How to Run iOS Apps on an M1 Mac

Have you heard about Apple’s new M1 Mac recently? So, what is Apple M1(also called Apple Silicon)? Apple M1 is a chip developed and designed by Apple equipped on the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini. The Apple M1 is an ARM-based chip. This means that your M1 Mac and your iPhone/iPad have more commonality, and even you can run iOS Apps on the M1 Mac.

However, at present, not all applications support running on M1 computers, and some applications are not yet compatible. So, how to run both compatible and incompatible apps on the Mac? Please refer to the following three methods on how to run iOS apps on Mac.

Way 1. Run iPhone and iPad Apps on Mac Directly

There is a direct method that explains how to install iPhone and iPad apps on the new M1 Mac through the Mac App Store (only apps that match the M1 Mac). For your convenience, we have shown some simple steps. You can follow these steps to install and run iPhone and iPad apps on your new M1 Mac.

Step 1. First, open the ‌Mac App Store on your Mac.

Step 2. Then, click on your Profile/Name at the bottom left of the application.

Step 3. Select “iPhone & iPad apps” under the account. Or you can search the app on the search bar to see if you can download it.

Step 4. Click on the download button to install and run the app on your M1 mac.

Way 2. Run iOS Apps on M1 Mac via iMobie M1 App Checker

For those applications that cannot be downloaded directly in the Mac App Store, you can use iMobie M1 App Checker to help you check, download and run not only the iPhone apps but also iPad apps on your M1 Mac. There are what iMobie M1 App Checker can do for you:

1. Check if the apps on your Mac/iPhone are M1 compatible.
2. Check the compatibility of the hot apps on the market.
3. Run almost any iOS apps on M1 Mac by exporting .ipa files.

Part 1. Use iMobie M1 App Checker (Online) to Check M1 App Compatibility

Step 1. Search for iMobie M1 App Checker in your browser.

Step 2. Click on the Check iPhone/iPad Apps mode.

Step 3. You can scroll down to browse the App list, or search for the App name.

Step 4. The search result “Yes, go to download” means this app is M1 ready. Just click on the “download” button, you will go to the Apple Store page to download the app over there. “Not yet, go to export .ipa” means you fail to download the app you are searching for from the M1 App Store.

However, for those apps with the result of “Not yet, go to export .ipa”, you can also access the app on the iMobie M1 App Checker (Desktop). Following the steps below to download and run iOS apps on an M1 Mac.

Part 2. Run Any iOS Apps on M1 Mac by iMobie M1 App Checker (Desktop)

We will take the YouTube app as an example to show you how to do:

Step 1. Free download iMobie M1 App Checker (Desktop) > Install and launch it on your M1 Mac > Choose the iPhone App mode > Search “YouTube” to find the result.

Step 2. Select the first app and click on the Download icon to access the .ipa file.

Step 3. Then, you need to sign in with your Apple ID.

Step 4. The app will be stored in the App Library > Then, click on the Transfer icon to store the .ipa file to your M1 Mac > Launch the .ipa file on your M1 Mac and you can run the app normally.

You May Like: How to Check Apple M1 App Compatibility on Mac >

Way 3. Run the iOS Apps on Mac via Apple Configurator 2

Apple Configurator 2 is a configuration tool for Mac users to deploy a number of Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV. Connect the devices to your Mac via the USB cable, you can quickly configure the settings, apps and data on your devices.

Although Apple says it is mainly for school and business needs, ordinary mac users can also download the Apple Configurator 2 for free from the Mac App Store and use it to download and run the iOS Apps on M1 mac.

Step 1. Download Apple Configurator 2 > Connect the iPhone/iPad to your Mac with a USB cable.

Step 2. Then click Add > Apps on the menu > Sign in your Apple ID.

Step 3. Choose/Search for the app that you want to download > Tap on Add to download it.

Step 4. You will see a warning message on the screen, do not tap it, just leave it there.

Step 5. Then go to Finder and press the button of “Shift+Command+G” to open the Go to folder menu.

Step 6. Paste this “~ / Library / GroupContainers / K36BKF7T3D.group.com.apple.configurator / Library / Caches /Assets / TemporaryItems / MobileApps”

Step 7. You need to double click on the IPA file that appears on the folders and then open the Terminal on your mac and paste “sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine” but do not hit the enter button.

Step 8. Press the space bar to add a space after the text, and then drag your application from the “Applications” folder to the “Terminal” window. This will add the path of the application to the end of the line you pasted.

Step 9. Press “Enter” and enter the password, then press “Enter” again.

Step 10. You can run your app from Applications now. (Please note that the iOS app won’t run until you approve it to run on your system.)

This method is a bit complicated and highly professional. If you are not sure whether you can operate the Apple Configurator 2 to run iOS app on your M1 mac, please refer to method 2 which allows you to run iPhone or iPad Apps on M1 mac with a few simple clicks.

A Bonus Tip: How to Transfer App from iPhone to Mac

No matter you want to run the app on the computer, or just want to keep the app data on the computer to prevent them from loss, a professional app transfer tool can complete the job without any effort. Let’s meet AppTrans, the most professional iPhone/iPad app transfer tool around, which supports transfer app and their data from iPhone/iPad to another phone or computer.

Not only app transfer is its highlight feature, but AppTrans can also easily back up, restore app and app data from backups. To restore/transfer WhatsApp messages is also a piece of cake via AppTrans. Such a professional and powerful tool would be the best choice if you are facing the issue of app transferring, restoring, or coping apps.

The Bottom Line

The above are three methods on how to run an iOS app on macOS. There is no doubt that iMobie M1 App Checker is your best choice. Why not download it and have a try? If you think this article is helpful to you, please share it with your family and friends.