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As we detailed earlier today, it’s easy to download iPhone and iPad apps from the Mac App Store to run on the new MacBook Air, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro with M1. However, Apple offers developers the ability to choose not to have their application available on Mac, and many have chosen that option.
A Reddit user has discovered that it is actually possible to install application files, or .IPA files, from your iPhone on a Mac M1.
To do this, you need to have a copy of the IPA file, and like The edge notes, it must be associated with your Apple ID. This means that you can download IPA files from other sources or even share them with other users. So how do you extract an IPA file from your iPhone?
With the iMazing application, you can directly download the IPA files of the applications you have purchased on your iPhone. Reddit user “probablyamy” detailed the process:
- Connect device to Mac with iMazing running
- Select “Applications” for the iPhone connected to your Mac
- Select “Manage Applications” from the tabs at the bottom.
- Select “Library” on the application management screen
- Download the applications you want
- Right click the downloaded app in the list -> Export ipa
Once the IPA is exported, simply double-click the file, then it installs and moves to your Applications folder just like a normal Mac application. You can open it from Finder, from Launchpad, or add it directly to your macOS dock for access. easily.
This works for the vast majority of iPhone and iPad apps, including notable redoubts like Netflix, Hulu, Dark Sky, and Instagram. However, certain applications, such as WhatsApp and the Apple Store application, have additional requirements that prevent them from opening on Mac.
There are a few things to keep in mind with this strategy. First, these developers chose not to make their apps available on the Mac for a reason. In many cases, things go wrong and they don’t work quite right. Netflix, for example, doesn’t offer a full-screen mode, not even the ability to resize the window.
Instagram works fine, although it is quite small. In fact, what impressed me the most was the Plex app, which works flawlessly. TikTok works quite well too. But again, remember that the developers chose not to participate for a reason, so you should not take your complaints to them.
Finally, this is something that Apple can (and probably will) block in the future. It is an unsupported method of installing iPhone and iPad apps on Apple Silicon Macs, and we shouldn’t expect it to be available forever. Think of it as a more temporary way to explore the possibilities of these applications on your Mac.
If you are interested in trying it, you can download iMazing for free.
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