Is it possible to test an app using Bluetooth in the iOS Simulator?

4
votes

The documentation does not say how many instances can run. Also it does not say if it does/does not support bluetooth https://web.archive.org/web/20110510000057/http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/Xcode/Conceptual/iphone_development/125-Using_iOS_Simulator/ios_simulator_application.html

I just read the following and found out that it is not possible to have multiple iOS simulator instances running: Is there a way to run multiple iOS Simulators at once?

I wondered if the simulator supports bluetooth at all. Do I need multiple physical devices to test bluetooth?

Can I get away with testing bluetooth by installing my app on one physical device and communicate to another app hosted in the iOS Simulator?

What is the best way to test iPhone Apps that require Bluetooth?

Update...

iPhone running 4.3.3 - Bluetooth is on

Mac OS 10.6.7 - Bluetooth is on and discoverable. Under advance.

Neither my home made app or the GKRocket demo app that ships with the iOS 4 SDK will show the other device from within the app.

Both will discover the other app in the network settings; however, not within the app. I don't know if this is a problem with config or the iOS simulator at this point.

3
iosios4bluetoothios-simulator
Newer doc explicitly says that Bluetooth is not supported in Simulator – Cœur

3 Answers

3
votes

of course you can you should have Le Bluetooth USB adapter even if you have a built in Bluetooth

check this link: http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#technotes/tn2295/_index.html

2
votes

Not sure what kind of bluetooth testing you're hoping to do, but I can tell you for certain that it works for creating a GameKit session between the simulator and an iPhone - I use that quite frequently to test one of my apps. You can only have one instance of the simulator running at a time, so you can't test communication between 2 instances of the simulator on the same machine.

0
votes

According to the Core Bluetooth presentation at the WWDC 2013, Apple is dropping iOS simulator support for Core Bluetooth: http://devstreaming.apple.com/videos/wwdc/2013/703xcx2xljtlq481grxurla4/703/703-HD.mov?dl=1 (announcement is ca. 7:28 into the talk).