iOS Xcode on internal SSD, Simulators on external SSD? (new to Xcode)

[Altis]

I have tried searching all over but can't seem to find an answer, here or elsewhere. I recently picked up the base M4 Mini with the 256GB drive to explore App development. I have some experience with other programming but Xcode is new to me.

I simply want to have the Xcode software installed on the internal SSD, as I do now, but the fairly sizable simulator engines to be installed to a location on my APFS-formatted external Samsung T7 SSD.

It seems like in the options, it only lets me have a custom path for the Archives and Derived Data folders. I'm not sure how frequently those are used or how big they get, so while it may be worth moving them over too, it's the 6-8 GB per simulator that has me concerned about losing space.

I'm assuming I would need a few to make sure everything works on each recent major revision at least, and perhaps a couple of different devices to see how it looks and functions. I'm ultimately hoping to target iOS 16 and above for iPhone primarly, though that could change to include iPad or even macOS someday.

Alternatively, I may end up having to install the entirety of macOS to the external drive and boot from there. TIA!

 

[Greybeard2017]

I was interested in this as well but don't have an answer.

My original plan was to boot from the external drive but changed because AI would be disabled (without dubious workarounds) and I'm not sure if I would lose future functionality in xcode without AI.

I've moved everything I can to an external drive and will keep on top of storage utilization on the internal drive.

 

[Altis]

I was interested in this as well but don't have an answer.

My original plan was to boot from the external drive but changed because AI would be disabled (without dubious workarounds) and I'm not sure if I would lose future functionality in xcode without AI.

I've moved everything I can to an external drive and will keep on top of storage utilization on the internal drive.

It's so strange -- you'd think they'd make it easy to choose where you store a bunch of large simulators, but for some reason Apple doesn't give us such a simple option.

Does it really just boil down to making people pay huge markups for internal storage? I was messing around with Garage Band for fun (I use FL Studio) and you can't choose where the instrument library is stored. It makes no sense.

 

[Lihp8270]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcode/comments/190ysgg/can_i_install_xcode_simulators_on_an_external

 

[Altis]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcode/comments/190ysgg/can_i_install_xcode_simulators_on_an_external

Appreciate the reply. I've come across that method in a few places with mixed reported results. Using symlink or alias to move it might not let it work properly.

I was really hoping for an official way to change the directory or manually locate the files via Xcode.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I'm assuming I would need a few to make sure everything works on each recent major revision at least, and perhaps a couple of different devices to see how it looks and functions.

You don’t need that many, especially if this isn’t (yet) professional work. For example, if you wanted wide(r) compatibility, install the iOS 18.2 (i.e., current) and iOS 15.2 simulators. If you see any quirks or later feel the need to do further testing, temporarily add between versions.

I'm ultimately hoping to target iOS 16 and above for iPhone primarly, though that could change to include iPad or even macOS someday.

Don’t worry about what might happen in the possible future. Reasonably plan ahead but don’t mistakenly lay a foundation you may not need — similar to “future proofing." You can come to regret it.

By the way, the iOS simulator package includes iPad and iPod touch devices.

Running your app in Simulator or on a device | Apple Developer Documentation

Launch your app in a simulated iOS, tvOS, watchOS, or visionOS device, or on a device connected to a Mac.

developer.apple.com

 

[Altis]

You don’t need that many, especially if this isn’t (yet) professional work. For example, if you wanted wide(r) compatibility, install the iOS 18.2 (i.e., current) and iOS 15.2 simulators. If you see any quirks or later feel the need to do further testing, temporarily add between versions.


Don’t worry about what might happen in the possible future. Reasonably plan ahead but don’t mistakenly lay a foundation you may not need — similar to “future proofing." You can come to regret it.

By the way, the iOS simulator package includes iPad and iPod touch devices.

Running your app in Simulator or on a device | Apple Developer Documentation

Launch your app in a simulated iOS, tvOS, watchOS, or visionOS device, or on a device connected to a Mac.

developer.apple.com

That's a good point, thanks. I have space enough for a couple of them so maybe do latest iOS plus two previous ones.

It still would be nice to just be able to install them on external drives and not have to worry about how much space they take up.

From my understanding, I shouldn't need a previous version of Xcode if I'm starting new projects. People seem to use those to maintain existing ones.

 

[MacCheetah3]

From my understanding, I shouldn't need a previous version of Xcode if I'm starting new projects. People seem to use those to maintain existing ones.

The current Xcode (16.2) supports down to iOS 15.

…Which, I think, is a fair amount of compatibility:

iOS 15 Compatible With All iPhones That Run iOS 14

Apple's new iOS 15 operating system is compatible with all of the iPhones that are able to run iOS 14, including the original iPhone SE, the...

www.macrumors.com

And, quite frankly, if your app only utilizes (official) fundamental frameworks/APIs, it can be far more widely compatible than you’ve even planned/thought. For example, my brother made an app that’s primarily just a collection of UI Views, nothing fancy but worked plenty well.

Purely Vegan by Tyler Tschida

Purely Vegan is a no-frills, easy-to-use recipe app made, first and foremost, for vegans (folks who don't eat animal products), but also wholly available to non-vegans who want to spice up their otherwise traditional diets with vegan meals and dishes

appadvice.com

It was still functional as of iOS 17 — it’s no longer available to download so I can’t test it on newer devices.

P.S. It’s an app I’m (very slowly) working to rebuild from the ground up. Unfortunately, I’m not at a juncture where I can rely on iOS development as a primary means of income, so it’s one of my hobby activities thus far.

 

[Altis]

The current Xcode (16.2) supports down to iOS 15.

View attachment 2469354
…Which, I think, is a fair amount of compatibility:

iOS 15 Compatible With All iPhones That Run iOS 14

Apple's new iOS 15 operating system is compatible with all of the iPhones that are able to run iOS 14, including the original iPhone SE, the...

www.macrumors.com

And, quite frankly, if your app only utilizes (official) fundamental frameworks/APIs, it can be far more widely compatible than you’ve even planned/thought. For example, my brother made an app that’s primarily just a collection of UI Views, nothing fancy but worked plenty well.

Purely Vegan by Tyler Tschida

Purely Vegan is a no-frills, easy-to-use recipe app made, first and foremost, for vegans (folks who don't eat animal products), but also wholly available to non-vegans who want to spice up their otherwise traditional diets with vegan meals and dishes

appadvice.com

It was still functional as of iOS 17 — it’s no longer available to download so I can’t test it on newer devices.

P.S. It’s an app I’m (very slowly) working to rebuild from the ground up. Unfortunately, I’m not at a juncture where I can rely on iOS development as a primary means of income, so it’s one of my hobby activities thus far.

That's great info. Thank you again for your reply.

I'll probably download the last version of iOS 15, 17, and 18, and use an iPhone for iOS 16. There should be enough space on the drive for those and whatever extra space it needs to run them all.

It'll only be small projects, mostly for learning for now. If I ever get into it more seriously I'll probably get a Mac Studio anyways and be done with it.

 

[OkC-Imagination-8580]

it should not be a problem, only the ai will be affected if you use storage on external part