Supported platforms

What are all the ways you can play Sim Companies?

The selection of technologies used for Sim Companies was heavily influenced by the desire for the game to be playable across many devices - and ideally, all of them executing the same underlying code, so the game both looks the same on any device and also to lower maintenance overhead. We do not want to be implementing every feature 3 times, we also do not want for some devices to have features others do not have.

The technologies used are those that most browsers can work with - this allows great compatibility, as most devices have a web browser.

Sim Companies is also using cutting edge caching techniques to allow instant page loads and partial offline functionality, called PWA (Progressive Web App)

PC OR LAPTOP

You can play the game on your browser. Sim Companies has a test suite that uses Chrome as a benchmark, but we strive to remain fully compatible with all major browsers: Firefox, Edge, and Safari. There are no known functionality limitations on the mentioned browsers.

ANDROID DEVICE

There are few choices on how to play on Android, you can either play using the browser. You can also install the android app from the Android Play Store. To adhere to the before-mentioned principles, the android app simply loads a browser inside the app and runs the Sim Companies website (this is often referred to as a WebView wrapper app). So there are no functional differences or advantages when using the app. You may ask, what’s even the purpose of having the app then? Users are used to looking for games in the Play Store. The sole purpose of the app is to have a presence in the store so you can find the game easily.

My favorite option to play on an android device is using the PWA (Progressive Web App). Sim Companies is PWA compatible, so when using it on the browser, you will be asked if you want to add it to the homepage. (Or you can do that manually from the browser menu). Once you do that and kick off the app from your phone’s home page you will get the exact app-like experience: no browser location bar, full functionality, without installing any app.

iOS DEVICE

This is actually the same as the Android device compatibility, you can do either of: PWA (Progressive Web App - explained above), using safari browser, or a dedicated iOS application from the Apple App Store.

To put a PWA shortcut on your Home screen, do the following:

1.  Tap the Share button in Safari for the PWA you’re using.

2.  Tap the icon labeled Add to Home Screen.

3.  Tap Add in the upper-right corner.

4.  Now name your PWA, then tap Add in the upper-right corner.

PWA will give you a full app-like experience, no location bar, all features.

The main purpose of the iOS application is the presence in the App Store - where players search for games.

MICROSOFT STORE

Can download the game from the Microsoft Store and play in a standalone application or play from Microsoft Edge browser.

AUTHENTICATION

I encourage everyone to put an email in their account settings. In case you lose access to your company, you can only recover it if the email is set up.

You can log in using an email and password.

If you lose access and you did not set any password, you can go through the password reset flow, assuming your email was set.

You can use Facebook SSO (single sign-on) to auth to your company

Most emails sent from Sim Companies have links in them that sign you in.

Android Play Store app remembers your company and authenticates you automatically.

SIM BOOST PURCHASES

Is there any difference in Sim Boosts purchase options? Yes, there has to be. While for websites there are no strict rules on how purchases can be facilitated, the Play Store and App Store have some strict rules - mainly forcing the payment to go through their store, this means Sim Companies loses control over few aspects of the billing including currency conversion rates. So the price offer may differ when doing purchases from the native app, or from the web/browser/PWA.

What are the payment options and fees Sim Companies has to pay?