How to compile app for iOS on Windows?

I want to put my app on the app store. Setting up a capacitor build for my web app is simple on windows. I've published to Google Play before so I'm familiar with the whole process (it takes about 3 weeks).

What's the cheapest way to build for iOS on Windows? I don't want to buy a mac, but a budget hackintosh might work for me. For now, I intend to buy some Mac cloud compute to build the files, then test on a cheap iPhone.

Also, what review policies does Apple enforce? Google just wants 8-ish users for 2 weeks on the app.

dealnotifier said:

Also, what review policies does Apple enforce? Google just wants 8-ish users for 2 weeks on the app.

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No such bullshit on Apple. Probably because you pay $100 for dev acc and that’s kinda enough for anti-bot protection.

dealnotifier said:

I don't want to buy a mac, but

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Honestly, if what you’re doing is some kind of challenge, which you want to stream on YouTube for nerds, it’s the only reason to do this.

Otherwise, you will end up buying mac anyway. Don’t waste your time. Used Air M1 in perfect condition is around $400. You can sell it back at the same price after you finish.

@dealnotifier cloud builds are probably your best bet if you really want to avoid buying a mac. you can use github actions or ionic appflow to compile the ipa. hackintosh is pretty much dead now anyway since apple is phasing out intel support, so dont bother with that.

but the real issue with capacitor apps on ios is apple guideline 4.2. unlike google, apple will reject your app if it feels like a wrapped website. they actually review it manually and if there is no native functionality or if it looks like a basic web view, they will kick it back. you need to make sure it feels like a native app, maybe integrate push notifications or some device features to pass review.

There are at least 5 ways to do this without a Mac:


Just name a few, go dig deeper yourself.

A cloud Mac is probably the most sensible option if you only need macOS/Xcode occasionally. Then again, a cheap iPhone for testing also makes sense. Personally, I'd probably try that route first before considering a Hackintosh lol.

I found an M1 Macbook on FB marketplace for $200 so I snagged it today. A lot of college kids selling off their stuff right now.

I've never used a Macbook before. I really like the haptic feedback on the trackpad. The lack of USB-A on these things is annoying, but I'll manage.

terrycody said:

There are at least 5 ways to do this without a Mac:

Code:

https://forums.swift.org/t/xtool-cross-platform-xcode-replacement-build-ios-apps-on-linux-and-more/79803/5

https://scottwillsey.com/building-and-shipping-mac-and-ios-apps-without-ever-opening-xcode/

Just name a few, go dig deeper yourself.

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For future readers, the first link leads to an iOS compilation tool for Linux called Xtool, which looks promising. I will try it using WSL later this week and post if it works as well as my Mac builds. This is the repo:

https://github.com/xtool-org/xtool

The second link is irrelevant to the discussion since it's a tutorial about automating builds on a Mac.

dealnotifier said:

I found an M1 Macbook on FB marketplace for $200 so I snagged it today. A lot of college kids selling off their stuff right now.

I've never used a Macbook before. I really like the haptic feedback on the trackpad. The lack of USB-A on these things is annoying, but I'll manage.



For future readers, the first link leads to an iOS compilation tool for Linux called Xtool, which looks promising. I will try it using WSL later this week and post if it works as well as my Mac builds. This is the repo:

https://github.com/xtool-org/xtool

The second link is irrelevant to the discussion since it's a tutorial about automating builds on a Mac.

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Also, I think you do achieve that by justing use Godot game engine, either on Windows or Linux, or even on an ipad.