Why aren’t there more iOS apps on Mac M1’s?

[mi7chy]

I still don't get it. How could touch input on a large screen, like the 24 inch iMac, to be considered as "good user experience"? Your finger has to travel longer as the screen goes bigger, and once we reached a certain size, you will have to move your whole arm, instead only your fingers, to operate on a touch screen, and for Macs, this is usually the case.

Ever heard of Surface Studio? Also, nobody complained going from 3.5" to 12.9" which is a bigger jump than 12.9" to 24". There are even touch presentation displays like the Surface Hub 2S up to 85".

If you take, for example, a touch based game and try to use it with a mouse the user experience sucks because you have to awkwardly hold down the mouse button all the time to simulate touching the screen. Sucks more with touchpad since you run out of touchpad real estate. Touch input sucks a lot less.

 

[Gnattu]

Ever heard of Surface Studio?

Isn't this thing dead? You can no longer buy it from Microsoft and it did not receive updates since 2018. The failure of such product just proved that super large touchscreen is not that useful.

a touch based game and try to use it with a mouse the user experience sucks because you have to awkwardly hold down the mouse button all the time to simulate touching the screen

You are reminding me lots of games use touch screen to simulate a game controller. For such kind of game, how about connect a REAL game controller and use that instead? For the real games designed for touch screen(like some rhythm games), yes you indeed need a touch screen, but I doubt if such games have a significant enough number to introduce a hardware design change.

 

[IngoX]

Ever heard of Surface Studio? Also, nobody complained going from 3.5" to 12.9" which is a bigger jump than 12.9" to 24". There are even touch presentation displays like the Surface Hub 2S up to 85".

If you take, for example, a touch based game and try to use it with a mouse the user experience sucks because you have to awkwardly hold down the mouse button all the time to simulate touching the screen. Sucks more with touchpad since you run out of touchpad real estate. Touch input sucks a lot less.

A 3,5” iphone or 12.9” iPad has a viewing distance shorter than your comfortably bent arm. If I was developing a app for those devices that suddenly could be installed on a 24” or 85” touch screen I would certainly opt out of that possibility, at least until I had the time to develop an alternate interface for the app.

We might se touch screens on mac laptops in the future, but I doubt it. As for how iOS apps without any adaptation at all behaves on M1 macOS it is not perfect, but yet usable. But somtimes really awkward, so that is a reason to opt out.

 

[Krevnik]

Guess one reason could be a little laziness, for example developers for eero don´t want to bother with bug-reports for another system. "We make an Android and iOS app for our hardware, thats enough. A little uncertain what Apple silicon is or the usability on that platform, so lets inactivate that posibility for now"

Opposite example is Ikea Home smart for Trådfri-devices. Looks and works exactly the same on iOS and macOS, got an update to both devices today. Even though its labeled "Not verified for macOS"

Speaking of that, I wonder how many of them are web app wrappers, Electron, etc.

 

[JohnHerzog]

There is this

PlayCover allows you to run iOS apps & games on M1 Mac with mouse, keyboard and controller support.

The only drawback is that it requires you to disable SIP, and for that reason I have not installed it - But others may be still be interested.

Watch video for fresh setup:

GitHub - iVoider/PlayCover: PlayCover is a project that allows you to sideload iOS apps on macOS (currently arm, Intel support will be tested)

PlayCover is a project that allows you to sideload iOS apps on macOS (currently arm, Intel support will be tested) - GitHub - iVoider/PlayCover: PlayCover is a project that allows you to sideload i...

github.com

 

[MK500]

Situation will improve once Macbooks get touch input otherwise not a good user experience plus extra dev work to convert full screen touch based apps to non-touch devices.

In all honesty I don't see a need for this. I tested dozens of apps when side loading was possible, and the trackpad worked fine for me. Having to move my hand up to the screen and touch it would be awkward and uncomfortable. Obviously there are some applications that require a touch interface; but they are rare, and in that case it's best to just use your iPad probably.

Apple did a really good job handling the touch -> trackpad translation. It also shows just how simple most iOS apps' touch interfaces are.

I don't know if any of the "we get to choose where you run it!" devs have been googling the "scene" that is developing quickly. There are whole ecosystems built around running apps on M1 that aren't supposed to. Reminds me a lot of the CD to legal music download (iTunes) days. And by the way; they are profiting off your apps.

Users just want the ability to easily buy your app and run it where they want; if you don't let them, many will end up stealing it instead. So in the end it screws the developers as well as the users to have this artificial limitation. Unintended consequences.

Seriously...if I can run your app on my iPad 1 foot to the left of me; it's is insane to not allow me to run it on my Mac screen. I get that you don't want to support it, but probably you are getting support requests already from folks who are illegally downloading it through other services...and with zero income from it.

Developers need to face up to the fact that every M1 Mac is also an iOS device as well today. Otherwise ask the music labels how the MP3/Napster era went for them.

 

[mi7chy]

It won't be a direct touch experience but you can get by with lesser experience with touchpad. Only issue is the 24" iMac comes bundled with mouse and not touchpad so things like scrolling will be awkward. Expect to fork out $129 for the Magic Trackpad. Can also understand from dev point of view for blocking since they don't want negative reviews for things outside of their control.

 

[cupcakes2000]

It won't be a direct touch experience but you can get by with lesser experience with touchpad. Only issue is the 24" iMac comes bundled with mouse and not touchpad so things like scrolling will be awkward. Expect to fork out $129 for the Magic Trackpad. Can also understand from dev point of view for blocking since they don't want negative reviews for things outside of their control.

You can just substitute a trackpad for a mouse - you don’t have to pay any extra. Like always has been the case.

 

[mi7chy]

You can just substitute a trackpad for a mouse - you don’t have to pay any extra. Like always has been the case.

24" iMac

 

[appleArticulate]

You don’t want users to have access to the content in your app’s bundle or data container

I don't think non-developers realize just how significant this one is for a lot of people.

 

[appleArticulate]

Situation will improve once Macbooks get touch input

This will absolutely, positively, never happen.

 

[FMRWin10Boy]

I used to a big fan of the Surface Pro. I owned one for five years before upgrading to the Surface Pro 7. I thought that I couldn’t live without a touch screen, and even wanted to purchase a 27” touch monitor. However, after moving to macOS in 2020, I find that I don’t miss the touch screen and I get more done with a ball mouse. However, I did get an iPad for browsing on the couch.

 

[robco74]

Universal app purchase is separate from running iOS/iPadOS apps on the Mac. But both are up to the developer to determine. If Apple had not given devs the option to opt-out, then the negative press would be how Apple is hostile to developers.

 

[CASMAS]

1. All iOS/iPadOS apps need to optimize and rebuild such as UI just for Mac which costs money and time.
2. macOS isn't a great platform even for iOS/iPadOS app developers.
3. Apple isn't forcing developers to support mobile apps on Mac.

 

[pgharavi]

When I first found out such a thing was even possible, I thrilled. Wanted to try Final Fantasy Tactics: Wrath of the Lions. Only later did I find out that not all apps are even available to download

 

[ADGrant]

I used to a big fan of the Surface Pro. I owned one for five years before upgrading to the Surface Pro 7. I thought that I couldn’t live without a touch screen, and even wanted to purchase a 27” touch monitor. However, after moving to macOS in 2020, I find that I don’t miss the touch screen and I get more done with a ball mouse. However, I did get an iPad for browsing on the couch.

I own a 12.9" M1 iPad Pro which I use almost exclusively with the Magic keyboard case. I hardly ever use the touch screen, instead I mostly use the trackpad.

So I pretty much have an M1 MacBook that runs all the iOS apps and none of the MacOS apps.

 

[MK500]

1. All iOS/iPadOS apps need to optimize and rebuild such as UI just for Mac which costs money and time.

Absolutely not true. I tested dozens of apps when side loading worked and I think I found maybe one app with a problem that could use some optimization. This is a fallacy. Apple did a really good job on the emulation layer; iOS apps just work fine on macOS.

Most of the apps I tested -- ones I use all the time -- were blocked by the developers once apple enabled this. So now I have lost the ability to use these the apps on my Mac. And there was NO NEED for them to optimize or rebuild. All the developers had to do was not block.

I get that developers don't want to support Mac users, but as I said in my previous post, many users may begin to use one of the platforms that allows them to side load. When they do that they will STILL ask for support. And the developers won't know if they are legitimate support requests or not; so will likely just offer support. And users who use the side load platforms often don't bother paying for the app -- because that is possible with these workarounds. So how is this better for the developers who STILL get support questions and IS NOT getting paid? And also this is clearly worse for the users who generally prefer a legitimate App Store experience.

Developers who are thinking this way really need to think this through logically. It is non-sensical to actively block an app from being used on a particular system the customer owns. Especially when there are workarounds that are much worse for everyone.

Why aren’t there more iOS apps on Mac M1’s?

In all honesty I don't see a need for this. I tested dozens of apps when side loading was possible, and the trackpad worked fine for me. Having to move my hand up to the screen and touch it would be awkward and uncomfortable. Obviously there are some applications that require a touch interface...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[bobcomer]

Absolutely not true. I tested dozens of apps when side loading worked and I think I found maybe one app with a problem that could use some optimization. This is a fallacy. Apple did a really good job on the emulation layer; iOS apps just work fine on macOS.

Most of the apps I tested -- ones I use all the time -- were blocked by the developers once apple enabled this. So now I have lost the ability to use these the apps on my Mac. And there was NO NEED for them to optimize or rebuild. All the developers had to do was not block.

I get that developers don't want to support Mac users, but as I said in my previous post, many users may begin to use one of the platforms that allows them to side load. When they do that they will STILL ask for support. And the developers won't know if they are legitimate support requests or not; so will likely just offer support. And users who use the side load platforms often don't bother paying for the app -- because that is possible with these workarounds. So how is this better for the developers who STILL get support questions and IS NOT getting paid? And also this is clearly worse for the users who generally prefer a legitimate App Store experience.

Developers who are thinking this way really need to think this through logically. It is non-sensical to actively block an app from being used on a particular system the customer owns. Especially when there are workarounds that are much worse for everyone.

Why aren’t there more iOS apps on Mac M1’s?

In all honesty I don't see a need for this. I tested dozens of apps when side loading was possible, and the trackpad worked fine for me. Having to move my hand up to the screen and touch it would be awkward and uncomfortable. Obviously there are some applications that require a touch interface...

forums.macrumors.com

That's my experience as well except I didn't find any that didn't work correctly back when I could install iOS apps on my M1 MBA. Even games. They work just as well with a mouse as with touch. This is a real sour point for me...

 

[CASMAS]

Absolutely not true. I tested dozens of apps when side loading worked and I think I found maybe one app with a problem that could use some optimization. This is a fallacy. Apple did a really good job on the emulation layer; iOS apps just work fine on macOS.

Most of the apps I tested -- ones I use all the time -- were blocked by the developers once apple enabled this. So now I have lost the ability to use these the apps on my Mac. And there was NO NEED for them to optimize or rebuild. All the developers had to do was not block.

I get that developers don't want to support Mac users, but as I said in my previous post, many users may begin to use one of the platforms that allows them to side load. When they do that they will STILL ask for support. And the developers won't know if they are legitimate support requests or not; so will likely just offer support. And users who use the side load platforms often don't bother paying for the app -- because that is possible with these workarounds. So how is this better for the developers who STILL get support questions and IS NOT getting paid? And also this is clearly worse for the users who generally prefer a legitimate App Store experience.

Developers who are thinking this way really need to think this through logically. It is non-sensical to actively block an app from being used on a particular system the customer owns. Especially when there are workarounds that are much worse for everyone.

Why aren’t there more iOS apps on Mac M1’s?

In all honesty I don't see a need for this. I tested dozens of apps when side loading was possible, and the trackpad worked fine for me. Having to move my hand up to the screen and touch it would be awkward and uncomfortable. Obviously there are some applications that require a touch interface...

forums.macrumors.com

First of all, Apple is not allowing side loading and without optimizations like Among Us, it's quite useless. For example, how do you even use keyboard on game apps? This is something you can not just use on Mac. If not, how come many developers blocked their apps on macOS if optimization isn't the problem? They do aware that it's more than that and it's difficult to use without optimizations such as UI and control.

And macOS isn't that profitable platform even for mobile developers. This is why most of them aren't even optimized and supporting macOS.

 

[bobcomer]

If not, how come many developers blocked their apps on macOS if optimization isn't the problem?

No clue, because like I said, apps just worked back when I could use them. My guess is snobbishness, or thinking they want to make more money from the Mac, but they don't care to put in the work to make that happen.

 

[kvlq]

There is this

PlayCover allows you to run iOS apps & games on M1 Mac with mouse, keyboard and controller support.

The only drawback is that it requires you to disable SIP, and for that reason I have not installed it - But others may be still be interested.

Watch video for fresh setup:

GitHub - iVoider/PlayCover: PlayCover is a project that allows you to sideload iOS apps on macOS (currently arm, Intel support will be tested)

PlayCover is a project that allows you to sideload iOS apps on macOS (currently arm, Intel support will be tested) - GitHub - iVoider/PlayCover: PlayCover is a project that allows you to sideload i...

github.com

Doesn’t work for me.. does someone else tried?

 

[CASMAS]

Doesn’t work for me.. does someone else tried?

Doesn't work for me too.

 

[SpecMode]

No clue, because like I said, apps just worked back when I could use them. My guess is snobbishness, or thinking they want to make more money from the Mac, but they don't care to put in the work to make that happen.

Keep in mind that the vast majority of app developers are solo endeavors — there's a single person doing all the work, often on a limited budget and with limited time and resources (as a hobby or second job, perhaps). While many apps will work just fine on an M1 Mac, many will not for various reasons (they rely exclusively on touchscreen input; they rely on hardware that only exists on an iPhone or iPad; they use frameworks or third-party components that don't exist or don't behave properly on macOS, etc etc) and many app developers simply don't have the time or resources to fix those issues right away (if at all), nor to deal with the bad reviews and bug reports that would inevitably result from users downloading and trying to use an app that doesn't work properly.

 

[mr_roboto]

To make matters worse; when the M1 launched you could run all apps you own. Then Apple patched it so the developers could opt out.

No, developers always had the option to opt out. The only things which changed post-launch were:

1. A whole bunch of developers got surprised by suddenly receiving Mac bug reports, and once they figured out what was going on, decided to opt out of letting their app run on Macs, either temporarily or permanently.

2. Developers complained about the ease with which end users could bypass their opt-out settings, so Apple closed the main loopholes.

 

[subjonas]

Ever heard of Surface Studio? Also, nobody complained going from 3.5" to 12.9" which is a bigger jump than 12.9" to 24". There are even touch presentation displays like the Surface Hub 2S up to 85".

If you take, for example, a touch based game and try to use it with a mouse the user experience sucks because you have to awkwardly hold down the mouse button all the time to simulate touching the screen. Sucks more with touchpad since you run out of touchpad real estate. Touch input sucks a lot less.

Obviously we don’t have survey numbers but I’d be willing to bet most Surface Studio users are in it for the pen input rather than touch. I base this on seeing so many Cintiq pen displays in the wild over many years but practically none with the touch option.
Not to mention, I have the Surface Laptop Studio and even for that, most of the time that I touch it is on accident. I actually wish I could turn off touch.
Touch is much more useful on devices that you hold.