Can I package for IOS with Ipad?

Hello there. I am an android developer with almost no experience on Apple, but I have an android game I would like to port over.

Going through the process I found out you need an apple device. I can get one to package.

My question is, will any apple device do? Or do I need a mac?

To put it straight, can I package games to IOS, the app store, and for myself to test with an ipad? Or do I need a mac or something like that? What is the cheapest way I can publish for IOS? (I don’t need to run the games well, I have my android tablet for that, just package them and send them to my team to test)

Thank you for any help.

You should always use a real device to test with if you can afford it, so I definitely recommend using a real iPad if you want to make a decent iPad app.

I don’t know if you can publish through Apple without a Mac. I use a Mac for my Apple publishing.

I had a team I was hoping I could rely on for the IOS testing, if I’d be able to get a cheaper maybe older device that’d just let me publish. Expensive devices Apple.

For the record though I’ve done the research and it seems like an actual mac is required, or at least a mac mini.

That’s correct.
We use a mac-mini for remote building (test builds) and then uploading of the app via the ‘Application Loader’ app on the Mac.

On a side note; if you want pre-compiled metal shaders, you NEED a mac to cook your content. Without it you get constant hitching whenever a new shader is loaded. (Haven’t found a way to force load all the shaders behind a loading screen nicely)

All above information is correct, I’d just like to clarify:

  1. You will need to pay the $99 to become an Apple developer in order to obtain the provisions that make it possible to package for, or launch on, iOS devices.
  2. With these provisions, you can test on iOS devices from both a Mac or PC
  3. You will need a Mac, however, in order to run XCode which is required to publish your game to the App Store