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iOS Simulator

Capture iOS Simulator HTTP/HTTPS traffic with Proxyman on macOS, using automatic certificate setup, manual installation, and missing-traffic checks.

Use Proxyman on your Mac to capture and inspect HTTP/HTTPS requests from iOS Simulator. Start with automatic certificate installation; use the manual steps below if installation fails.

Before you start, install Xcode and open the simulator you want to debug at least once. Keep Proxyman running while you reproduce requests in your app. For HTTPS inspection, install and trust the certificate, then enable SSL Proxying for the domain.

Open the simulator setup guide in Proxyman:

  • Certificate Menu -> Install Certificate on iOS -> Simulators

Video​

Capture HTTPS traffic from an iOS Simulator · Watch on proxyman.com
Capture HTTPS from a native iOS app on the iOS 26 Simulator with Xcode 26

1. iOS Simulator Setup Guide​

Proxyman iOS Simulators Setup with three steps: certificate Installed & Trusted, Prepare Simulators, and Reboot

iOS Simulators Setup

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It works for iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS and visionOS.

The setup guide has three steps:

  1. Install the Root Proxyman Certificate on your Mac: You can follow the macOS Guide.
  2. Install the Proxyman Certificate on all available simulators that you have opened at least once (click Prepare Simulators).
  3. Reboot the simulators: Proxyman reboots all simulators, so they load the new certificate.
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From Proxyman 2.19.0+, Proxyman uses the simctl command line to perform these tasks.

simctl comes with Xcode. It is more modern and reliable than the legacy approach (custom Python scripts).

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This step only installs the certificate on simulators that you have opened at least once.

For instance, if you would like to debug on the iPhone X Simulator, please make sure to open the iPhone X Simulator first, then install the certificate in Step 2.

Xcode Preview (SwiftUI)​

If you're using Xcode Previews for SwiftUI, you can install the certificate into the Xcode Preview simulator:

  1. Open Xcode with the SwiftUI preview canvas.
  2. Open Proxyman -> Certificate menu -> Install Certificate on iOS -> Simulators
  3. In Step 2, click the ↓ button (next to the Prepare Simulators button) -> Install to Xcode Preview (SwiftUI)

You can read more in GitHub issue #1568.

Manually Install​

In Proxyman v4.16.0 or later, you can manually install the certificate on your iOS Simulator in case the automatic solution doesn't work.

  1. Certificate menu -> Install Certificate on iOS -> Simulators
  2. In Step 2, click the ↓ button (next to the Prepare Simulators button) -> Install Manually…
Proxyman iOS Simulators Setup with the Prepare Simulators menu open and Install Manually selected

Install the certificate manually

  1. Drag and drop the certificate onto your iOS Simulator
Proxyman sheet with a draggable Proxyman Certificate icon and steps to trust it in the simulator

Drag the certificate onto the simulator, then trust it

  1. Open your iOS Simulator -> Settings app -> General -> About -> Certificate Trust Settings -> Find the Proxyman CA certificate and switch it ON
  2. Done

2. Troubleshooting​

If the request list is empty, first check recording, filters, and proxy settings using the missing-traffic checklist. If requests appear but HTTPS fails, check certificate installation and SSL Proxying. The sections below cover installation errors and cached requests.

1. Unable to install the Certificate​

If you get errors when you click the button in Step 2, open Xcode -> Settings -> Locations tab -> Select your Xcode in Command Line Tools.

2. Get SSL Error from HTTPS Response​

  • Open the Settings app -> General -> About -> Certificate Trust Settings and verify that the Proxyman Certificate is installed and trusted.

If it's not installed:

3. Some HTTP/HTTPS Requests are missing from Proxyman​

Alamofire or URLSession might use the cached response for your request. As a result, the actual request doesn't hit the server, so Proxyman cannot capture and display it.

Solution:

  • Disable the cache mechanism on URLSession or Alamofire.
  • Use the No Caching Tool (⌥⌘N)

Manually Install the Certificate by exporting the certificate​

If you cannot install the certificate, you can do it manually:

  1. Open Proxyman -> Certificate menu -> Export -> Root Certificate as DER -> Save to the Desktop folder
  2. Open the Simulator, then drag the certificate and drop it on the Simulator screen
  3. Open the Settings app (on the Simulator) -> General -> VPN & Device Management (Device Management on older iOS) -> Select the certificate -> Install
  4. Settings app -> General -> About -> Certificate Trust Settings and verify that the Proxyman Certificate is installed and trusted.
  5. Done ✅

Tutorial​

See detailed steps to debug an application on iOS Simulator with Proxyman.

Learn more​

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