Apple pulls on user-found method to load iOS apps on Mac

Apple plugged a hole that allowed users to download iOS and iPad apps to M1 Macs that were never intended to run on a desktop, reports 9to5Mac. The server-side change ensures that only apps that app developers have marked as optimized for Mac will run.

Late last year, Apple launched its first Macs running on its own custom ARM-based processor called M1, as opposed to the Intel chips that have been used in Macs for several years. These new machines included the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air, and the low-end Mac mini.

Since these machines now share an architecture with iPhones and iPads, which also have closely related ARM-based chips, it has become possible to run iOS and iPadOS apps natively on Macs equipped with the M1 chip. . Apple backed this up by listing iPhone and iPad apps that passed an automated test on the Mac App Store, provided the developers didn’t choose not to list the app.

However, many developers made unsubscribe for a number of reasons: because they didn’t think the app provided a good user experience on laptops or desktops; because they offer preferred alternative ways to access services or content on Mac; because they don’t have time to support an additional platform; or a number of other reasons.

In these cases, the apps were not showing up on the Mac App Store. But a few months ago, a Reddit user shared a way to load these apps on M1 Macs by retrieving the app’s IPA file from a connected iOS or iPadOS device using software. third-party, like iMazing, for Mac.

According to 9to5Mac, however, Apple has now “flipped the necessary server-side switch” to block this method. The change already affects Macs running macOS Big Sur 11.1 and also applies to Macs running beta 11.2. In fact, it even offers an error message on the latter: “This application cannot be installed because the developer did not intend to make it work on this platform.”

There are a number of reasons why Apple may have introduced this change. On the one hand, an alternate version of the IPA file method described above could also be used to load pirated versions of apps rather than files from legally and legally installed versions on iOS or iPadOS devices. Additionally, Apple and developers may think these apps provide a poor user experience on macOS and could be a support or security headache.