Well, that was fun while it lasted.
Earlier this week, 9to5Mac identified some iOS and macOS beta codes that suggested that Apple would prevent users from sideloading unsupported applications on the new M1 Macs. Today, 9to5Mac reported that it is no longer possible to sideload applications that are not available on the Mac App Store, even if they are available on iOS.
You can run iOS and iPadOS apps on your M1 Mac, but only if a developer supports it. According to the report, users had been transferring applications with tools like iMazing from their iPhones or iPad and could use them on their Apple Silicon computers, whether or not they had technical support. Now, when trying to sideload an application not available on the Mac App Store on a Mac M1 running macOS 11.2 beta, users will see an error message stating that the application “cannot be installed because the developer did not intend it to be run on this platform ”, according to a 9to5Mac screengrab.
Apple did not immediately return a request for comment on the change.
So, what is bothering developers who don’t want their applications to run on Macs? Well, a number of reasons, including how the application should work. If it was designed as a mobile experience, it may not work as expected on a Mac.
And while it looked like people were able to come up with a short-term workaround, it was probably only a matter of time before Apple ruined the fun, since Apple has always been an advocate of sideloading. You can do this on iOS, but it requires jailbreaking your phone, which comes with its own risks. However, it is much easier to run on Android.
The good news, according to 9to5Mac, is that the previously loaded software continued to work.
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