Apple reminds developers of iOS apps on the Mac App Store and potential compatibility issues

As Apple has already confirmed and we have detailed here, new Macs with the M1 chip will run iOS apps natively. And to advance this feature, Apple will add almost all iOS apps to the Mac App Store. However, some apps will not be available to Mac users, either by developer’s choice or compatibility issue.

Apple is once again sending emails to iOS developers to remind them of this important change that will bring their iPhone and iPad apps to the Mac. By default, each iOS app will be published automatically to the Mac App Store, so the developer must manually choose not to offer their iOS apps on macOS.

We found out that big developers like Google and Facebook won’t be including their apps on the Mac App Store, but the popular Among Us game and the HBO Max app will be there.

Apple is asking developers to make sure their iOS apps are fully compatible with macOS and don’t require any features available exclusively on iPhone and iPad, like a cellular connection and the TrueDepth camera. If the app is not compatible, the developer should deactivate the Mac App Store.

To make sure Mac users have a great experience, make sure your apps work well on this platform and don’t rely on iPhone or iPad features not available on Mac. If necessary, update their availability on Mac in App Store Connect.

However, Apple also automatically extracts some incompatible apps from the Mac App Store. Developers who have iOS apps using the Core Location API, which essentially provides access to the user’s location, will not be included in the Mac App Store because the company says they may not perform well on macOS.

For these apps, the company says they “may have some issues with working on Apple Silicon Mac,” suggesting that the developer should test the apps on a Mac with the M1 chip before releasing them on the Mac App Store. At the same time, the Mac App Store will notify users that the app has been “Designed for iPad” and “Unverified for macOS” when it is an iOS app.

Some apps available on Mac may not work as they normally would on iPhone or iPad. For example, features that rely on hardware specific to the iPhone or iPad, like a gyroscope or a display that supports complex Multi-Touch gestures, may not work on Mac. In some cases, such functionality may be the core of the app’s functionality, while in others, the app may be usable without it.

Once the developer has verified that the app is fully working on macOS, the “unverified” message can be removed from the App Store. Apple says developers can make small adjustments to make their iOS apps run better on macOS.

IOS apps will be available on the Mac App Store from this Thursday, November 12, when Apple will release macOS Big Sur to the public. These apps, of course, will be exclusive to Apple Silicon Macs. Intel Macs can only run Catalyst apps that have been manually ported from iOS to macOS by developers.