Apple is blocking users from sideloading iOS apps on M1 Macs

Users trying to sideload apps on the new M1 Macs are being greeted with an error message.

When Apple launched the M1 chip, it opened up the possibility for iPhone and iPad apps to run natively on the new machines. But some developers did not put their apps on the Mac App Store - these were the apps most users are trying to sideload.  (9to5Mac)

Apple launched its new M1 Macs last year and at that point there was a tool that rolled out that allowed users to sideload unsupported iOS applications. Apple has now blocked this workaround.

So far, users were able to download the tool called iMazing which allowed the installation of .IPA files. This made it possible to run iOS apps like Instagram and Netflix, as XDA Developers explains, that could not be downloaded on M1 Macs otherwise. A recent server update that Apple has rolled out has made this process difficult, if not impossible.

“The change itself was made to the App Store system that delivers the actual .IPA file and it is all part of Apple's APIs that manage the DRM (Digital Rights Management) protections of the operating system. Because of this, it's unlikely that a workaround will present itself in the future,” explained 9to5Mac.

Post the update if you try to sideload any iOS or iPad app, you get to see an error message on the M1 Mac running macOS Big Sur 11.2 beta. The pop-up warning explains that iOS apps that are sideloaded can't be uninstalled because “the developers did not intend for it to run on this platform”.

Users on macOS Big Sur 11.1 are also seeing the same error message.

When Apple launched the M1 chip, it opened up the possibility for iPhone and iPad apps to run natively on the new machines. Many apps are already available on the Mac App Store for download, but developers can also opt-out for their apps to be made available on the Mac. As a result though, many popular apps are not available for M1 Macs yet and that's what brings in the need to sideload them.

Over time, when Apple moves its entire lineup of Macs to the M1 chips or the next-gen Apple Silicon, more developers are expected to come on board and make their apps available on the Mac App Store.

If you already have apps sideloaded on the M1 Mac, those should work, however, if you try to sideload new apps that is not going to happen.