Running on Simulator

The iOS Simulator uses your Mac’s Apple Intelligence, so turn it on in macOS first. Your Mac needs Apple Silicon.

Step 1: Check Language Settings

Apple Intelligence and Siri must use the same language. To configure this:

Open System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri
Verify that both Apple Intelligence and Siri are set to the same language
If the languages don’t match, update them to use the same language

Step 2: Set Your Region

Apple Intelligence is only available in certain regions. To enable it:

Open System Settings > General > Language & Region
Set your Region to United States or another Apple Intelligence-supported region
Restart your Mac if prompted

Once the region is supported, the Apple Intelligence toggle appears in System Settings.

Step 3: Enable Apple Intelligence

Once your language and region are configured:

Open System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri
Toggle on Apple Intelligence
macOS will begin downloading the required models
Wait for the download to complete before testing in the simulator

The download can take several minutes, and needs free disk space.

Step 4: Verify Simulator Access

After enabling Apple Intelligence on macOS:

Launch your iOS Simulator
The simulator will inherit Apple Intelligence capabilities from your Mac
Test your application to confirm Apple Foundation Models are accessible

Common Issues

Apple Intelligence Toggle Not Visible

If you don’t see the Apple Intelligence toggle in System Settings:

Verify your Mac supports Apple Intelligence (Apple Silicon required)
Ensure your macOS version is up to date
Confirm your region is set to a supported location
Check that both Siri and Apple Intelligence language settings match

Models Not Working in Simulator

If Apple Intelligence is enabled but models aren’t working:

Ensure the model download completed successfully on macOS
Restart the iOS Simulator
Check what apple.getModelInfo() reports in availability
Check that your app is running on iOS 26+ in the simulator