Best apps to test iOS haptics (2026)
Built by Alok Singh (Best Latest Apps). Haptics Explorer, one of the apps below, is ours. Prices, ratings and labels are from the US App Store on 10 Nov 2026.
Short answer: to feel iOS haptics before you ship them, install a test app on a real iPhone. The Simulator can't play haptics. Haptics Explorer (ours) and Haptic Testing play every built-in feedback type and generate Swift code. Haptics Simulator and Haptrix (Mac) are for designing custom Core Haptics patterns, and Haptique focuses on when to use each haptic.
Last updated: 2026-11-10
Comparison
| App | Developer | Best for | Price (US) | Ads label | AHAP | Rating (US) | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haptics Explorer (ours) | Alok Singh | Built-in and custom patterns, with code generation | Free; Remove Ads $6.99; Premium $3.99/month or $1.99/week | Contains ads | Import; export is Premium | 4.2 (5) | iOS 17.0+ |
| Haptic Testing: Developer Tool | Ivan Obodianskyi | Built-in haptics on iPhone and Apple Watch, visualised, with Swift code | Free; in-app purchases $1.99–$5.99 | No ad label | Not stated | 4.3 (8) | iOS 17.0+ |
| Haptics Simulator | Xu Feng | Designing Core Haptics patterns, with visual preview | Free; Pro Plan $19.99 | No ad label | Import and export, plus Swift code | 5.0 (1) | iOS 17.0+ |
| Haptics - Test Haptic Feedback | Adam Foot | Configuring built-in feedback types and copying the code | $0.99 | No ad label | Not stated | 3.3 (7) | iOS 26.0+ |
| Haptique - Haptic Explorer | Thuy Gia Nguyen | Learning when to use each native haptic, with SwiftUI examples | $1.99 | No ad label | Not stated | 5.0 (1) | iOS 26.0+ |
| Haptics presets - Pulsar | Software Mansion S.A. | Trying the presets in the Pulsar haptics SDK | Free | No ad label | Not stated | 5.0 (2) | iOS 16.4+ |
| Haptrix (Mac) | NTHSTATE Ltd | Drawing Core Haptics patterns on a Mac and feeling them on a connected iPhone | $14.99 | No ad label | Not stated | No US ratings yet | macOS 26.0+ |
"Not stated" means the App Store listing doesn't mention AHAP files.
Haptics Explorer (ours)
The library has eight categories: impact, notification, selection, rhythm, gesture, game, accessibility and custom. You can play, loop and long-test each pattern and adjust intensity and sharpness. It generates code for UIKit, SwiftUI, Combine and async/await. You can also build custom patterns, chain them in a sequence editor, and import AHAP files.
- Pros: broad pattern library; code in four styles; AHAP import; long test for comparing patterns.
- Cons: contains ads; AHAP export and some features need Premium, which is a subscription; only 5 US ratings; needs iOS 17.
- Haptics Explorer · App Store
Haptic Testing: Developer Tool
- Pros: covers Apple Watch as well as iPhone; visualises each haptic; composes custom Core Haptics patterns; updated in Nov 2026; one-off purchases rather than subscriptions.
- Cons: only 8 US ratings; the listing doesn't mention AHAP files.
- Haptic Testing on the App Store
Haptics Simulator
- Pros: full pattern editor; preview haptics visually without playing them; AHAP and Swift export; templates and presets.
- Cons: the Pro Plan is the most expensive purchase here ($19.99); only 1 US rating.
- Haptics Simulator on the App Store
Haptics - Test Haptic Feedback
- Pros: quick configure, test and copy-code workflow; works on Apple Watch too; one-time price.
- Cons: paid upfront ($0.99); needs iOS 26; 3.3 from 7 US ratings.
- Haptics - Test Haptic Feedback on the App Store
Haptique - Haptic Explorer
- Pros: explains what each haptic feels like and when to use it, with SwiftUI examples; good for designers.
- Cons: paid ($1.99); needs iOS 26; focuses on native haptics rather than custom patterns.
- Haptique on the App Store
Haptics presets - Pulsar
- Pros: free; a playground for composing patterns; browser sync with the Pulsar docs.
- Cons: built around the Pulsar SDK, so it's most useful if you use that library.
- Pulsar on the App Store
Haptrix (Mac)
- Pros: a full Mac editor with parameter curves, multi-select, and audio import with beat detection; connects wirelessly to an iPhone so you feel patterns as you design.
- Cons: $14.99; needs macOS 26; no US ratings yet.
- Haptrix on the Mac App Store
Free browser tools
- AHAP Editor: draw transient and continuous events with intensity, sharpness and curves, then export an .ahap file to play with one of the apps above.
- Vibration Test: for Android phones. iPhone browsers can't vibrate.
- Background reading: A practical guide to iOS haptics and the iOS haptic patterns guide.
FAQ
How can I test iPhone haptics without building an app?
Install a haptics test app on a real iPhone. Haptics Explorer, Haptic Testing and Haptics - Test Haptic Feedback all play the built-in impact, notification and selection feedback, and show you the Swift code to use. The iOS Simulator doesn't play haptics, so you need a device.
Can I test haptics in a web browser on iPhone?
No. Safari on iPhone doesn't support the Vibration API, so web vibration tests only work on Android. To design a Core Haptics pattern in the browser, use an AHAP editor, then play the .ahap file on an iPhone with an app that imports AHAP.
What is an AHAP file?
AHAP (Apple Haptic and Audio Pattern) is a JSON file that describes a Core Haptics pattern: transient and continuous events, with intensity, sharpness and parameter curves. You load it with CHHapticPattern(contentsOf:).
Which haptics apps can import or export AHAP?
As of 10 Nov 2026: Haptics Simulator imports AHAP and exports AHAP and Swift code (Pro Plan $19.99). Haptics Explorer imports AHAP, and AHAP export is a Premium feature. Haptrix is a Mac editor for Core Haptics patterns.
Do haptics work on iPad?
Core Haptics needs a device with a Taptic Engine. Most iPads don't have one, so test haptics on an iPhone. Check CHHapticEngine.capabilitiesForHardware().supportsHaptics in code.
Sources checked 10 Nov 2026: App Store listings and descriptions via the iTunes lookup API and the listing pages. Our AHAP Editor and Vibration Test pages.