Dock the iOS Simulator preview in a Codex App side panel
Open 💬 0 comments Opened Jul 14, 2026 by gigagookbob
What variant of Codex are you using?
Codex App on macOS
What feature would you like to see?
Please add an optional right-side panel that displays the currently running iOS Simulator inside Codex App.
Codex can already surface iOS Simulator activity through Computer Use / a floating PiP preview. I would like that simulator preview to be dockable in the app's side panel, similar to the terminal, browser, or file preview surfaces.
This would let iOS developers:
- Preview the app without switching between Codex and the standalone Simulator window
- Watch UI changes while Codex builds, installs, and launches the app
- Keep the simulator visible beside the active task and diff
- Let Codex inspect and interact with the same simulator surface
- Capture screenshots and review visual changes in the current workflow
The panel should be optional and resizable, and it should connect to the currently booted simulator. Ideally, users could move the existing Simulator PiP between floating and docked modes.
Additional information
Useful follow-up controls could include:
- Simulator/device selection
- Rotate, Home, and lock buttons
- Screenshot capture
- Fit-to-panel scaling
- Pop out to a separate window
- Basic input and gesture support
A simple live, dockable simulator view would already provide significant value.