After M1 Macs was launched by Apple, a tool was also released along with it which allowed users to sideload unsupported iOS applications. Now, Apple has blocked this workaround just a few months after the launch.
Till now, users could download the tool iMazing and install the unsupported .IPA files. this meant that the users could use iOS apps like Netflix and Instagram that are not available for download on M1-equipped Macs. But a recent server-side update from Apple has now made doing this much more tougher but also possible at the same time.
9to5Mac explained that the change was made to the App Store system which delivers the actual .IPA file and it is actually a part of Apple’s API that manage the DRM (Digital Rights Management) protections of the operating system. This is the reason why it is unlikely that a workaround will be present in the future.
An error messages shows that when users try to sideload an iPhone or iPad app on an M1 Mac running on macOS Big Sur 11.2 beta. the popup states that iOS apps that are sideloaded cannot be installed because the developer did not intend for it to be running on this platform. Users running their system on macOS Big Sur have also been able to see the error message.
When M1 chip was released, it opened potential for iPhone and iPad apps to run natively on the new machines. While many apps are available for download via Mac App Store, developers can opt-out of their apps being available on the Mac. So, many popular apps are not yet available for M1 Macs, and so sideloading was a very big deal.
Because Apple moves its complete lineup of Macs mainly to M1 chips, hopefully, the developers will make the apps available. 9to5Mac added that if you have apps that are sideloaded on M1 Mac, they will still run. But if you attempt to install the new ones, you are out of luck.