Anthropic has added a feature to Claude Code's Mac app that lets developers watch their iOS app come to life in real time, rather than just reading through code changes after the fact.
The new interactive simulator pane, available in Claude Desktop version 1.24012.0 and later, sits alongside the regular conversation window during a coding session. Developers on Claude's Pro, Max, and Team plans can start a session with an iOS project as the working directory, and once Claude builds and launches the app, the iOS Simulator opens directly next to the chat. From there, Claude installs the app, taps through its interface, and reads the screen to verify its own changes while the developer watches the process unfold live.
The feature isn't just a passive viewer, either. Developers can jump in and interact with the simulator themselves at any point, using regular taps and swipes alongside the usual shortcuts available in Apple's own Simulator app, effectively sharing control of the same test environment with Claude mid-session.
Anthropic notes this is strictly a macOS feature, since Apple's iOS Simulator only runs on that platform, and using it requires Xcode with the iOS platform component installed locally. There's also a technical distinction worth knowing: in the desktop app, the simulator pane drives the simulator directly through its own integration, meaning it doesn't take over the screen or hide other open windows. Using Claude Code from the command line instead relies on computer use to control the simulator the same way a person would with a mouse, which does take over screen control during that process.
One limitation to keep in mind is that the feature only works in local sessions run on the developer's own Mac. Cloud and SSH sessions can't reach a simulator that only exists on that specific machine, so remote workflows will need to stick to the traditional build-and-report cycle for now.