Hot Restart for iOS development is gone from Visual Studio 2026, a major setback for Windows-based .NET MAUI developers. This feature allowed deploying and testing iOS apps directly from a Windows machine without a Mac. Its removal frustrates many who relied on it to avoid the cost and complexity of Apple hardware.

The feature fell victim to XCFramework compatibility. As .NET MAUI matured, it adopted XCFramework for native iOS dependencies, which requires macOS-only build tools. Microsoft engineer Gerald Versluis noted the feature had low usage and high maintenance, making its continued support unsustainable. It couldn't evolve with the platform.

Developers now face a hard choice: stick with Visual Studio 2022 for Hot Restart, invest in Mac hardware, or use cloud Mac services. The brief era of iOS development from Windows-only machines has closed. For .NET MAUI projects targeting iOS, access to a Mac is now a firm requirement.