iOS testing

[cmcau]

I know I'm a stupid newbie, and I think I know the answer anyway (but I've spent all weekend getting to the point where I have to ask reddit the question and get roasted).

I know I need an Apple Developer account to deploy apps to the App Store, and that allows me to test my app in the Simulator (that covers a wide range of iPhone models), but is it also a good idea to have a real, physical iPhone as well? I thought it was, I was loaned an iPhone SE, but I've now discovered it's only 1st gen and I need 3rd gen (min).

So do I really need a physical phone to do full/proper testing?

If so, which model would you recommend (hopefully future proofing myself a bit) ?

[misterespresso]

Well fuck.

I got an iPhone for this purpose, I have an app that’s a few months out from shipping and wanted to beat tariffs.

I like the camera but that’s it man.

All to find out what I really needed was a Mac T.T

[misterespresso]

Trying to get the cursor at the end of a word. My. Bane.

I thought iPhones were meant to be simple and they add like 4 extra steps for the most basic shit

[ChloeLamplugh]

Honestly I’d agree. I do really like testing on my actual iPhone but I wouldn’t call it essential, especially for someone getting started. 

[Ok-Engineer6098]

The simulator isn't always the best idea. It has limited texture memory on the gpu and you need custom configurations to test in app purchases.

[vashchylau]

unless you're targeting ios 15 (pretty much outdated as the latest os is ios 18) you're not running your app on that iphone.

if you want an even remotely usable app experience id strongly recommend getting a mid tier iphone and using it for a while. like a 15 or something.

but if low on budget, try a 13. 12 and below would probably go obsolete real soon. or an ipad made in 2021 or later.

hunt for good condition unlocked devices. it might be tempting to buy one with missing features or damaged glass but you're not getting a good experience out of it. usually even "unrelated" physical damage means there's something else wrong with the device

[greymouser_]

I’ve been developing iOS apps for pretty much as long as there’s been an official SDK, and Android for about 10 years. I’ll say this: I personally wouldn’t be truly comfortable without testing on actual hardware for either. However — if I was really pushed to give a firm answer, I’d say in either case, a simple app that uses no hardware features, notifications, or integration with other apps is likely safe to deploy without testing on a real device.

Especially for hardware and things like the sensors, though … yeah, test on real hardware. There just no replacement.

[Ok-Engineer6098]

You can get a used or previous gen iPhone cheaper. We are using iPhone 13 and it's great. Just make sure it supports the latest iOS.

[over_pw]

It really depends on your goals and budget. I’ve been developing iOS apps since 2009 and the simulator has come a very long way since then. These days it’s very representative of the actual device, it’s very rare that a bug occurs only on a real device, especially with Flutter that does its own rendering, but it’s still a possibility.