Best iOS Emulator For Android – Run Your Favorite iOS App On Android

The debate of iOS vs Android has existed since the very beginning of both these operating systems. Even though the similarities in functionalities of both Android and iOS are similar now than ever before, most users are still divided when it comes to their preferences.

One place where both sides agree is about the versatility of Android and the level of control that the operating system provides to its users. Where some people provide simple yet effective features and options iOS provides, others love the ability to customize and personalize Android devices to match their liking.

On the flip side, the iOS operating system is well-known for the better user experience of applications available on the platform. Even though the same application might exist on both the Android and iOS operating systems, the app tends to work just a tad bit better on iOS. 

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This has much to do with optimizations done by developers for their app, as they only have to optimize their apps for a handful of iOS devices, whereas with Android, there are thousands of Android devices getting launched each year.

Apart from people who love either Android or iOS, there is also a third category of people who would love to experience both the platforms to learn more about the merits and demerits each OS offers.

This is the reason even with the customization and personalization features provided by Android, people choose to go with iOS devices.

However, if you are someone who just wants to enjoy the iOS app experience along with the features offered by Android, well, you can either try convincing Apple CEO Tim Cook to incorporate all the Android features on iOS or choose to run iOS apps on Android.

How To Run iOS Apps On Android?

iOS applications are not designed to run on Android devices by default. However, with the help of iOS emulators for Android, you can run iOS app files on any supported Android device.

Some iOS emulator applications for Android are designed to convert iOS app codes to Android-optimized codes. In this manner, you can easily download, install, and run iOS apps on your Android device without any hassles.

However, one important point to note regarding running iOS apps on Android is that you won’t be able to run those applications directly on your Android device. You will have to first install the emulator, then download, install, and run the iOS apps of your choice within the emulator itself.

Another point to consider is that not all iOS emulators for Android will list all the currently available iOS applications. There are millions of apps present in the Apple App Store, so iOS emulators can’t list each application available for iOS.

Another way by which iOS app emulators for Android works is by running the apps on a web browser, thus not depending on the device hardware at all.

If you are not familiar with the iOS emulator options available on Android, then today we are here with a list of the best iOS emulators for Android in 2020 to help you out.

Best iOS Emulators For Android In 2020

• Appetize.io
• CIDER
• iEMU

Appetize.io

For those intending to use the best iOS emulator for Android out there in 2020, the Appetize.io platform is going to be the answer. A simple visit to the official www.appetize.io website will let you know why it is considered the best iOS emulator for Android in 2020.

As the website lists, “this platform is intended to run mobile apps (including iOS apps) in a browser for providing app demos, customer support or training sessions, development, testing, etc.”

From the description, it is pretty clear that Appetize.io is aimed at almost all types of people who would want to run iOS apps on their Android mobile devices.

You might have also noticed that this platform runs mobile apps on a “browser”. This means that it does not take any additional storage space or much of your device’s hardware resources while emulating iOS applications, thus helping you to run the platform even on lower-end Android devices.

How Does Appetize.io Work?

In order to emulate your iOS application on a web browser using the Appetize.io platform, all you need to do is upload the iOS app file you have to the platform. To do the same, you can either choose to directly upload your iOS app file by visiting the official Appetize.io website or make use of the API provided by them.

Once uploaded, the application will be emulated and streamed on any web browser that is installed on your device. You can also operate and view all the screens and features that are present within the application you uploaded.

If your motive of running iOS apps on Android is to test an application under development, then there are several features oriented towards iOS app testing as well within this platform. For starters, you can choose from several iOS devices to simulate your application on, including iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and iPad Air 2. You can even set parameters such as the orientation, magnification, dark mode ON/OFF, etc. on which your app should run on.

Other features include the ability to run testing solutions, SSO (Single Sign-On), the ability to run the software supporting the Appetize.io platform on your private cloud hosting or data center, and customization options.

Cider

Developed as a Computer Science project by students of Columbia University, “Cider” is an Android application that lets you run iOS apps on your device, thus allowing you to enjoy the iOS app experience right within your Android device.

Cider is mainly used to run iOS games on Android. However, not just games, you can run pretty much any iOS applications on Android devices using this app. Even though Cider had several bugs in its initial versions, which is pretty much expected out of an application developed as a  research product, updates in the recent years have made the application more stable and functional. Now, Cider is officially known as “Cycada”.

How Does Cider iOS Emulator Work?

Android applications are built using Linux kernel whereas iOS apps are built using Apple’s custom XNU kernel. Simply speaking, what the Cider iOS emulator does is that it takes the iOS application built on the XNU kernel and then converts the application code to a form that runs on Android’s Linux kernel. Thus effectively allowing users to run iOS applications on an Android device.

The “Cider” aka “Cycada” application is an architecture that enhances operating system compatibility of an application allowing it to run on various mobile operating systems, Android, and iOS in this case.

iEMU

iEMU is probably the oldest iOS emulator project out there. For anyone looking for a simple, clean, and lag-free experience of running iOS applications on Android devices, then the iEMU emulator is the answer.

Not just applications, you can simulate the entire iOS UI experience using iEMU, thus allowing you to enjoy the iOS UI and app experience without actually owning an Apple device.

One important point to note about the iEMU project is that it was discontinued a while back. However, the iEMU APK file is available on the internet in the name of “Padoid APK”. Even when you install the application on your device, the app icon will appear with the name “Padoid”, but is the IEMU application under a different name.

How iEMU Works?

The iEMU emulator was launched as a Kickstarter project back in 2011. The emulator was built based on “QEMU”, which is a popular open-source emulator.

Even though the Kickstarter project covered its goal of US$ 20,000, the project was later canceled. However, an “iEMU” application with the same functionalities was later released. In recent times, the IEMU application is known as the Padoid app for Android.

Once you install the Padoid (iEMU) app on your Android device and launch it, you are immediately greeted with a UI that looks like iOS. You can navigate through this iOS-lookalike interface and access all the default applications and basic features as well.

To install and run any third-party iOS application on your Android device using iEMU, you need to run the app store alternative that is present within the iEMU application and select an application. The selected application will then be installed within the iEMU emulator for you to launch and use.

Best iOS Apps to Run On Android Using Emulators

Now that you know about the best iOS emulators for Android OS, below are our recommendations for the best iOS apps to run on Android OS using emulators.

• iMessage: Apple’s default messenger application is one of the best instant messaging apps out there and is one of the features that make iOS users stick to the platform.
• Sway: It is an application built by Microsoft only for the iOS operating system. Sway is an advanced version of PowerPoint that has features such as the ability to automatically set a file format for presentation, interactive UI, etc.
• Tweetbot: Twitter for Android sucks big time. If you are a Twitter user, definitely check out the Tweetbot application which is the best Twitter client for iOS.  

Are iOS Emulators The Official Way To Run iOS Apps On Android?

The three iOS emulators for Android mentioned in this article are some of the best and most widely used platforms to run iOS apps on devices running the Android operating system.

However, one major point to note is that none of the platforms mentioned above are the official means to run iOS apps on any Android device. 

Why Aren’t iOS Emulators For Android Available In the Google Play Store?

Google Play Store is the official portal for app downloads on the Android operating system. The Google Play Store hosts over 2.5 million applications over various categories and being the official store for Android app downloads, the platform has to enforce certain policies and regulations to ensure that Google Play Store is free of any malicious applications.

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Applications that modify the Android operating system in any manner other than as intended by Google or the device manufacturer are not entertained in any manner. Therefore, applications such as iOS emulators for Android, which modify the device behavior are not allowed to be listed in the Google Play Store.

Even if you can find some applications labeled as iOS emulators for Android in the Google Play Store, most of them will be fake apps with no purpose (mostly consisting of hidden malware) or applications that were lucky enough to evade Google’s checking before being published in the Google Play Store. Applications violating the terms and policies of Google Play Store that do turn out to be listed on the store will be taken out in a matter of days.

Are iOS Emulators For Android Safe To Use?

One of the most frequent questions related to running iOS apps on Android is whether it is safe to do so. The major reason for such a doubt is because most people relate running iOS apps on Android to rooting Android devices.

Well, the first thing to understand is that rooting your Android device isn’t a requirement to run iOS emulator applications on Android. Even though iOS emulators for Android do work on rooted devices, it is not a necessity.

Therefore, if you think that you need to root your Android device to run iOS emulators, and that rooting will affect the security of your Android device, you need not worry about the same.

Moreover, iOS emulators are yet another application for Android, just like the ones you already have installed on your device. So you need not worry about that as well.

However, just as in the case of using any third-party applications on your Android device, be aware of the permissions you grant to the installed apps. Only try to use applications (including iOS emulators) that are developed and published by trusted developers.