The iOS operating system was run on the Nintendo Switch. This process, which was carried out as part of an experimental project, pushed the technical limits of the console, but the result was more of a technical demonstration than a functionality.
iOS installed on the Nintendo Switch
The installation process took two days. The iOS operating system was transferred to the Switch in a virtual environment using a QEMU-based emulator. This software tool offers the opportunity to run Apple’s operating system virtually on unsupported hardware.
However, this process resulted in an extremely limited experience for the Nintendo Switch. When iOS was started, the boot time took about 20 minutes. When any application was tried to be run, the system became dysfunctional, giving kernel panic errors.
The experiment once again revealed iOS’s hardware dependency and limited operability on non-Apple devices. Although it was possible to start the system at a basic level, it was reported that applications did not work and the general response of the device was extremely slow.
This situation was described as “the world’s slowest iPhone”. Due to hardware incompatibility, even the graphical interface of iOS did not work at the desired level. It is currently unknown whether the setup will be tested on the Switch 2 or repeated with newer QEMU versions.
On the other hand, it is also considered that such operations could cause permanent damage to the console hardware. However, this experiment has shown how much user communities can flex the systems.
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