерфейсе эмулятора нажмите на иконку магазина приложений;
• Загрузите свои любимые приложения и наслаждайтесь эмулятором iOS на PC .

2) MobiOne Studio (проект официально прекращен)

Обновление — этот проект iPhone эмулятора официально прекращен, но его все равно можно установить на свой компьютер, загрузив EXE-файл со сторонних сайтов.

3) Air iPhone Emulator

Еще один отличный эмулятор iOS , который доступен для Windows 7/8/8.1 и т. д. Используя его, можно без проблем запускать iOS -приложения на своем компьютере. Если вы i OS-разработчик , можно использовать этот эмулятор, чтобы бесплатно тестировать приложения. Если вам не понравился iPadian Emulator , особенно его бесплатная версия, тогда можно попробовать данную альтернативу:

4) Xamarin Testflight

Что касается поддержки разработчиков, я должен сказать, что в этом плане Xamarin Testflight — лучший эмулятор iOS для Windows 7 . Хотя это платное программное обеспечение, но оно стоит своих денег:

5. Appetize.Io

Это облачный эмулятор, и вы не сможете загрузить его на свой компьютер. Ранее существовал эмулятор iPhone , известный как App.io , но он больше не доступен. Поэтому, если вы ищете альтернативу App.io , то вам стоит попробовать Appetize.io :

Чтобы использовать его, загрузите файл .ipa и введите свой адрес электронной почты. На указанный ящик вы получите ссылку. Нажмите на нее, чтобы протестировать .ipa-файл в онлайн-эмуляторе Appetize.io .

Заключение

В этой статье мы рассмотрели лучшие эмуляторы iOS на компьютер. Я также рассказал о функциях каждого из перечисленных выше эмуляторов.

Если статья была для вас полезной, просим поставить лайк и подписаться на наш канал . Также посетите наш сайт , чтобы увидеть больше подобного контента.

Can I use Windows 10 to develop IOS apps?

Can I use Windows 10 to develop IOS apps?

11 Replies

You will always require a MacOSX environment. You could look at hosted MacOSX solutions or connecting to a virtual session but eventually you will need a Mac. Having said that, you can actually create code within any editor of your choice. However, you are not going to be able to easily debug the code, and you will need a MacOSX environment to submit any project to the App Store.

Note that when choosing a machine you should get one that can support the latest OSX version if possible.

While there are ways to pseudo-code up to a point, Apple’s IDE requires macOS if you expect to build and upload to the store.

You can use VMware which allows you to install any OS, you don’t need to by a Mac. However, if you were thinking to use win 10 for developing iOS , you can not.

You can’t run a MacOS VM on a Windows machine. But you can do the reverse, so if you can only buy one machine, buy a Mac and use Windows VMs 🙂

I was in the Windows system development iOS iOS is also in the Windows system directly upload iOS APP to App Store, as long as the use of this tool Appuploader, you can search for use, can be used free of charge.

Is there a way of developing the program on a mac device (imac, iphone, ipad) but code in Windows 10 and launch the program direct onto an Apple OS Hardware.

>Does XCODE as an IDE work multi platform. Thats the real question.

As explained above, and to you in yourother thread same topic, Xcode requires a mac.

You can develop apps for iOS using Visual Studio and Xamarin on Windows 10 but you still need a Mac on your LAN to run Xcode. A refurbished Mac mini (

$500) will do the job.

> you still need a Mac

Thanks for re-confirming.

You can do this, you need Xcode on Windows, a Virtual Machine and software that will help redirect the iOS devices to a virtual environment.

No, Macrosoft’s (you all know that’s what Mac really stands for) Business Practices are more predatory than those of a certain neighbor a couple of states to their north. You must buy a $4000-$7000 device that you would never use for anything else in order to build silly games for a tablet. If you would like to use a good computer to make actual programs rather than just apps, give up. It cannot be done.

There are a lot of sites with various programs and extensions claiming to do what you’re looking for, several links are even in this topic, but they are all failures. Every last one of them has been abandoned and many may cause harm to your computer. In the very least they will waste space on your hard drive.

5 Useful Coding Apps for iOS to Code on the Move

While most developers use popular IDEs like Xcode and Sublime Text on their Macs, few realize that their iPads are also capable of handling coding apps. While you may not be able to build and release native apps for iOS on an iPad, there are certainly some capable mobile IDEs that will allow you to develop websites, or at the very least, act as a very powerful supplementary IDE to your main device.

In this article we will take a look at a few excellent coding apps for iOS.

1. Coda

Coda by Panic is well-renowned with web developers as an excellent sublime-alternative IDE on the desktop. Beyond being a strong text editor, it also comes with in-built tools to preview dynamic websites, strong regular expression tools, a built-in terminal and MySQL.

What the development community may not have been aware of is Coda for iOS extends the reach of development beyond the keyboard and into tablets and phone devices, allowing most of the same features to be extended onto mobile devices. Whether the developer uses the mobile device to do minor touchups or spends hours coding, the mobile version of Coda is just as capable.

2. Pythonista

For the Python coders out there, Pythonista is a compete python editor for coding completely via one’s iPad or iPhone. While the python developers would be familiar with the standard libraries provided, the benefits that Pythonista provides includes the ability to interact with native iOS features like location, reminders and data.

You can write automation scripts with access to data from the clipboard, your contacts, reminders, and photos. You can also use your device’s motion sensors and geo-location data, and Pythonista is probably the easiest way to experiment with Twitter APIs.

3. Koder Code Editor

Koder is a fully-baked development environment built specifically for iOS with support for over 80 programming languages, syntax highlighting and auto-complete, which makes developing on the smaller screens a lot more convenient. Like Coda, Koder also provides SSH and SFTP access, as well as Dropbox cloud access for remote access, and the ability to preview your code in a browser.

4. Buffer Code Editor

Like Koder, Buffer Editor provides a native and purposely-built development environment with features similar to the two development environments just mentioned with the exception of direct access to GitHub, which is very convenient for the source-control minded developers.

5. Git2Go

Finally, Git2Go isn’t a text editor IDE per-se but more a quintessential iOS app for managing your Git repository, although it does have an editor for editing Git-stored files on the fly.

Git2Go is the first app for iOS which unleashes your full development productivity from everywhere. Clone all your GitHub and Bitbucket repositories with just one tap, manage branches and easily commit changes after you’ve edited code on the fly – all from your iPhone and iPad!

Essentially, you have an app that will allow you to work with your Git repositories, with branching, cloning and the other essentials on the go, yet more importantly works well with other IDEs.

You could, for instance, pull the latest code from the repository, pass it to the Coda app for iOS (which we mentioned earlier) and edit the code, then commit.

In short, Git2Go completes the development environment on iOS along with your IDEs to not only work with code but persisting and versioning.

Conclusion

The iPad has an array of IDEs and development-assistant tools that can make a developer’s life a lot easier. With Apple’s Swift being an open-source language, we may start to see in-app Swift compilers in the near future as well.

Doron Katz has been a professional web developer for over 10 years, and a mobile developer on Apple platforms for 6 of those years. Having worked as both a lead developer for numerous startups and larger firms, as well as a technical project manager for distinguished companies like TCL. Doron has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, and masters of Management. As an experienced technical journalist for publications like ProgrammableWeb, Doron has also published a whitepaper for Alchemy, and a volunteer teacher at Girls Who Code.