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docs: add RocketSim 15 release article
Publish a local-first RocketSim 15 launch article with high-resolution assets so the release can be reviewed and shared with the intended blog slug.
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‎docs/src/assets/blog/rocketsim-15/rocketsim-cli.png‎

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‎docs/src/assets/blog/rocketsim-15/voiceover-accessibility-overlay-white.png‎

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‎docs/src/assets/blog/rocketsim-15/voiceover-navigation.png‎

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‎docs/src/pages/blog/15-voiceover-navigator-pro-xcode-simulator-recordings.astro‎

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---
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import { Image } from "astro:assets";
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import Base from "@/layouts/Base.astro";
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import config from "@/config/config.json";
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import Youtube from "@/layouts/shortcodes/Youtube";
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import voiceOverHero from "../../assets/blog/rocketsim-15/voiceover-accessibility-overlay-white.png";
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import voiceOverNavigation from "../../assets/blog/rocketsim-15/voiceover-navigation.png";
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import rocketsimCLI from "../../assets/blog/rocketsim-15/rocketsim-cli.png";
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import liquidGlassCompare from "../../assets/features/liquid-glass-accessibility-testing-compare.jpg";
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import postEditorVideo from "../../content/docs/docs/features/capturing/post-editor/video-post-editor.png";
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import keychainResetButton from "../../content/docs/docs/features/app-actions/quick-actions/reset-keychain-button.png";
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import networkingTools from "../../content/docs/docs/features/networking/network-traffic-monitoring/networking_tools_details.jpeg";
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const slug = "15-voiceover-navigator-pro-xcode-simulator-recordings";
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const title =
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"RocketSim 15: VoiceOver testing in the Simulator and better Xcode Simulator recordings";
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const description =
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"RocketSim 15 adds VoiceOver Navigator, Elements Overlay, Tinted Liquid Glass testing, a new post editor for Xcode Simulator recordings, networking improvements, and the first RocketSim CLI beta.";
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const publishedTime = "2026-04-09T09:05:24.000Z";
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const modifiedTime = publishedTime;
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const canonicalUrl = `${config.site.base_url}/blog/${slug}`;
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const image = `${config.site.base_url}${voiceOverHero.src}`;
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const seo = {
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title: `${title} - RocketSim`,
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description,
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image,
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canonical: canonicalUrl,
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twitterCreator: "@twannl",
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twitterSite: "@rocketsim_app",
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article: {
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publishedTime,
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modifiedTime,
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},
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};
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const structuredData = {
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type: "article" as const,
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article: {
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headline: title,
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description,
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datePublished: publishedTime,
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dateModified: modifiedTime,
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url: canonicalUrl,
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slug,
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image: {
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url: image,
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},
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},
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};
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---
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<Base seo={seo} structuredData={structuredData}>
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<article>
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<header>
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<div class="ph-spacing">
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<div class="container text-center">
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<div class="flex flex-col items-center gap-16 lg:gap-28">
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<div class="space-y-3 md:space-y-5 mx-auto">
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<p
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class="text-center text-base font-medium text-text pb-2"
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data-aos="fade-up-sm"
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data-aos-delay="0"
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>
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Apr 09, 2026
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</p>
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<h1
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class="page-heading leading-none text-center !mb-6"
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data-aos="fade-up-sm"
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data-aos-delay="50"
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>
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{title}
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</h1>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="ph-merged-section">
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<div class="container">
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<figure data-aos="fade-up-sm" data-aos-delay="150">
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<Image
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src={voiceOverHero}
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alt="RocketSim VoiceOver Navigator showing numbered accessibility elements directly on top of the iOS Simulator."
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class="w-full max-h-[580px] object-cover rounded-2xl"
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/>
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</figure>
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</div>
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</div>
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</header>
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<section class="section -mt-20">
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<div class="container">
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<div class="content xl:px-32">
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<p>
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<strong>VoiceOver testing in the Simulator</strong> used to be one of
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those jobs I would postpone until the very end. You grab a device, enable
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VoiceOver, start swiping, lose context, and then go back to the Simulator
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to fix the issue you just found. RocketSim 15 changes that loop completely.
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</p>
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<p>
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On top of that, this release makes <strong
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>Xcode Simulator recordings</strong
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>
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much more useful after capture. Instead of retaking a screenshot or video
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because the framing is slightly off, you can now post-edit the result
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directly inside RocketSim. Combined with a dedicated networking tools
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tab, a keychain reset action, localized App Store pages, and the first
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RocketSim CLI beta, this is easily the biggest RocketSim release I have
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shipped so far.
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</p>
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<h2>VoiceOver testing in the Simulator</h2>
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<p>
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The headline feature in RocketSim 15 is <a
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href="/docs/features/accessibility/voiceover-navigator"
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>VoiceOver Navigator</a
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>. It lets you move through accessibility elements using your
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keyboard, directly in the Simulator. Arrow keys move through the
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current VoiceOver order, Enter activates the selected element, and
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the overlay updates as your app changes state.
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</p>
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<p>
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What I like most is that this is not just another inspector. You can
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still click elements and inspect their accessibility metadata, but
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the real win is speed. You immediately see whether the reading order
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makes sense, whether a heading lands where you expect it to, and
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whether activating a control moves focus in a sensible way.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<Image
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src={voiceOverNavigation}
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alt="VoiceOver Navigator overlay visualizing accessibility element order in RocketSim."
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class="w-full rounded-2xl"
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/>
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</figure>
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<p>
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Accessibility work in iOS often becomes much easier once you can see
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the structure instead of only hearing it. That is exactly what the
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new Elements Overlay gives you. If you care about shipping more
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accessible apps, this feature is worth checking out on its own.
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</p>
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<p>
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RocketSim 15 also adds direct testing for <a
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href="/docs/features/accessibility/toggles-and-dynamic-text#tinted-liquid-glass-testing"
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>Tinted Liquid Glass</a
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>. Liquid Glass looks great in demos, but the accessibility story
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matters just as much. Being able to compare both states in the
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Simulator is a much faster way to validate contrast and readability
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while you iterate.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<Image
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src={liquidGlassCompare}
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alt="Comparison of an app before and after enabling the Tinted Liquid Glass accessibility toggle in RocketSim."
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class="w-full rounded-2xl"
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/>
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</figure>
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<h2>Editing Xcode Simulator recordings after capture</h2>
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<p>
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The second big improvement in RocketSim 15 is the new <a
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href="/docs/features/capturing/post-editor">post editor</a
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>
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for screenshots and videos. If you record Xcode Simulator videos for release
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notes, social media, demos, or App Store assets, you probably know how
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often a capture is technically correct but still not quite ready to share.
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</p>
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<p>
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The new editor fixes that. You can trim the recording, adjust the
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styling, tweak the frame, change the output ratio, update metadata,
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and preview everything live before exporting. That means one good
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base recording can now become several polished variants without you
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needing to capture the whole flow again.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<Image
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src={postEditorVideo}
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alt="RocketSim Capture Editor open for a recording, showing live preview, trim controls, and export settings."
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class="w-full rounded-2xl"
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/>
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</figure>
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<p>
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I think this is especially useful for teams that rely on Xcode
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Simulator recordings as part of their development workflow. You can
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keep your capture loop fast, but still end up with an output that
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looks intentional. If you want to see it in action first, I also
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published a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LlGj6oVi7A"
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>short demo video</a
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>.
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</p>
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<Youtube
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url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LlGj6oVi7A"
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title="RocketSim Post Editor demo"
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/>
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<h2>Smaller updates that speed up testing</h2>
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<p>
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RocketSim 15 also includes a few smaller changes that matter a lot
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in day-to-day work. The new <a
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href="/docs/features/app-actions/quick-actions">Reset Keychain</a
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>
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action is one of those features you start using once and then wonder why
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it did not exist earlier. Authentication testing often goes wrong because
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of stale credentials, and resetting the Simulator keychain is much faster
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than manually clearing app state over and over again.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<Image
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src={keychainResetButton}
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alt="RocketSim Recent Builds side window showing the Reset Keychain quick action."
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class="w-full rounded-2xl"
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/>
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</figure>
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<p>
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Networking tools also moved into a dedicated tab. That sounds small,
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but it makes both discovery and repeated usage better. Features like
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network speed control and the network monitor now feel like part of
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one workflow instead of scattered utilities.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<Image
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src={networkingTools}
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alt="RocketSim networking tools overview with request details and network inspection controls."
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class="w-full rounded-2xl"
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/>
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</figure>
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<p>
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If you regularly test under poor connectivity, inspect requests, or
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debug networking issues in the Simulator, this new structure should
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save you a few clicks every day. Sometimes that is exactly the kind
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of improvement that makes a tool feel much more polished.
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</p>
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<h2>The first RocketSim CLI beta</h2>
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<p>
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I also bundled the first version of the RocketSim CLI in this
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release. It only supports a few commands today, but the direction is
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clear: I want to make it easier for your agents and automation
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workflows to interact with the Simulator in a secure, sandboxed way.
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</p>
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<figure>
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<Image
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src={rocketsimCLI}
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alt="RocketSim CLI help output showing simulator, elements, and interact subcommands."
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class="w-full rounded-2xl"
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/>
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</figure>
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<p>
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I am particularly excited about this because I used an agentic
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coding setup heavily while building RocketSim 15 itself. The
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foundation of RocketSim has always been solid, but the current
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tooling finally lets me move at a speed that was simply not
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realistic before. If your team is already deep into agentic coding,
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feel free to reach out if you want to join the beta.
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</p>
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<h2>Localized pages and student access</h2>
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<p>
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Two more updates are worth calling out. First, RocketSim now has
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localized App Store pages in Chinese, French, German, and Spanish.
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After visiting Let&apos;s Vision in Shanghai, it became clear to me
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that RocketSim needed to do a better job outside English-only
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messaging.
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</p>
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<p>
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Second, students can now get RocketSim Pro for free for one year
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through the <a href="/student">student program</a>. Professional
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tooling made a big difference early in my own career, so this felt
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like the right moment to give something back.
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</p>
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<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
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<p>
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RocketSim 15 is a release focused on faster feedback loops.
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VoiceOver testing in the Simulator becomes practical enough to use
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throughout development, and Xcode Simulator recordings become much
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easier to polish after capture. The rest of the release continues
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that same pattern: fewer interruptions, less repetitive setup, and
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quicker access to the tools you actually use.
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</p>
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<p>
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If you already use RocketSim, I recommend installing the latest
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update from the <a
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href="https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1504940162?pt=117264678&ct=april-newsletter&mt=8"
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>Mac App Store</a
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>
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and trying the accessibility and capture workflows first. If you have
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feature ideas or feedback, feel free to <a
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href="https://github.com/AvdLee/RocketSimApp/issues"
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>open an issue on GitHub</a
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>. Thanks!
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</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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</section>
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</article>
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</Base>

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