Is Ionic development for Ios in a windows or linux environment possible?

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I was wondering if there is any way to create iOS applications when our operating system is windows or linux.

According to this Cordova, we would have to have an iOS operating system.

Is there any workaround?

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Not possible because you need Macos and Xcode features like the iOS SDK environment to build iOS apps.

The closest options would be:

  • Cloud
    These are cloud app compilation services. In this case, any operating system can be used because the compilation work is determined by the computers of the company that provides the service. Here you "lose" the privacy and even security of the project, because you are giving "tray" the codes to a third party. But it is not a bad option. Each should calculate their own risks. However, this is another matter not pertinent to the question.

  • Virtualization
    Install Macos through virtualized environment (Virtualbox, Vmware, etc).
    It is usually a complicated task and will hardly have a satisfactory outcome. Most of the time it doesn’t pay but it’s the simplest and closest to what it needs.

  • Hackintosh
    Make modifications to a PC’s hardware settings to be able to install a Macos. In this case it is no longer Windows or Linux, which would run away from its goal. The only "advantage" is not having to buy a Mac.
    It is also a very complicated task and most of the time is ineffective. It is also considered a crime because it is used pirated versions of macos. Obviously you shouldn’t do this in a corporate environment.

Personal opinion, don’t delude yourself too much with gambiarras. At first they may bring some result (well pig), but it will not be able to keep in a safe and stable way. *concerning hachintosh and virtualization

The "secret" of these "hybrid" development platforms is actually a great gambit. It is all based on HTML/Javascript running under a "webView" class of the target operating system (Android / iOS).
Basically you open a browser window inside the app. Roughly speaking, the final app is just a "hole" in the screen that calls the operating system’s default browser and captures Javascript events. These Javascript events are captured by the device’s native features, so you can access certain native features.

  • Daniel, I have a lot of friends who make phonegap apps, and I ask them if they see any difference between these apps and 100% native apps, and they say no. What do you think? You seem to have some experience on the subject hence my question, think it’s a bad idea because more precisely?

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    It depends a lot on what the app needs. For simple things that can solve with HTML/Javascript I also prefer to write the app in HTML because it makes no difference. The bigger difference is that it makes development 1000% simpler. I don’t particularly use tools like phonegap because I developed semi-ready templates and I just replicate the apps. When compiling, if it is for iOS work with Mac. If it is for Android I go on Windows or depending on the case I do everything on Mac. For more complex apps you will notice that not everything is solved with HTML/Javascript.

  • I understand, thank you for the clarification Daniel

  • Daniel, thanks for the info. I had already imagined this, that the apps developed with these tools were just a kind of mobile browser. So in practice we would have to have 2 computers for development? An iOS and another windows? What do you consider things not simple. What examples would not be solved with Ionic or phonegap? A question a mac could develop for Android and Windows?

  • In Intel XDK vc can develop for android, Ios and windows phone with html/css, da até para gerar o arquivo . ipa and install on your iphone, you will only need a mac to send the app to store. I do using Ionic, in older Androids it gets quite slow, now in Androids, iphones and windows newer phones gets show, has many plugins to be able to use the native features of the mobile, but of course, native gets better, hybrid is faster at development time, native takes longer but gets a much better end result.

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