Someone has Apple’s iPhone OS running on the Nintendo Switch, and it is not good

Yes, the Nintendo Switch 2 is already breaking records like nobody’s business, all while Apple’s upcoming ‘Liquid Glass’ redesign for its software is already proving divisive. But what if these two tech giants came together in perfect software harmony? That’s exactly what a user has decided to find out, managing to get iOS, the operating system that powers Apple’s iPhones, onto Nintendo’s original Switch console.

In a post on X, user PatRyk showcases iOS running on a Switch console via some software called QEMU, an open-source emulator that can run an operating system inside another. Although this is proof that iOS can run on Nintendo’s handheld, despite it taking two days for PatRyk to achieve, they did say in the post on X that “[it] takes over 20 minutes to boot, kernel panics every second thing you do, [and you] can’t open any apps (they all time out and crash).”

It’s an impressive feat regardless, but it’s not the first time they’ve attempted to get another operating system on the Nintendo Switch. Back in May 2024, PatRyk managed to get Windows 11 running on the handheld too, albeit after an installation that took three hours, and trying to use any function in Microsoft’s OS took up to ten minutes for Windows to achieve.

We’re currently seeing operating systems like SteamOS coming to more gaming handhelds like the ROG Ally X and the Lenovo Legion Go S, alongside Microsoft confirming that its optimized version of Windows 11 on its Xbox Ally handheld is coming to other devices next year. It’s almost refreshing to see PatRyk’s efforts here. In no world, whether this one or another, will Nintendo allow other operating systems to run on its own devices, and from these results, we honestly can’t blame it. Still, it’s interesting to see what things could have been if the timeline had been different for Nintendo in some way.

In the meantime, you can take a look at the best handheld consoles in this timeline to play Fortnite’s new ‘Blitz’ mode on the go or Sonic X Shadow Generations on the Switch 2. Or, feel free to check out our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets.