Android and iOS are two of the top mobile operating systems best known for their advanced technologies, awesome interface and varied functionality which are beneficial for different types of users. While both serve basic functions effectively such as communication, multimedia and social media management, etc., these operating systems are actually quite different in terms of user interface, system permissions and app limitation and integration.
Can you run iOS apps on Android?
While iOS users are limited to using apps only available in the Apple App Store, they also have applications that are only exclusive to iOS devices. iOS is well known for a closed system while Android is it’s exact opposite in terms of flexibility and system permissions. Installing certain apps can be quite tricky especially if they aren’t made to run on Android devices. This said, Android’s advancement led to developing applications that helps their users get the advantages of using iOS without having to change their mobile devices. These applications are called Emulators.
Emulators
An Emulator is a type of software/application that can be installed in computers, mobile devices and etc. It gives the users the ability to run system exclusive applications when installed. It is widely used for gaming and other types of applications.
Emulators have been around for quite a while and were initially used in computers to serve the same purpose, run applications that are not compatible with the user’s Operating System. These completely bypass the system, creates a whole new environment and gives the users the advantage of using system exclusive applications without changing hardware devices. There are different types of emulators made for different types of devices.
According to Wikipedia, there are several types of emulators made for different purposes.
Here’s a list of different types of Emulators:
- Central processing units
- Computer system emulators
- Full system simulators
- Mobile phones and PDAs
- Multi-system emulators
- Network Emulator
- Operating system emulators
- Printer emulators
- Terminal emulators
- Video game console emulators
Sample Apps that are Exclusive to iOS users
We made a list of some of the most common and useful applications that are exclusive on iOS:
- Tweetbot is an app that lets you monitor stats for each tweet and is a great tool for heavy Twitter users. Priced at $4.99.
- Hitlist is a travel app that gives plenty of recommendations such as the best times to travel and different destinations. Free to download from the iOS App Store.
- Ummo is an app that acts as a personal coach to help you improve your speech by letting you know when you use filler words. You can purchase the app for $1.99 at the Apple App Store.
- Clip credit to: Ummo Launch Video – Youtube
- Clip credit to: Ummo Launch Video – Youtube
- Enlight Photofox is one of the best photo enhancement apps exclusively available on Apple App Store and can be purchased for $3.99.
- Clip credit to: Enlight Photofox Youtube tutorial
- Clip credit to: Enlight Photofox Youtube tutorial
While possibilities are endless in the number of applications you can run using emulators. There are also emulators that let you test an Android/iOS app on an iOS interface using your Android device.
To make it simple, we created a step by step guide of using an iOS emulator for Android called Appetize iOS emulator. It is a web based emulator platform used to test or run iOS apps on Android. It is simple and very straightforward. Let’s show you how!
Step 1: Pull up your browser and go to Appetize.io
Step 2: Log in or Sign up. You can choose a plan that fit your needs or do a free trial.
Step 3: On the upper right side of the screen, you will have an option to ‘Upload’.Click it and hit the ‘Select File’ button. Select the APK file for the app that you want to test and wait for it to finish uploading.
Step 4: After your file successfully uploads, go to the Dashboard tab on the upper right side of the page. Scroll down under “Apps”. You can choose to view, embed, manage, debug, disable, delete and add notes on your uploaded app. Click the ‘view’ option to test it on the emulator.
Credit to : Ratq Science & Tech
You will be taken to another page where you can see and test your app on the iOS interface. You can also choose the iOS version where you want to test your app. Aside from the iOS emulator, Android emulator is also available in Appetize.io. The amount of time that you can spend running apps on the emulator varies depending on your subscription.
And while Appetize is most commonly used for testing apps, there are also iOS emulators for Android that gives the user a complete freedom in accessing exclusive apps. A couple examples are: Cider or Cycada and iEMU. These emulators are very powerful and can give out great experience to users who want very realistic iOS environment access. Apps are readily available and accessible through these user friendly and light emulators.
With all these talks about accessing applications across multiple operating systems to another, you may be wondering if this is even legal.
According to How-to Geek:
“Emulators are legal to download and use, however, sharing copyrighted ROMs online is illegal. There is no legal precedent for ripping and downloading ROMs for games you own, though an argument could be made for fair use.”
To put it simply, emulators are legal but you may encounter legal issues with some of the apps that you will access through these emulators, because again, they are supposed to be exclusive within the operating system..
Though there are a lot of arguments about the legalities of these applications, it is important to always be vigilant.
Do you use emulators? Which do you find the most effective in running iOS apps and what do you use it for? Please let us know in the comments.
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