diff --git a/calabash/Classes/Utils/LPUIAUserPrefsChannel.m b/calabash/Classes/Utils/LPUIAUserPrefsChannel.m
index 4850f0dc8..366a6c717 100644
--- a/calabash/Classes/Utils/LPUIAUserPrefsChannel.m
+++ b/calabash/Classes/Utils/LPUIAUserPrefsChannel.m
@@ -200,66 +200,60 @@ - (NSDictionary *) requestForCommand:(NSString *) command {
 // Xcode 5
 // ~/Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator/[system version]/Library/Preferences/[bundle ID].plist
 //
-// Xcode 6
+// Xcode 6.0*
 // ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/[UDID]/data/Library/Preferences/[bundle ID].plist
 // see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4977673/reading-preferences-set-by-uiautomations-uiaapplication-setpreferencesvaluefork
 //
-// Also on Xcode 6 - When the app is first installed and launched, this plist
-// file _does not exist_.  However, if you ask the NSUserDefaults for its
-// contents you will get back a non-empty string.  It looks like NSUserDefaults
-// is a concatenation of system level preferences (language, locale, newstand,
-// etc.) and the application's own preferences.
-//
-// It is not clear whether or not the fact that file does not exist until
-// the app tries to store something will influence UIA interactions.
-// // Xcode 6.1
+// Xcode 6.1 + iOS 8.1 - all other simulator SDKs use Xcode 6.0* rules.
 // ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/[Sim UDID]/data/Containers/Data/Application/[App UDID]/Library/Preferences/[bundle id].plist
 - (NSString *)simulatorPreferencesPath {
   static NSString *path = nil;
   static dispatch_once_t onceToken;
   dispatch_once(&onceToken, ^{
 
-    // 1. Add a token to NSUserDefaults
-    // Xcode 6.0 and Xcode 6.1 have different locations for the preferences
-    // plist.  It is impossible to know at runtime which to use a priori, so
-    // we set a token using NSUserDefaults and look for the plist that contains
-    // the token.
-    static NSString *const tokenKey = @"sh.calabash.preferences-token";
-    CFUUIDRef udid = CFUUIDCreate(NULL);
-    NSString *tokenValue = (NSString *) CFUUIDCreateString(NULL, udid);
-    [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] setObject:tokenValue forKey:tokenKey];
-
-    if (udid != NULL) { CFRelease(udid);  }
-    if (tokenValue) { [tokenValue release]; }
-
-    [[NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults] synchronize];
-
     NSString *plistName = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@.plist", [[NSBundle mainBundle] bundleIdentifier]];
 
-    // 2. Find the app's Library directory so we can deduce the plist path.
+    // 1. Find the app's Library directory so we can deduce the plist path.
     NSArray *userLibDirURLs = [[NSFileManager defaultManager] URLsForDirectory:NSLibraryDirectory inDomains:NSUserDomainMask];
     NSURL *userLibraryURL = [userLibDirURLs lastObject];
     NSString *userLibraryPath = [userLibraryURL path];
 
-    // 3. Use the the library path to deduce the simulator environment.
+    // 2. Use the the library path to deduce the simulator environment.
+
     if ([userLibraryPath rangeOfString:@"CoreSimulator"].location == NSNotFound) {
+      // 3. Xcode < 6 environment.
       NSString *sandboxPath = [userLibraryPath substringToIndex:([userLibraryPath rangeOfString:@"Applications"].location)];
       NSString *relativePlistPath = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Library/Preferences/%@", plistName];
       NSString *unsanitizedPlistPath = [sandboxPath stringByAppendingPathComponent:relativePlistPath];
       path = [[unsanitizedPlistPath stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding] copy];
     } else {
-      // First candidate.  Xcode >= 6.1 CoreSimulator enviroments; preferences
-      // plist is in the application sandbox.
-      path = [[self stringForXcode61PreferencesPlistWithUserLibraryPath:userLibraryPath
-                                                              plistName:plistName
-                                                               tokenKey:tokenKey
-                                                             tokenValue:tokenValue] copy];
-
-      // Second candidate.  Xcode < 6.1 CoreSimulator environments; preferences
-      // plist is in the Simulator Library/Preferences.
-      if (!path) {
-        path = [[self stringForXcode60PreferencesPlistWithUserLibraryPath:userLibraryPath
-                                                                plistName:plistName] copy];
+
+      /*
+       3. CoreSimulator environments
+
+       * In Xcode 6.1 + iOS >= 8.1, UIAutomation and NSUserDefaults do IO on
+         the same plist in the app's sandbox.
+       * In Xcode 6.1 and iOS < 8.1, UIAutomation does IO on the a file in
+         < SIM DIRECTORY >/data/Library/Preferences/ and NSUserDefaults does
+         IO on a plist in the app's sandbox.
+       * In Xcode 6.0*, NSUserDefaults and UIAutomation do IO on the same plist
+         in < SIM DIRECTORY >/data/Library/Preferences.
+
+       Since iOS 8.1 only ships with Xcode 6.1, we can check the system version
+       at runtime and choose the correct plist.
+      */
+
+      NSString *systemVersion = [[UIDevice currentDevice] systemVersion];
+      if ([systemVersion compare:@"8.1" options:NSNumericSearch] != NSOrderedAscending) {
+        NSString *relativePlistPath = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Preferences/%@", plistName];
+        NSString *unsanitizedPlistPath = [userLibraryPath stringByAppendingPathComponent:relativePlistPath];
+        path = [[unsanitizedPlistPath stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding] copy];
+      } else {
+        NSRange range = [userLibraryPath rangeOfString:@"data"];
+        NSString *simulatorDataPath = [userLibraryPath substringToIndex:range.location + range.length];
+        NSString *relativePlistPath = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Library/Preferences/%@", plistName];
+        NSString *unsanitizedPlistPath = [simulatorDataPath stringByAppendingPathComponent:relativePlistPath];
+        path = [[unsanitizedPlistPath stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding] copy];
       }
     }
   });
@@ -267,38 +261,6 @@ - (NSString *)simulatorPreferencesPath {
   return path;
 }
 
-- (NSString *) stringForXcode61PreferencesPlistWithUserLibraryPath:(NSString *) aUserLibraryPath
-                                                         plistName:(NSString *) aPlistName
-                                                          tokenKey:(NSString *) aTokenKey
-                                                        tokenValue:(NSString *) aTokenValue {
-  NSString *relativePlistPath = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Preferences/%@", aPlistName];
-  NSString *unsanitizedPlistPath = [aUserLibraryPath stringByAppendingPathComponent:relativePlistPath];
-  NSString *path = [unsanitizedPlistPath stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
-
-  if (![[NSFileManager defaultManager] fileExistsAtPath:path]) {
-    return nil;
-  }
-
-  NSDictionary *dictionary = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithContentsOfFile:path];
-  if ([[dictionary objectForKey:aTokenKey] isEqualToString:aTokenValue]) {
-    return path;
-  } else {
-    return nil;
-  }
-}
-
-- (NSString *) stringForXcode60PreferencesPlistWithUserLibraryPath:(NSString *) aUserLibraryPath
-                                                         plistName:(NSString *) aPlistName {
-  // Xcode 6.0 and 6.0.1 have a buggy NSUserDefaults implementation.  Values
-  // may or may not be written when [NSUserDefaults synchronize] is called, so
-  // it is not worth checking for the key/token pair.
-  NSRange range = [aUserLibraryPath rangeOfString:@"data"];
-  NSString *simulatorDataPath = [aUserLibraryPath substringToIndex:range.location + range.length];
-  NSString *relativePlistPath = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Library/Preferences/%@", aPlistName];
-  NSString *unsanitizedPlistPath = [simulatorDataPath stringByAppendingPathComponent:relativePlistPath];
-  return [unsanitizedPlistPath stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
-}
-
 #endif // TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR
 
 @end