We are seeing some unexpected differences in the appearance of our App when run on a real iPhone (iOS 26 final release) compared to iOS 26 simulators in Xcode 26. Our App run in the iOS 26 simulators (for any iPhone model we try) shows more Liquid Glass effects / artifacts than when run on real devices: In Light Mode buttons in the top Navigation Bar have a surrounding bubble on the simulators. (See attached screen shots.) A SwiftUI Picker element shows more elaborate Liquid Glass transition effects. Also: some UI elements are positioned differently on the simulators compared to a real device. (See the search field under the header on the attached screen shots.) The simulators have in the past been very faithful to the real devices. Is there a setting that controls this behaviour? For the simulator I have: macOS 26.0 Xcode Version 26.0 (17A324) Simulator is iPhone 15 / iOS 26.0 (23A343) Real device is: iPhone 16e iOS 26.0 (23A341)

I'm experiencing a persistent iOS Simulator app installation failure when running automated tests using Appium/XCUITest. The error occurs consistently across different simulator configurations and appears to be related to metadata handling during app installation. Error Details Primary Error: An error was encountered processing the command (domain=IXErrorDomain, code=2): Simulator device failed to install the application. Failed to create promise. Underlying error (domain=IXErrorDomain, code=2): Failed to set metadata for org.adblockplus.AdblockPlusSafari Failed to create promise. Host info: host: 'Client641', ip: 'fe80:0:0:0:18b4:d9ba:1e92:bc37%en0' Build info: version: '4.26.0', revision: '8ccf0219d7' System info: os.name: 'Mac OS X', os.arch: 'aarch64', os.version: '26.0', java.version: '22.0.2' Driver info: io.appium.java_client.ios.IOSDriver Command: [null, newSession {capabilities=[Capabilities {appium:app: /Users/n.bhadoria/IdeaProje..., appium:automationName: XCUITest, appium:deviceName: iPhone 16 Pro, appium:fullReset: true, appium:includeSafariInWebviews: true, appium:isHeadless: false, appium:language: en, appium:locale: EN, appium:newCommandTimeout: 60, appium:platformVersion: 18.6, appium:processArguments: {env: {featureFlags: login=false,subscription=false, testPagesEnabled: true}}, appium:wdaLaunchTimeout: 120000, platformName: IOS}]}] Capabilities {appium:app: /Users/n.bhadoria/IdeaProje..., appium:automationName: XCUITest, appium:deviceName: iPhone 16 Pro, appium:fullReset: true, appium:includeSafariInWebviews: true, appium:isHeadless: false, appium:language: en, appium:locale: EN, appium:newCommandTimeout: 60, appium:platformVersion: 18.6, appium:processArguments: {env: {featureFlags: login=false,subscription=false, testPagesEnabled: true}}, appium:wdaLaunchTimeout: 120000, platformName: IOS} Environment Information Hardware & OS: Mac: Apple Silicon (M2 Pro) macOS: 26.0 (Sequoia) Xcode: 16.0 & Version 26.0.1 (17A400) iOS Simulator: Multiple configurations tested Affected iOS Versions: iOS 18.6 (iPhone 16 Pro) iOS 26.0 (iPhone 17 Pro) Issue appears consistent across iOS versions Development Setup: Project: iOS Safari Extension app (Adblock Plus) Bundle ID: org.adblockplus.AdblockPlusSafari App Type: Safari Extension with main app component Test Framework: Appium 2.18.0 with XCUITest driver 9.3.1 Language: Swift/Kotlin (test automation) Build Configuration: App built from Xcode DerivedData Valid development signing App installs and runs normally when launched directly from simulator Issue only occurs during automated installation via Appium/XCUITest Reproduction Steps Start iOS Simulator (tested on iPhone 16 Pro iOS 18.6, iPhone 17 Pro iOS 26.0) Launch Appium server (version 2.18.0) Attempt to install app via XCUITest driver with capabilities: platformName: iOS deviceName: iPhone 16 Pro (or iPhone 17 Pro) platformVersion: 18.6 (or 26.0) automationName: XCUITest app: /path/to/AdBlock_for_Apps.app bundleId: org.adblockplus.AdblockPlusSafari fullReset: true 4. Installation fails with metadata error Additional Context What works: Manual app installation through Xcode Manual app launch from simulator home screen App functionality when installed manually Works consistently on both iOS 18.6 and 26.0 when installed manually What fails: Automated installation through Appium/XCUITest on iOS 18.6 Automated installation through Appium/XCUITest on iOS 26.0 Occurs consistently across clean simulator instances Happens with both fresh simulators and existing ones Cross-Version Testing: Tested on multiple iOS simulator versions (18.6, 26.0) Same error occurs regardless of iOS version Different device types show same behavior (iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro) Troubleshooting Attempted: Clean simulator reset on both iOS versions Different iOS versions (18.2, 18.6) Verified app signing and provisioning profiles Checked simulator logs for additional details Tested with different Appium capabilities Business Impact This is blocking our automated test suite for iOS Safari Extension across multiple iOS versions, which is critical for regression testing and CI/CD pipeline. The app works perfectly when installed manually on all tested iOS versions, but automated testing infrastructure cannot proceed on any iOS version. Any insights or workarounds would be greatly appreciated. Happy to provide additional logs, configurations, or testing if needed. Xcode Version: 16.0 (16A242d) iOS Simulator Versions: iOS 18.6, iOS 26.0 Relevant SDKs: iOS 18.0, iOS 26.0, Safari Extensions

I'm updating our app to support metal 4, but the metal 4 types don't seem to get recognized when targeting simulator. Is it known if metal 4 will be supported in the near future, or am I setting up the app wrong?

Since the latest Xcode has become available users in our environment are seeing this error any time they try to launch a simulator (Primarily iOS devices, but others provided the same error) We have tested on 16.4 and 26.0.1 with various suggested fixes including uninstalling and reinstalling all of Xcode. Nothing has helped.

After upgrading to macOS 26.0 Tahoe and Xcode 26.0.1, I’ve noticed an issue with audio playback whenever the iOS Simulator is running. Device: MacBook Pro 13" (2020, Intel, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD) Issue: Any sound played on the Mac (system sounds, music, videos) begins to break/distort once the Simulator is active. App Sounds: If the app running inside the Simulator plays audio, that audio also breaks/distorts. Previous Version: This issue did not occur on macOS Sequoia 15 or with Xcode 16. Everything was working fine before the upgrade.

Hello, been beating my head against the wall for a few days with this. Originally got the error in Xcode 16, through the course of troubleshooting uninstalled and reinstalled Xcode multiple times, upgraded Xcode to 23 - same result. Create a different user on my computer and try, same result. Xcode > Settings > Components show both iOS 26.0 and iOS18.6 simulator, however no simulators show in Xcode, and Xcode hangs when you try to create one. 'xcrun simctl list runtimes' shows this: iOS 18.6 (18.6 - 22G86) - com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimRuntime.iOS-18-6 (unavailable, liblaunch_sim.dylib could not be opened) iOS 26.0 (26.0 - 23A343) - com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimRuntime.iOS-26-0 (unavailable, liblaunch_sim.dylib could not be opened). Does anyone have any ideas on what the issue could be?

Attempting to bring up the access point yields the following error log: [GameCenterOverlayService] Failed to create GameOverlayUI Dashboard Remote Proxy [GameCenterOverlayService] Could not create endpoint for service name: com.apple.GameOverlayUI.dashboard-service [GameCenterOverlayService] Failed to create GameOverlayUI Dashboard Remote Proxy [GameCenterOverlayService] Could not create endpoint for service name: com.apple.GameOverlayUI.dashboard-service [GameCenterOverlayService] Failed to create GameOverlayUI Dashboard Remote Proxy [GameCenterOverlayService] Failed to create GameOverlayUI Dashboard Remote Proxy The same code (which is a single line setting 'active' to true) works on physical devices and on the simulator in iOS 18.6 I haven't been able to find any mention of this issue online. Any suggestions or help greatly appreciated.

When running unit tests or UI tests that cause a crash (even intentionally), the simulator itself crashes and can't be booted again in subsequent runs. This started happening from Xcode 26, our project never had this issue before (we had crashes before as well). Steps to Reproduce: Run the unit test with fatalError(). Observe the simulator crashes. On the next test run, the simulator fails to boot, remaining in a crashed or stuck state. Example error: error = Error Domain=FBSOpenApplicationServiceErrorDomain Code=1 "Simulator device failed to launch com.xxx.xctrunner." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Simulator device failed to launch com.xxx.xctrunner., NSUnderlyingError=0x600009895830 {Error Domain=FBSOpenApplicationServiceErrorDomain Code=1 "The request to open "com.xxx.xctrunner" failed." UserInfo={BSErrorCodeDescription=RequestDenied, NSLocalizedDescription=The request to open "com.xxx.xctrunner" failed., NSUnderlyingError=0x6000085d9500 {Error Domain=FBProcessExit Code=64 "The process failed to launch." UserInfo={NSUnderlyingError=0x60000850b360 {Error Domain=RBSRequestErrorDomain Code=5 "Launch failed." UserInfo=0x600008999340 (not displayed)}, BSErrorCodeDescription=launch-failed, NSLocalizedFailureReason=The process failed to launch.}}, FBSOpenApplicationRequestID=0xbe36, NSLocalizedFailureReason=The request was denied by service delegate (SBMainWorkspace).}}, NSLocalizedFailureReason=The request was denied by service delegate (SBMainWorkspace)., FBSOpenApplicationRequestID=0xbe36, SimCallingSelector=launchApplicationWithID:options:pid:error:, BSErrorCodeDescription=RequestDenied})

Context Host: macOS 14.7.6 on Apple Silicon (Mac mini M2) Xcode 15.4 Simulator runtimes installed: iOS 17.2, 17.4, 17.5 Tech stack: Kivy/kivy-ios, SDL2 (OpenGL ES/EAGL), Python 3.11 App type: minimal Kivy “Hello World” (no special entitlements, no camera/mic) Observed On iOS 17.5 Simulator the app often shows a black screen or exits immediately (no crash dialog). On iOS 17.2 Simulator the same build runs fine (after a clean rebuild of SDL2 and proper xcodebuild flags). What fixed it for 17.2 Clean rebuild of SDL2 (no cached artifacts), then build python/kivy/app. xcodebuild WITHOUT OTHER_CFLAGS="-Umain -DSDL_MAIN_HANDLED". Typical flags: ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH=YES, EXCLUDED_ARCHS="i386 x86_64", IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=16.0. Optionally enforcing EAGL RGBA8 + retained backing + opaque helped when testing, but the clean SDL2 rebuild already resolved black screen on 17.2. Still problematic 17.5 Simulator still exhibits black screen/early exit for this OpenGL ES path (no clear console/crash signal). Real devices are fine. Questions Is there a known regression or change in iOS 17.5 Simulator related to EAGL/OpenGL ES contexts or presentation? Any recommended Simulator settings/workarounds for GL/EAGL apps on 17.5? References Repro, scripts and notes (GitHub Discussion): <https://github.com/orgs/kivy/discussions/62 > Gist with scripts (create/boot iOS 17.2 simulator, clean scripts, recipe notes): https://gist.github.com/wolfgang-coder/7e88636fb3f19b492d565e982575939d (We avoid posting Bundle IDs, certificate details, or real UDIDs. Happy to provide sanitized logs if useful.)

My app uses SwiftUI Map and draws Markers, MapPolyline and MapPolygons over it. These all work on actual devices. On the iOS 26.0.1 Simulator running on macOS 26.0.1 Polylines and Polygons do now show. Do others see the same thing?

When I start a Simulator (iPhone 13 mini) with iOS 26 and activate "Use the Same Keyboard Language as macOS", it still sets the keyboard to US (my Mac keyboard is in German). This makes the Mac keyboard unusable. It looks like a bug, because it clearly ignores the settings. When I type “@”, I get “¬”. Restarting the simulator did nothing, changing the settings back and forth also. BTW: Why does every single update of XCode come with a bug nowadays? I always have to spend half a day after an update to fix a problem I didn't have before. Highly frustrating.

Up until some point relatively recently, I have been able to use Safari's web inspector to connect to the iOS simulator in order to debug our web application in development at http://localhost:8088. Now, the web inspector still OPENS, but it opens in a broken state. The context is available to select from Safari's "Develop" menu: Develop > "iPhone 16 Pro (Simulator)" > "localhost - login". It appears under the Safari heading if I have navigated to the web app in the browser, or under the Expo heading if I am accessing it through the webview in our React Native wrapper app. When I select it, the web inspector window does appear. However, once it opens, the Elements pane is empty, the Console pane is empty, expressions entered into the console are not evaluated, there's no content in Sources, Network, Storage, etc. Important notes: This broken state happens at http://localhost:8088 as well as http://127.0.0.1:8088, and it seems that the insecure context is the issue. The web inspector DOES work for HTTPS sites. If I navigate to, e.g., https://example.com in the simulator and connect the web inspector, everything works fine. The web inspector also works fine in Safari on macOS (OUTSIDE the simulator) when accessing non-HTTPS sites. It's only a problem for non-HTTPS sites when connecting to the simulator. A coworker has the same problem, so it is not isolated to my machine. I would enable TLS locally as a workaround, but this web app is very complex, and I know from experience that it is very difficult for various reasons to set it up properly for our project in development, and it will take significant non-trivial work to do so. So... Why is this happening? Is this expected behavior? Is there a way that I can debug my site on localhost without HTTPS?

I am trying to communicate with the backend of my project. So I need to install the certificate into the simulator. I have the .pem file but when I drag-dropped it into the simulator, I got the error "Simulator device failed to complete the requested operation.". The simulator is an iPhone 16 Pro running iOS 18.5. Is there any way to install the cert to my simulator? PS: I can't use Apple Configurator or MDM because I am using the office's Mac. And I can't install anything there. So I can only do it manually.

We have the following step before running any tests on CI machine: xcrun simctl shutdown all && xcrun simctl erase all It was working perfectly before Xcode 26.1. On Beta 3 it was doing it for 15 min every time. When updated to RC1, the tests with cached build are fast (clean goes up to 10 sec), but the package tests clean is still going up to 15 min every time. We did xcrun simctl runtime dyld_shared_cache update --all as advised but it's helping only temporarily. Is this going to be fixed in the official release?

My MBP M1 Pro gets really hot. iOS 26.1 Simulator in Xcode 26.1 makes ReportCrash process run at 60-160% of CPU shows Activity Monitor. MacOS 26.1. I've reported this via Feedback Assistant: FB20918609. Is there a way to quit this process permanently? When I Force Quit this it opens again immediately. Only way to stop it is to quit Simulator. But then again, I need to use the Simulator.

When I use Xcode 26 (0.1, 1) for debugging and hit a breakpoint, using "step over" causes the debugger to freeze at a random line of code. Clicking "Pause program execution" indicates that the line is being executed, but the breakpoint never exits, seemingly causing a freeze. The application on the simulator also becomes unresponsive. However, when I do not use breakpoints, my program runs smoothly, and debugging on a physical device does not cause any freezes. This issue only occurs with the simulator. I am using Xcode on Apple Silicon, and due to some third-party SDKs that depend on Rosetta, our app can only run on the Rosetta simulator. We did not encounter this issue when using Xcode 16.x for simulator debugging. The current situation with Xcode 26.x significantly reduces our development efficiency. What could be causing this, and is there a solution?

[Submitted as FB20950954] Xcode Simulator causes crackling and distortion in audio playback across all apps (Apple Podcasts, Music, third-party). REPRO STEPS Open any audio app and start playback Note the audio quality Launch Xcode Simulator After a few seconds, note audio quality again Quit Xcode Simulator Audio returns to normal CURRENT Audio has crackling and distortion while Simulator is running. EXPECTED Clean audio playback regardless of whether Simulator is running. SYSTEM INFO macOS 26.1 (25B78) Xcode 26.1 (17B55) Simulator 26.0 (1058)

Hello Apples, Noticed that after iOS 26.1 update the Xcode simulator seems to be prompting to login with Apple ID arbitrarily while working on some UI tests. This does not happen with previous iOS 26.0 or 26.0.1 but is now causing trouble when launching the app or uninstalling at teardown. The current other issue with the uninstallation being sticky and taking a long time (waiting for springboard to become idle) is not helping either. The dialog seems to appear a bit unreliably to be able to handle it correctly. Have tried both manual springboard dialog mapping and handling as well as an interruption monitor. The latter only seems to work for the first dialog which appears but then ceases to function so not much help… Anyone else seeing this and are there any knowledge or good workarounds? Or should we just roll back to testing with previous OS versions and cross fingers for iOS 26.2? Bottom line we cannot login with an Apple ID while running tests on a simulator… As bonus noticed the simulator background images are not working? Thanks! BR, ARu_ (Senior QE)

Simply opening Simulator app (26.0) causes high CPU usage on macOS Tahoe (26.1). ReportCrash process usage is very high throughout and causes the system to heat up pretty soon. Looking into Console app for the logs found MercuryPosterExtension process is keep on crashing. (Check under Crash Reports) simctl Diagnose https://download.developer.apple.com/OS_X/OS_X_Logs/simctl_Diagnose_Logging_Instructions.pdf Share the Simulator Diagnose report while reporting, Thanks. I have raised a ticket/feedback with Apple. I request all of you to raise one too so this gets fixed soon. Apple Feedback Assistant - FB20985249

Since iOS 26.1 the AlarmKit alerts don't work anymore on simulator when the screen is locked. This is also still broken on the current Xcode 26.2 beta. They do trigger on the home screen and in-app though. Also on device everything works fine. Is there any secret trick to make it work again?