Sideloading iOS Apps No Longer Possible on M1 Macs

Apple this week implemented a server side blocking mechanism to prevent M1 Mac owners from sideloading iOS apps that have not been made available on the Mac by iOS app developers.

m1 mac sideload disabled

Image via 9to5Mac

As noted by 9to5Mac, it is no longer possible to use third-party apps like iMazing to obtain an app .ipa file to install it on an ‌M1‌ Mac, a workaround that has been available since M1 Macs launched.

Attempting to sideload an app using the previously working method now results in an error that says "This application cannot be installed because the developer did not intend for it to run on this platform."

App developers have the option to make their iPhone and iPad apps available on ‌M1‌ Macs, but they can also choose not to do so. Popular apps like Netflix, Hulu, Instagram, and others have opted not to make their iOS apps available on ‌M1‌ Macs and it was previously possible to install and use them with apps like iMazing or Apple Configurator 2, but that has ended.

The only ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps that can be installed on ‌M1‌ Macs are those that developers have expressly flagged and greenlit for use on Macs. Sideloaded apps already up and running can still be used, as this only affects new app installations. The same goes for previously downloaded .ipa files.

Apple has disabled the sideloading app feature on ‌M1‌ Macs running macOS Big Sur 11.1 and the macOS Big Sur 11.2 beta.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

Protocol41 Avatar
58 months ago
Did you really think you owned your Apple hardware?
Score: 85 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cupcakes2000 Avatar
58 months ago

Apple being Apple. All of a sudden old macs become gems.
Good luck sideloading iPad apps on those ?
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
edk99 Avatar
58 months ago

Haha. That’s so Apple. That’s the way isn’t heading isn’t it? Apple will decide what you can and cannot run.
Nope you have it wrong. It is the developer of the app that has decided that they don't want it to run on M1 Macs. Apple is just enforcing what the developer wants.
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArPe Avatar
58 months ago

Did you really think you owned your Apple hardware?
You own your hardware. But software since the 70s has always had a license agreement that you agree not to pirate or use software that hasn’t been distributed according to official agreements. That goes for whether you buy software in a physical store or online.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marbles1 Avatar
58 months ago
Haha. That’s so Apple. That’s the way isn’t heading isn’t it? Apple will decide what you can and cannot run.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
58 months ago
Cultured Code will be sighing relief.

Now there's no choice but to spend £50 on their Mac App Things, which conveniently is identical to their £10 iOS app.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)