Xcode 15 - can't select (installed) iOS 16.4 runtime destination

Question

Created Oct ’23

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Problem: iOS 16.4 runtime targets are not available for selection, however the 16.4 simulator shows as installed under "Manage run destinations"

Config: Xcode 15.0, Sonoma 14.0, M1 Mac-Mini

Background: I write and maintain apps for my business unit. A co-worker dropped a phone on my desk and said 'The app doesn't work anymore, can you fix it'. Well, it turns out the phone is running iOS 16.6. The OS had been upgraded. This sent me down the path of upgrading Xcode on a development Mac, which also forced a MacOs upgrade on me. The end result is I now have XCode 15 on Sonoma, but have an iOS 16.6 device that I'm trying to target. Since I don't have any iOS 17 devices I didn't install the 17.0 runtime.

To install the "16.6 runtime" I went to: "Xcode - Settings - Platforms" and hit the + in the lower left and under "Previously released simulators" I selected iOS.

I selected iOS 16.4 as it was the closest I could see to 16.6 so I'm assuming it still works with 16.6. It took a few attempts to download correctly, but it now shows up in my platforms as "iOS 16.4 Simulator 6.18 GB on disk".

If I select "Product - Destination - Manage Run Destinations" I can see simulators for 10 different iOS devices (from iPad 10th gen to iPhone SE) all running iOS 16.4.

Great! I must be ready to develop and test for 16.6. Right?

Nope.

In the dropdown beside my App name the only option that is shown to me is "iOS 17" and the "Get" button beside it. I was expecting to my iOS 16.4 simulators as available target destinations, but there's nothing other than "iOS 17 - Get".

This is an old App that I'm maintaining so its deployment target is not new. Selecting a different iOS Deployment target doesn't have an effect.

I tried going into Manage Run Destinations and selected my iPhone 14 simulator on iOS 16.4 as "show run destination always". - no change

Older iOS version do not show as destinations.

Anyone else encounter this? Did you figure it out?

Help?

Thx

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Answer 1

Nikola_LA OP

Oct ’23

I have encountered the same problem with almost the same configuration Xcode 15.0, Sonoma 14.0, M1 MacBookPro. So far - no solution ((

0

Answer 2

drfrankencopter OP

Oct ’23

I managed to figure this one out. It appears that XCode 15 needs to have the iOS 17 simulator runtime installed, or it won't show you any of the previous ones you might have installed.

To fix the issue I did the following:

I downloaded the iOS 17 simulator dmg file from the developer portal (https://developer.apple.com/download/all/)
Installed it using xcode simctl as per the last line of instructions here: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/installing-additional-simulator-runtimes. For example xcrun simctl runtime add "~/Downloads/watchOS 9 beta Simulator Runtime.dmg"

Once I did this I re-opened Xcode 15 and it spent a minute or two verifying the newly installed runtime. And now "voila" I have visible runtime destinations including iOS 17 and the previously installed 16.4.

Seems silly that Xcode 15 needs the iOS 17 runtime in order to work though. I'd call that a bug.

0

Answer 3

drfrankencopter OP

Oct ’23

Installing the iOS 17 simulator runtime got things working on my system

1

Answer 4

ole_berlin OP

10h

I have the same issue with XCode 16. I assume that Apple does that on purpose to remind people to download the latest iOS Runtime. But it feels very buggy and took me some time to solve.

0