Xcode 27: where is the Simulator? Now in Device Hub

You installed Xcode 27, went to open Simulator, and it wasn’t there. Spotlight doesn’t find it, and open -a Simulator fails. Nothing is broken. Apple folded the simulator window into a new app. Its documentation now says simulators “run within Device Hub on your Mac” (Apple, Running your app on simulated or physical devices, checked October 31, 2026).

Apple released Xcode 27 on September 14, 2026, Xcode 27.1 on October 15 and Xcode 27.2 on October 29 (Apple Developer releases). All Apple sources on this page were checked on October 31, 2026.

Where the Simulator app went

Device Hub is a separate app, and its copy lives inside the Xcode app bundle. On our Macs with Xcode 27 installed, it sits next to Instruments and the other developer tools:

ls /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Applications/

The list includes DeviceHub.app and has no Simulator.app. The bundle’s file name has no space, but the name you see in the Dock, in Spotlight and in Finder is Device Hub. We checked Xcode 27, Xcode 27.1 and a pre-release build of Xcode 27.2: none of them has a Simulator app.

Apple’s WWDC26 session describes it as “an app that ships alongside Xcode 27”, and adds: “you don’t need to launch Xcode to use it” (Apple, Get the most out of Device Hub).

If an older Xcode is still installed next to Xcode 27, its Simulator app is still there too, and open -a Simulator may open that one. Use Device Hub to work with Xcode 27’s simulators.

How to open Device Hub in Xcode 27

Apple documents three ways to get there from Xcode (Apple, Managing your simulated and physical devices in Device Hub):

Outside Xcode, these also worked on our Mac with Xcode 27.1 installed:

• Spotlight: type Device Hub, not “Simulator”. With more than one Xcode installed, Spotlight may open an older copy; use the command below to pick one.
• Terminal: open -a "Device Hub". Keep the quotes, because the name has a space.
• A specific Xcode: if you keep several Xcode versions, this opens the Device Hub inside the Xcode that xcode-select points to:

open "$(xcode-select -p)/../Applications/DeviceHub.app"

Every Xcode 27 install has its own Device Hub, and they are not all the same. The iPhone Duo’s fold controls, for example, need the Device Hub from Xcode 27.1 or later. How to get the iPhone Duo simulator in Xcode 27.1 covers that case.

Start a simulator without running an app

Apple’s steps: in the Device Hub sidebar, select the simulator and click Start in the canvas (Apple, Interacting with devices using the command line).

The sidebar only lists simulators you have added there or already used as a run destination. To see only simulators, choose Simulators from the filter menu at the top of the sidebar. To add one, click +, choose a device under Simulators, then pick the OS version and model and click Create (Apple).

Why is the iOS 27 simulator missing?

If the OS version you want isn’t offered when you add a simulator, its simulator runtime isn’t installed. Get it in Xcode, then add the simulator (Apple, Downloading and installing additional Xcode components):

• In Xcode → Settings → Components, click Get next to the platform.
• Or, when a project has no runtime for its platform, click the Get button next to the run destination.
• Or download it from Terminal with xcodebuild. Apple’s page has the options, including -exportPath to download once and install the file on several Macs:

xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS

Then check that the runtime is installed:

xcrun simctl list runtimes

Does xcrun simctl still work in Xcode 27?

Yes. xcrun simctl creates, boots, erases and controls simulators as before, and Apple’s docs still point to it for starting simulators from Terminal (Apple). The Xcode 27 release notes add a reboot command to both simctl and devicectl (Apple, Xcode 27 Release Notes).

xcrun simctl list devices available
xcrun simctl boot <name-or-udid>
xcrun simctl reboot booted

simctl starts the simulator but doesn’t give you a window on its own. To see and use the screen, open Device Hub and select the device in the sidebar.

devicectl works with the same devices. Apple documents it for both simulated and physical devices, for example to install or launch an app (Apple):

xcrun devicectl list devices
xcrun devicectl device process launch --device <name-or-udid> com.example.MyApp

What else changed when Simulator became Device Hub

From Apple’s Device Hub documentation and the Xcode 27 and 27.2 release notes:

• Simulators and physical devices share one window. The sidebar lists both. The inspector shows a device’s name, OS version and ID, switches settings such as its appearance, and downloads diagnostic files (Apple, Device Hub).
• Compact and expanded windows. Running from Xcode opens a compact window. Expand it to get the sidebar, canvas and inspector (Apple).
• Hardware buttons moved to menus. Home, Lock, Siri, Rotate Left and Rotate Right are in the Controls menu. Orientation and volume are in the Device menu. You can also click the buttons on the device bezel (Apple, Interacting with your app in Device Hub).
• Trackpad gestures reach your app. Scrolling, pinching and rotating with a Mac trackpad now work with standard UIKit components (Apple, Xcode 27 Release Notes).
• Wireless pairing. Device Hub can pair an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27 or later over the network, with no cable (Apple).
• Gaps narrowed in Xcode 27.2. The Xcode 27 notes list two-finger touches as unsupported and the Controls → Shake menu item as broken. Xcode 27.2 adds Simulate Shake for simulators and input to iOS 17 simulators. Multi-finger gestures now work, but only from a touch screen: an iPad used through Sidecar, or a MacBook with Touch (Apple, Xcode 27.2 Release Notes). If one of these fails on 27.0 or 27.1, update Xcode.

No Mac, or not ready for Xcode 27? Use an iOS 27 simulator in your browser

Device Hub needs Xcode 27, and Xcode 27 needs a Mac running macOS Tahoe 26.6 or later (Apple, Xcode 27 Release Notes). You may be on Windows or Linux, or not want every project on your Mac moved to a new Xcode yet. VibeView hosts Apple’s simulators in the cloud, so a browser tab is enough. The device list has iPhones and iPads on iOS 27, the iPhone Duo and older iOS versions. It also has Android, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku devices.

You tap, type and rotate the device in the page, as you would in Device Hub. The iPhone Duo also folds from the page; see the iPhone Duo simulator. Sessions count toward your plan’s streaming minutes; pricing has the details.

This doesn’t replace Xcode for debugging. There is no Xcode debugger attached, and a simulator is not physical hardware. It’s a way to see your app run on iOS 27 without installing Xcode 27.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Simulator app in Xcode 27?

There isn’t one. Xcode 27 opens simulators in Device Hub, an app that comes with Xcode. Open it by running your app on a simulator, from Xcode → Open Developer Tool → Device Hub, or by searching Spotlight for Device Hub.

Why does open -a Simulator fail after installing Xcode 27?

Because Xcode 27 has no app with that name. Open Device Hub by name instead, with the quotes because the name has a space: open -a “Device Hub”. If an older Xcode is also installed, open -a Simulator may still open that older Xcode’s Simulator.

Does xcrun simctl still work in Xcode 27?

Yes. simctl still creates, boots and controls simulators, and Xcode 27 adds a reboot command. To see the screen of a simulator you booted from Terminal, open Device Hub and select it.

Can I open Device Hub without opening Xcode?

Yes. Apple says you don’t need to launch Xcode to use it. Open it from Spotlight or Terminal. It still comes with Xcode 27, so Xcode has to be installed.

Why is the iOS 27 simulator missing in Device Hub?

Its runtime isn’t installed. Install it from Xcode → Settings → Components, or run xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS, then add the simulator in Device Hub with the + button.

Can I run the iOS 27 simulator without a Mac?

Not with Apple’s tools, which need Xcode 27 on a Mac. VibeView hosts iOS 27 simulators in the cloud, so you can use one in a browser tab on Windows, Linux or any Mac.