macOS Big Sur 11.1 Enables Full-Screen iPhone and iPad Apps on M1 Macs - MacRumors
Skip to Content

macOS Big Sur 11.1 Enables Full-Screen iPhone and iPad Apps on M1 Macs

by

Apple yesterday released macOS Big Sur version 11.1, with headline new features including AirPods Max support, privacy labels in the Mac App Store, a dedicated Apple TV+ tab in the TV app, and the ability to edit ProRAW photos in the Photos app.

full screen ios app m1 mac
Another notable change mentioned in the update's release notes is the ability for iPhone and iPad apps with non-resizable windows to enter full-screen mode on Macs with the M1 chip, which is particularly useful for video apps like HBO Max. macOS 11.1 also allows iPhone and iPad app windows to be switched between landscape and portrait orientations.

As noted by The 8-Bit, users on Reddit have confirmed that full-screen mode works as expected with games like XCOM and Tropico.

It is only possible to run iPhone and iPad apps on Macs with the M1 chip, which shares the same Arm architecture as A-series chips in the iPhone and iPad. Mobile apps are labeled with "Designed for iPhone" or "Designed for iPad" in the Mac App Store.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Read Full Article • 25 comments
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
Read Full Article • 47 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...
Read Full Article • 88 comments

Top Rated Comments

M
Maconplasma
69 months ago

Does it fix the signature issue in mail?
Nothing says off topic more than this post. Thread is about full screen iOS games on the M1 Mac. 🙄
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
dannyyankou
69 months ago

Hilarious to see how these games pan out without a touch screen 😂
A controller?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crawfish963 Avatar
crawfish963
69 months ago

A controller can only do so much to most games and apps that utilize swipes be complex finger movements.

Example: Fruit Ninja
I have never said to myself, "Hey, I really want to play fruit ninja-an app designed for a phone-on my M1 Mac."
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
warp9 Avatar
warp9
69 months ago

Still looks boxy to me, I presume it's not scaled up, it's simply full screen?!
I tested it with my own published game (that dynamically scales to fit the resolution) and it runs as an ipad app just scaled up. It's slightly blurry on a 4k screen.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
macbookfan
69 months ago

Can someone tell me how to exit full screen mode when in clamshell mode? The ESC button does noting. The only way I've been able to close a full screen universal app is to open the clamshell and multi swipe on the trackpad. Theres gotta be a better way right?
Esc button doesn't work? Very strange. Did you try tabbing out?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
dannyyankou
69 months ago

A controller can only do so much to most games and apps that utilize swipes be complex finger movements.

Example: Fruit Ninja
Try playing fruit ninja for 5 minutes on a vertical touchscreen. It would be very uncomfortable.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments