The most common uses for emulators are to play video games and run different operating systems — for example, you can put a Mac operating system on your Windows computer. Emulators can allow you to run apps that normally wouldn't work on your computer.

What is the purpose of emulator?

An emulator typically enables the host system to run software or use peripheral devices designed for the guest system. Emulation refers to the ability of a computer program in an electronic device to emulate (or imitate) another program or device.

When should I use simulator and emulator?

A simulator creates an environment that mimics the behavior and configurations of a real device. On the other hand, an emulator duplicates all the hardware and software features of a real device. In this blog, we cover when to use emulation vs. simulation in mobile app testing, in addition to real devices.