Surely on more than one occasion you have wondered if it is possible to use applications from an iPhone or iPad on a Mac. Although there are many applications with versions made for macOS, there are others that are initially exclusive to iOS and / or iPadOS. However, there is a way to make these apps run if a series of requirements are met.
Is it possible to do it on any Mac?
Unfortunately, no. There are only a few Macs that support these types of actions, at least natively. The computers that can carry out this process are Macs with Apple‘s own chips, known as Apple Silicon . These are currently the computers that have these chips.
- MacBook Air (late 2020 with M1 chip)
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (Late 2020 with M1 chip)
- Mac mini (late 2020 with M1 chip)
The requirement at the software level is to have macOS 11 Big Sur or a later version. Considering that the first Macs with Apple Silicon already incorporate this version of the operating system as standard, there will really be no problems.
Why is it only possible on those Macs?
The fact that the ARM architecture of the processor of the iPhone and the Mac with Apple Silicon is the same and on top of it has been designed by Apple itself favors things on a technical level. Developing an application or game for each device and each type of processor is an arduous task for specialists, however when they share architecture and operating systems have similar code, everything becomes easier. That is why Macs that have Intel processors cannot have compatibility like those with Apple Silicon inside.
Steps to follow for installation
There are two types of applications compatible with Mac with Apple Silicon, one through the Mac App Store and others for which they are not. Below we will tell you both ways.
From the Mac App Store
If you have a device compatible with these downloads, you can go to the application store and you will find a new tab in the searches for those that are compatible with iPhone and iPad.
- Open the App Store on the Mac.
- Look for the name of the app or game in the box on the top left.
- Click on the “Apps for iPhone and iPad” tab.
- Click on the app or game you want and download it.
If it’s not in the Mac App Store
Perhaps you have verified that the application or game you want is not in this section. Does that mean you won’t be able to use it on your Mac? Absolutely. There is a way to download it that, although it is less intuitive, it is also very simple. You will need the .IPA file of the app, which is the format in which the iOS and iPadOS apps are made. To obtain it you need a third-party application. We recommend iMazing , not because this is a sponsored article, which it is not, but because it is one of the most popular for this process. However, others could serve.
- Cable your iPhone or iPad to the Mac.
- Open the iMazing application on the Mac.
- Open the “Manage apps” menu.
- Go to the “Library” tab.
- Secondary click on the app you want to have and click on “Export .IPA”.
- Open the .IPA file in the folder where you downloaded it to start the installation.
Limitations of these apps on macOS
Once you have installed an iOS or iPadOS application or game on your Mac computer, you will notice a clear disadvantage compared to other native apps that have a version for macOS: the format of the application. You will see that it opens in a window with a size already defined and that it cannot be expanded to the entire screen and this is because in a certain way you will be using a kind of virtual iPhone or iPad running that app. It is clear that it is better to have an application dedicated to the operating system, but surely this download method is still good for you to be able to enjoy applications that at the moment can only be used on mobile devices.