The Nintendo Switch 2 is enjoying fantastic success, flying off the shelves in various markets. Projections suggest it could ship an impressive 15 to 16 million units by the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year in March 2026. With such popularity, enthusiasts are bound to experiment, and one of the most intriguing finds is running iOS on the console. Although the attempt was successful, the Switch 2 transformed into the world’s slowest iPhone.
Booting the Switch 2 with iOS is a tedious affair, reportedly taking a staggering 20 minutes. There’s significant room for optimization, but the native operating system is far more suited for gaming. PatRyk, a bold tinkerer on X, embarked on this unorthodox project. It took him two days, with the device’s kernel experiencing panic whenever an action was attempted, causing apps to crash.
How did this happen? ChefKissInc crafted a QEMU version for the iPhone 11 and made it available on GitHub. Despite the NVIDIA CEO lauding the Tegra X1 SoC as advanced, the handheld struggled with iOS.
PatRyk humorously shared his journey, noting the console’s sluggishness and frequent app crashes. Though he hasn’t mentioned further plans to continue this venture, significant optimizations are necessary. Whether updated QEMU versions will enhance performance remains unknown, but adventurous Switch 2 owners might be tempted to explore this hack, keeping the potential pitfalls in mind.
