Does iPhone 6 / 6 Plus simulator supports changing of Display Zoom mode?

Display Zoom is not available in the simulator (as of Xcode 6.0).


The answer is correct, Display Zoom is not available as an option in the current Xcode 7 iOS simulator settings. However, it is actually possible to 'simulate' Display Zoom when running your app in the simulator.

Background

When building a typical project for iPhone, you generally specify a LaunchScreen.storyboard file and/or launch images in Images.xcassets for the iPhone 4/4s (2x), iPhone 5/5s (Retina 4), iPhone 6/6s (Retina HD 4.7) and iPhone 6+/6s+ (Retina HD 5.5) and set those details in the project's settings. (See image below.)

When Display Zoom is turned ‘on’ for a iPhone 6/6s device, the device runs the app as if it was running on an iPhone 5/5s sized screen, upscaling the app x1.172 to fit the iPhone 6/6s display. (Similarly, when Display Zoom is turned ‘on’ for a iPhone 6+/6+s device, the device runs the app as if it was running on an iPhone 6/6s sized screen, upscaling the app to fit the iPhone 6+/6+s display.)

Note - The following instructions require the removal of some launch screen image files. You might wish to attempt these changes on a duplicate of your Xcode project.

Simulating Display Zoom on the iOS Simulator

To simulate Display Zoom for example using the iPhone 6 simulator in Xcode:

1 - Remove the LaunchScreen.storyboard file.

2 - Remove both the Retina HD 4.7 and Retina HD 5.5 launch images in Images.xcassets. (Make sure to keep the Retina 4 launch image.)

3 - Remove the reference to the ‘Launch Screen File’ in your Xcode project’s settings, under ‘General’, under ‘App Icons and Launch Images’.

4 - Select the iPhone 6/6s simulator, and then 'Run' your app.

Running your app

When the simulator runs your app, it will detect that no launch images are present for iPhone 6/6s, so it will presume it must be an iPhone 5/5s app and launch it into the simulator upsampling a iPhone 5/5s sized screen to fit the iPhone 6/6s screen, just as the Display Zoom setting would display it!

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As of Xcode 12 (and perhaps earlier) Settings -> Developer -> View -> Zoomed (tap Set) will adjust the simulator to show with Display Zoom. This is helpful as the iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 Pro all run at a previously unused resolution of 320 x 693. For more information check out this excellent article by Geoff Hackworth.

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