In our first blog post, Rethink Your Approach to Secure Mobile Application Development, we began to explore the 5 Reasons Why mobile application development teams should rethink the way they approach the build, test and secure the data within these apps. Our first reason for a new approach is focused on physical devices and their limitations.
While these tools can be useful to test mobile apps, they come with major limitations for iOS and Android devices. Unlike traditional emulators and simulators, Corellium provides true kernel- and root-level access for accurate mobile testing.
Why Emulators Are Not Enough for App Testing
An emulator copies both the hardware and software of a mobile device, while a simulator imitates the software environment and app behavior for testing and development.
Both tools mimic how a device works—they don’t use the real hardware. They’re useful for building and testing apps, but not for evaluating security or real-world performance.
Testing on a rooted device is critical for understanding how an app behaves when its security defenses are challenged. In the wild, attackers often use compromised or modified devices. Testing in this environment helps uncover hidden vulnerabilities such as weak data protection, insecure storage, and poor tamper detection.
Rooted device testing isn’t just technical—it’s essential to protecting users and maintaining trust. It ensures your app remains secure, even in hostile conditions.
iOS Simulator Limitations Developers Should Know
iOS emulators don’t exist, and iOS simulators have significant limitations. Running in a macOS sandbox, they can’t perform system-level testing or replicate a jailbroken environment. This makes them unsuitable for evaluating security risks such as jailbreak detection, unauthorized access, or app tampering.
Corellium Solves Enterprise Challenges in Mobile Application Testing
For mobile security and development teams, testing apps in a realistic environment is essential to reducing risks like data leakage and compromise. Corellium’s virtual hardware platform enables users to create a jailbroken virtual device in minutes, choose from multiple OS versions, and easily upload applications for in-depth testing.
Want to explore all five reasons to rethink your testing strategy? [Download the full guide].
Interested in seeing how a virtual hardware platform can transform your mobile app development? Click here to get a free trial.
