simctl

List all simulators and runtimes

$ xcrun simctl list

$ xcrun simctl boot "[iPhone 15 Pro]"

$ xcrun simctl shutdown [device_uuid|booted]

$ xcrun simctl install booted [path/to/app.app]

$ xcrun simctl launch booted [com.example.bundleid]

$ xcrun simctl io booted screenshot [output.png]

$ xcrun simctl push booted [com.example.bundleid] [notification.apns]

$ xcrun simctl privacy booted grant [location] [com.example.bundleid]

xcrun simctl subcommand [arguments]

simctl is Apple's command-line tool for managing and interacting with iOS, watchOS, and tvOS simulators on macOS. It's accessed through xcrun simctl to ensure the correct version matching your active Xcode installation is used.
The tool provides comprehensive control over simulator lifecycle (create, boot, shutdown, delete), application management (install, launch, uninstall), and testing features (push notifications, privacy permissions, screenshots, video recording). It's particularly useful for automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and development workflows.
The special identifier booted can be used to target the currently running simulator instead of specifying a UUID.

list [devices|devicetypes|runtimes|pairs]

List available devices, device types, runtimes, or device pairs.

Create a new simulator with the specified name, device type, and runtime.

Delete a simulator device.

Boot a simulator device.

Shutdown a simulator or all simulators.

Erase a simulator's contents and settings.

Install an application bundle on a simulator.

Uninstall an application by bundle identifier.

Launch an application on a simulator.

Terminate a running application.

Perform I/O operations: screenshot, recordVideo.

Send a push notification to a running application.

Manage privacy permissions (grant, revoke, reset).

Add photos or videos to the simulator's photo library.

Open a URL in the simulator.

Manage simulator runtime disk images.

Display help for simctl or a specific subcommand.

Only available on macOS with Xcode installed. Requires the Xcode Command Line Tools. Some features like privacy management require Xcode 11.4 or later. Simulator runtimes consume significant disk space. The tool path is /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/simctl but should be invoked via xcrun to ensure version compatibility.

simctl was introduced by Apple as part of Xcode to replace older simulator management tools. It has evolved alongside iOS development, gaining features for push notification testing, privacy permission management, and improved runtime handling. The tool has become essential for iOS CI/CD workflows and automated testing, comparable to Android's adb command.

xcrun(1), xcodebuild(1), instruments(1)