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This is more of an "am I doing this right?" type of question...

I recently performed a clean install of Lion and installed Xcode 4.3.1 from the App Store. I noticed that the /Developer folder was missing so in my search I found in the release notes they talked about how the tools are consolidated into Xcode now. Okay, fair enough. I followed the instructions and downloaded the iOS simulator from Preferences > Downloads:

Xcode Preferences

The iOS simulator is nowhere to be found anywhere in Xcode or in the Open Developer Tool menu with the rest of the tools either:

enter image description here

Turns out I have to drill down through this path to find it!?

/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/Applications/iPhone Simulator.app

Really Apple? So... Is it okay to just drag this out and into my Applications folder? Are there dependencies? Will it break? How are you launching this app without having to drill down into that folder every time? (Spotlight can't find it).

tl;dr: Apple hides iOS Simulator deep in the Xcode package contents. What's the best practice to launch the app in a convenient way and why can't I find it in the Xcode GUI?

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4
  • Why do you need to launch the simulator manually? Surely just running the app is enough?
    – Jonathan.
    Commented Mar 11, 2012 at 22:21
  • 3
    The simulator is very handy for checking web sites as well as running your app.
    – steveax
    Commented Mar 11, 2012 at 22:30
  • Yep, I should have clarified, I'm testing responsive web designs on iOS
    – Jared Cobb
    Commented Mar 12, 2012 at 1:54
  • I can see it in spot light if I search for "iOS simulator".
    – Anthony Kong
    Commented Mar 17, 2012 at 8:52

1 Answer 1

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I would leave the simulator in the Xcode package, but drag it to your dock to easily launch it. Or make an alias to it and place that alias in what ever spot you want to launch simulator from.

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2
  • Yea, I think I'll do that. Is it just me or is it strange that it's hidden this way and we need to create our own alias to get to it?
    – Jared Cobb
    Commented Mar 12, 2012 at 3:55
  • I don't mind it, I already have over 200 apps, and having all my dev tools condensed into Xcode rly helps
    – Alexander
    Commented Sep 4, 2012 at 6:20

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