xcrun simctl & iOS Simulators

# List bootable simulators (Apple Silicon: prefer arm64 devices)
xcrun simctl list devices available
 
# Boot + show Simulator.app
DEVICE="iPhone 16 Pro"
xcrun simctl boot "$DEVICE" 2>/dev/null || true
open -a Simulator --args -CurrentDeviceUDID "$(xcrun simctl list devices available | rg "$DEVICE" -m 1 | rg -o '[A-F0-9-]{36}')"
 
# Install a dev build or EAS simulator .app/.tar.gz artifact
xcrun simctl install booted ./build/YourApp.app
 
# Screenshot + logs
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot ./screenshots/home.png
xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --level debug --predicate 'processImagePath CONTAINS "YourApp"'

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
 
APP_NAME="ShopApp"
BUNDLE_ID="com.example.shopapp"
SIM_NAME="iPhone 16 Pro"
ARTIFACT="./ShopApp.app"   # from eas build --profile development --platform ios (simulator)
 
# 1. Resolve UDID
UDID=$(xcrun simctl list devices available -j \
  | jq -r --arg name "$SIM_NAME" '
      .devices | to_entries[].value[] |
      select(.name == $name and .isAvailable == true) | .udid' \
  | head -1)
 
if [[ -z "$UDID" ]]; then
  echo "Simulator not found: $SIM_NAME" >&2
  exit 1
fi
 
# 2. Boot (idempotent) and focus Simulator UI
xcrun simctl boot "$UDID" 2>/dev/null || true
open -a Simulator --args -CurrentDeviceUDID "$UDID"
 
# 3. Clean install dev client
xcrun simctl uninstall "$UDID" "$BUNDLE_ID" 2>/dev/null || true
xcrun simctl install "$UDID" "$ARTIFACT"
 
# 4. Launch without Xcode
xcrun simctl launch "$UDID" "$BUNDLE_ID"
 
# 5. Deep link smoke (universal links still need device for full AASA chain)
xcrun simctl openurl "$UDID" "shopapp://orders/42"
 
# 6. Evidence for PR
mkdir -p ./screenshots
xcrun simctl io "$UDID" screenshot "./screenshots/${APP_NAME}-orders.png"
 
# 7. Tail native logs (Ctrl+C to stop) - run in second terminal
xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" log stream \
  --style compact \
  --predicate "processImagePath CONTAINS \"$APP_NAME\"" \
  --level debug

npx expo start --dev-client --clear

# Shutdown all simulators (free RAM before eas build --local)
xcrun simctl shutdown all
 
# Erase stuck Keychain or Associated Domains cache
xcrun simctl erase booted

# Install .app bundle (simulator builds only - not device IPA)
xcrun simctl install booted /path/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/MyApp.app
 
# Uninstall by bundle ID (matches app.config ios.bundleIdentifier)
xcrun simctl uninstall booted com.example.myapp
 
# Launch - prints PID
xcrun simctl launch booted com.example.myapp
 
# Terminate
xcrun simctl terminate booted com.example.myapp

# Compact RN-friendly filter
xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream \
  --style compact \
  --predicate 'subsystem == "com.facebook.react.log" OR processImagePath CONTAINS "MyApp"'
 
# Historical crash reports
xcrun simctl spawn booted log show --last 5m --predicate 'eventType == "logEvent" AND messageType == "error"'
 
# Legacy alias (still works on many setups)
npx react-native log-ios

# PNG screenshot
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot ~/Desktop/sim-home.png
 
# Record short video (macOS 13+)
xcrun simctl io booted recordVideo ./demo.mov
# Ctrl+C stops recording
 
# Compare screenshots in CI with a known baseline path
mkdir -p artifacts && xcrun simctl io booted screenshot artifacts/ios-tab-bar.png

# Grant camera/microphone/photos for automated flows
xcrun simctl privacy booted grant camera com.example.myapp
xcrun simctl privacy booted grant photos com.example.myapp
 
# Simulate location
xcrun simctl location booted set 37.7749,-122.4194
 
# Pasteboard (clipboard) for copy/paste E2E
xcrun simctl pbcopy booted "coupon-code-123"

# simctl requires Xcode CLT - verify before scripting CI on self-hosted Mac
xcode-select -p
xcrun simctl help
 
# Prefer UDID over device name in scripts - names collide across runtimes
UDID=$(xcrun simctl list devices available -j | jq -r '...')
 
# Apple Silicon: pick arm64 simulator runtimes - x86_64 is slower and breaks some pods
xcrun simctl list devices available | rg "iPhone 16"