Side loading of iOS apps is no longer possible on Macs M1

This week, Apple implemented a server lock mechanism to prevent Mac M1 owners from downloading iOS apps that weren’t available on the Mac by iOS app developers.

As he points out 9to5Mac, it is no longer possible to use third-party applications such as iMazing to get an .ipa file from the application to install on a Mac ‌M1‌, an alternative solution that has been available since the release of Mac M1.

If you try to load an application using the above working method, an error occurs saying “This application cannot be installed because the developer did not intend it to run on this platform.”

App developers have the option to make their iPhone and iPad apps available on Mac ‌M1‌, but they can also choose not to. Most popular apps like Netflix, Hulu, Instagram and others have chosen not to make their iOS apps available on Mac ‌M1‌ and previously it was possible to install and use them with apps like iMazing or Apple Configurator 2 , but that’s over.

The only ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ applications that can be installed on ‌M1‌ Macs are those that the developers have explicitly marked and illuminated in green for use on Macs. Side-loaded applications that are already running can still be used, as this only affects new application installations. The same goes for previously downloaded .ipa files.

Apple has disabled the side-loading application feature on Macs ‌M1‌ with MacOS Big Sur 11.1 and ‌macOS Big Sur‌ 11.2 beta.