MacBook Apps
It is possible to install any iPhone or iPad app on the new M1-powered Mac. (Photo: Mikaela Shannon/Unsplash(BY CC 2.0))

If you want to install some of your iPhone or iPad apps on your M1 Mac, you only need to follow a few and easy to understand steps.

For a long time, Apple fans are wondering whether they can install some of their favorite iPhone or iPad apps on their Mac machines. Many believe there is a workaround to install apps that are found on the App Store but not on the Mac App Store, though definitely, Apple would not designate such workarounds as official. Recently, online Apple technology news outfit MacRumors stated that as long as you can access the right file, it is possible to install any iPhone or iPad app on the new M1-powered Mac.

   

There are reasons why some developers opted to have their apps working on an iPhone or iPad but not on the Mac. Perhaps it has something to do with the difficulty of adding new lines of codes just so these apps would adapt well, both in functionality and look, on a Mac. For instance, the app Netflix is bound inside a window which is impossible to resize or have it run full-screen. In the case of the Instagram app, it can appear very small if you run it full screen on a Mac. Nevertheless, it is possible to install these iPhone or iPad apps and get them running on the new M1 Mac.

Many users already tried installing iOS versions of Spotify, Gmail, Dark Sky, and Slack on the new MacBook Air and they successfully installed and ran the apps on the machine. As you will note, most of these apps require the Cupertino giant's "Touch Alternatives" system to work. To install these iPhone or iPad apps and get them running on the M1 Mac, you have to get their app files. These are file packages that have the .IPA file extension. Since these files require association with your Apple ID, you should not share them around with others.

In the past, you can easily find IPA files in unencrypted iTunes backup but with recent encryption methods, that is no longer possible. To get the files, you first have to get and install a Mac app called iMazing so you can download to your Mac the IPA files you legitimately purchased. When done, double click these iPhone or iPad app files and they should install into the applications folder of your M1 Mac, just like a regular app, for as long as your iPhone and Mac use the same Apple ID.

When MacRumors published the workaround, the news outfit received an email from an iMazing rep and made a statement on behalf of Gregorio Zanon, the company's CEO. The rep stated that iMazing is meant to be used for backup purposes, as well as management workflows. He also made it clear that his company is not endorsing the use of their software to install any iPhone or iPad app on the M1 Mac and also stated that their company is not planning to provide workarounds for iOS apps to be installed on the Mac.