How to test iOS App without iPhone? [Why and How-to Guide]

Apple products are among the most coveted gadget lines due to their unique ecosystem. However, releasing frequent app updates to the App Store is challenging as it has a rigorous review process that ensures strict quality checks. Hence, efficient iOS app testing is needed.

• Users can access 2,127,728 applications deployed through App Store with almost 1160 apps are released regularly.
• Research shows that Apple earned $383.29 billion in the 2023 fiscal year.
• With a 27.73 global market share, the iOS ecosystem will have almost 1.56 billion users by the end of 2024.

That being said, app teams worldwide must double down and learn how to test iOS apps without iPhones. Let's admit it, investing in device labs and constantly maintaining it a big hassle with the Apple ecosystem particularly. This piece will offer some easy ways to go about it.

Why test an iOS App without an iPhone in the first place?

Testing an iOS app thoroughly is crucial, but it’s not always feasible to test on an actual iPhone. Firstly, iPhones are expensive, and acquiring the latest iPhone lineup yearly to update your device inventory is less than ideal. With frequent stable and beta OS updates thrown in the mix, it becomes a nightmare for testers to keep up.

Some other common reasons include:

• Limited Access to iPhone Models: With the steady release of new iPhone models each year, it’s challenging to maintain a range of devices, especially for older models still widely used by customers.
• Establishing Device Labs: Establishing and maintaining an in-house device lab is quite costly, considering the hardware, space, and maintenance overhead. You will also need resources for maintaining and upgrading all the iOS devices in place.
• Emulators and Real Devices: Testing on actual devices is more effective than emulator testing because fundamental app and device issues can only be caught on real devices.
• Apart from these, security concerns, efficient testing tools, unique operating systems, and other factors are also potential challenges in testing iOS apps without an iPhone.

Which tool to use for testing iOS apps without iPhones?

BrowserStack is one of the most reliable and globally recognized testing platforms for testing iOS apps without iPhones. My team and I rely on this tool heavily as it offers the latest and legacy iPhones/iOS versions for app testing. Strongly feel it is a bonafide option for remote testing teams.

Let’s look at how BrowserStack makes iOS app testing easier:

• Real Device Cloud: Test the most recent iPhone handsets and the latest iOS system software from the comfort of your computer onboard an extensive array of iOS devices. You can instantly access 19 global DCs without any setup. In addition, you can use different test use cases such as biometric authentication, device passcode, accessibility testing etc.
• Latest iOS Devices: their mammoth infrastructure with 20,000+ device coverage includes a wide range of iOS devices such as iPhone 15, 14, 13 Pro Max, iPad Pro 12, iPhone X, iPhone 8, etc.
• Complex Workflows: allows complex workflow testing through App Live, including media injection, physical SIM-based interactions, location and device settings, accessibility testing, payment and security workflow, etc. You can also simultaneously debug in real-time and test apps on multiple iOS devices.

• Native App Features: native device testing allows users to adjust settings like Dark Mode, Low Battery Mode, and even network throttling, which test the iOS app's performance in varying user scenarios.

How to test iOS App without an iPhone? (using Browserstack)

Step 1: Sign up or Login to BrowserStack App Live
Create a new user or log into your existing account.

Step 2: Access their App Live Dashboard
Once you access their start screen, jump straight into it to choose an relevant iOS device combination.

Step 3: Select the Latest iPhone/iOS
Choose any iPhone/iOS version you want, but let's select the latest iPhone 16 running iOS 18.1 to test the most recent iOS update.

Step 4: Upload your iOS App
On the BrowserStack dashboard, simply upload the application from your device.

Step 5: Try changing settings for iOS Devices

Dark Mode: Check the app's visual aspect,readability, and usability when in Dark Mode.

Low Battery Mode Utilization: See how your app responds when the device is in low battery mode. This is critical for testing certain ride-booking or payment-specific apps that users might need urgently.

Offline Mode and Poor Network Conditions: Check the different capabilities, including offline mode, to see how your app adapts to poor network conditions.

These are just a few iOS app testing features QA teams can utilize. Browserstack can be used to test many other use cases and scenarios. I would highly recommend it for all forms of manual or automated testing.