Expo Docs MCP Server

--- title: Build for iOS Simulators description: Learn how to configure and install build for iOS simulators when using EAS Build. --- Running a build of your app on an iOS Simulator is useful. You can configure the build profile and install the build automatically on the simulator. This provides a standalone (independent of Expo Go) version of the app running without needing to deploy to TestFlight or even having an Apple Developer account. ## Configuring a profile to build for simulators To install a build of your app on an iOS Simulator, modify the build profile in [**eas.json**](/build/eas-json/) and set the `ios.simulator` value to `true`: ```json eas.json { "build": { "preview": { "ios": { "simulator": true } }, "production": {} } } ``` Now, execute the command as shown below to run the build: Remember that a profile can be named whatever you like. In the above example, it is called `preview`. However, you can call it `local`, `simulator`, or whatever makes the most sense. ## Installing build on the simulator > If you haven't installed or run the iOS Simulator before, follow the [iOS Simulator guide](/workflow/ios-simulator) before proceeding. Once your build is completed, the CLI will prompt you to automatically download and install it on the iOS Simulator. When prompted, press <kbd>Y</kbd> to directly install it on the simulator. In case you have multiple builds, you can also run the `eas build:run` command at any time to download a specific build and automatically install it on the iOS Simulator: The command also shows a list of available builds of your project. You can select the build to install on the simulator from this list. Each build in the list has a build ID, the time elapsed since the build creation, the build number, the version number, and the git commit information. The list also displays invalid builds if a project has any. For example, the image below lists two previous builds of a project: When the build's installation is complete, it will appear on the home screen. If it's a development build, open a terminal window and start the development server by running the command `npx expo start`. ### Running the latest build Pass the `--latest` flag to the `eas build:run` command to download and install the latest build on the iOS Simulator: