Native Mac apps built with Mac Catalyst can share code with your iPad apps, and you can add more features just for Mac. In macOS Big Sur, you can create even more powerful versions of your apps and take advantage of every pixel on the screen by running them at native Mac resolution. Apps built with Mac Catalyst can now be fully controlled using just the keyboard, access more iOS frameworks, and take advantage of the all-new look of macOS Big Sur. There’s never been a better time to turn your iPad app into a powerful Mac app.
Designed for macOS Big Sur.
When an app built with Mac Catalyst runs on macOS Big Sur, it automatically adopts the new design. The new Maps and Messages apps were built with the latest version of Mac Catalyst.
- For macOS users, just 'Drag to install Impactor in your Applications folder'. Connect your iOS device to the computer. Locate the.IPA file that you want to install. I recommend moving it to the Desktop. Open Cydia Impactor, it will recognize your iPhone or iPad. Now, click on the IPA, then drag & drop it over to Impactor.
- MacOS Catalina's iPad apps for the Mac are here, but the story is just getting started. Catalyst has been slow to take off on MacOS 10.15, but here's a look at the state of tablet apps migrating.
Fundamental Mac desktop and windowing features are added, and touch controls are adapted to the keyboard and mouse. By default, your app will scale to match the iPad’s resolution. On macOS Big Sur, you can choose “Optimize interface for Mac” to use the Mac idiom, running your app using the native resolution on Mac. This gives you full control of every pixel on the screen and allows your app to adopt. Jun 15, 2016 My wife needs to use IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) on her MAC. She uses the English US keyboard layout. I believe we need to use the MSK keyboard layout, but wondering with newer versions of OS 10, if there different ways to do this? Another point of discussion is how VO reads the IPA character set? Any help would be great. Apple used to make it super easy to get the IPA version of any app on your iPhone just by syncing the device with iTunes, but ever since iTunes 12.7, that's no longer possible.Now, whenever you need to dig into an IPA file, whether it's to reverse engineer it or simply to look for the URL scheme name for Workflow or app icon customization, you'll need to use another Apple app on your Mac.
Get a head start on your native Mac app.
Your iPad app can be made into an excellent Mac app. Now’s the perfect time to bring your app to life on Mac. The latest version of Xcode 12 is all you need. Begin by selecting the “Mac” checkbox in the project settings of your existing iPad app to create a native Mac app that you can enhance further. Your Mac and iPad apps share the same project and source code, making it easy to make changes in one place.
Optimize your interface for Mac.
Your newly created Mac app runs natively, utilizing the same frameworks, resources, and runtime environment as apps built just for Mac. Fundamental Mac desktop and windowing features are added, and touch controls are adapted to the keyboard and mouse. By default, your app will scale to match the iPad’s resolution. On macOS Big Sur, you can choose “Optimize interface for Mac” to use the Mac idiom, running your app using the native resolution on Mac. This gives you full control of every pixel on the screen and allows your app to adopt more controls specific to Mac, such as pull-down menus and checkboxes.
Even more powerful.
The new APIs and behaviors in macOS Big Sur let you create even more powerful Mac apps. Apps can now be fully controlled using just the keyboard. You can create out-of-window and detachable popovers, control window tabbing using new window APIs, and make it easier for users to select photos in your app by using the updated Photos picker. iOS Photos editing extensions can now be built to run on Mac. And your app is even easier to manage when it’s running in the background with improved app lifecycle APIs.
New and updated frameworks.
Mac Catalyst adds support for new and updated frameworks to extend what your apps can do on Mac. HomeKit support means home automation apps can run alongside the Home app on Mac. The addition of the ClassKit framework lets Mac apps track assignments and share progress with teachers and students. Plus, there are updates to many existing frameworks, including Accounts, Contacts, Core Audio, GameKit, MediaPlayer, PassKit, and StoreKit.
Tools and resources.
Download Xcode 12 beta and use these resources to build native Mac apps with Mac Catalyst.
Starting in macOS Catalina, Apple retired iTunes and replaced its functionality with a few different apps: Music, Books, Podcasts, and TV. But what about iTunes for iPhone, iPad, or iPod maintenance and updating?
The good news is that you can still use your Mac to update, restore, backup, and sync your iPhone and iPad. With macOS Catalina and above, it’s just a tad bit different because we now use the Finder app to do all that heavy lifting!
Contents
- 1 Why we recommend (and love) using our Macs to update our iPhones, iPads, and iPods
- 4 What else does Finder do for my iPhone, iPad, or iPod?
Related articles
Why we recommend (and love) using our Macs to update our iPhones, iPads, and iPods
We always update our iDevices using our Mac’s Finder (or previously iTunes) especially when Apple releases its major iOS and iPad updates. The main reason we do this is that Finder (iTunes) always installs a brand-new full version of iOS/iPadOS onto our devices.
When we update using the over-the-air method of Software Update in our device’s Settings app, that only install the code changes–so most of the code is carried over from previous iOS versions. This is called a delta update.
Our experience and our readers’ comments show us that these over-the-air delta updates cause a lot of problems and headaches in the long run. So that’s why we always update using our Macs and the Finder (or iTunes) apps!
For more information on Finder/iTunes updates vs. Over-The-Air, check out our article How & why you should update iOS or iPad OS for your iPhone or iPad using iTunes or Finder
Using a Windows machine? Wondering what’s happening with iTunes on Windows?
In short, nothing!
For folks using Windows machines, iTunes remains the go-to application for updating your iDevices. There is currently talk of a future update coming to Windows, but for now, Apple continues to support iTunes for Windows.
Using an older macOS or Mac OS X version?
Ipa App Store
For folks with older Macs that don’t support macOS Catalina and for folks not wanting to update, you can still use iTunes to update to the latest version of iOS and iPadOS.
For now, Apple continues to support iTunes for Windows (all versions) and for Macs (versions macOS Mojave and below.)
Not yet updated to macOS Catalina?
If you want to update to macOS Catalina and intending to update your iOS or iPadOS using your Mac’s Finder app, we recommend you first backup your iTunes library. Do these steps before updating to macOS Catalina.
How to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod using your Mac’s Finder app
- Turn on your Mac first
- Tap System Preferences > Software Update
- If there is a macOS update, perform this update first before updating your iPhone, iPad, or iPod
- Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your Mac
- If you see a message on your iDevice to “unlock iPad to use accessories,” tap your iDevice and enter your Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode to reach your home screen
- When connecting a device for the first time to your Mac after updating to macOS Catalina, you’re asked to trust the device
- Click the trust buttons on both devices (Mac and iDevice)
- Enter your device passcode on your device to confirm the trust relationship
- Open the Finder app on your Mac (easiest way to find is in your Dock)
- Look for your iDevice in Finder’s left sidebar under the Locations heading
- If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod doesn’t show up, unplug it from your Mac and plug it in again
- Select it to see the details panel information in the General tab
- We recommend backing your device up first, using Back Up Now
- To update your device to the latest iOS or iPadOS, tap the Check for Update button from the General tab
- Click Download and Update
- If asked, enter your passcode
- If you don’t know your passcode, check out our article
- Finder updates your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to the latest version of iOS using the full update (not the delta)
What else does Finder do for my iPhone, iPad, or iPod?
Finder pretty much does everything for your iDevice that iTunes did!
Manage your iDevice, back up, encrypt backups, and restore with Finder
Use An Ipa App On Macos Windows 10
Each time you connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, open it in your Finder app’s sidebar. Using Finder, you can back up, update, restore, and manage your device.
Plus, you can sync your music, movies, tv shows, podcasts, books, audiobooks, files, and photos (if you don’t use iCloud Photos) with Finder.
All you need to do to turn on syncing is tap each category, choose your sync options with a checkmark, and tap the large Sync button at the bottom of your iDevice’s Finder window, next to the storage graph.
One thing Finder does not do
Unlike earlier versions of iTunes, Finder does not include a feature that allows you to rearrange your iPhone, iPad, or iPod apps onto different home screens or folders on your device.
That feature was removed in later iTunes versions, and it does not come back in macOS Catalina.
To rearrange apps in iOS 13+ and iPadOS, there is a new Quick Actions option called Rearrange Apps. You see this option when long-pressing apps or folders on your home screen.
Quick Actions are similar to 3D Touch actions but don’t require the screen to have pressure sensitivity technology built-in. To access Quick Actions, press and hold an app icon or folder icon to quickly perform actions specific to the app or folder.
For most of her professional life, Amanda Elizabeth (Liz for short) trained all sorts of folks on how to use media as a tool to tell their own unique stories. She knows a thing or two about teaching others and creating how-to guides!
Her clients include Edutopia, Scribe Video Center, Third Path Institute, Bracket, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Big Picture Alliance.
Elizabeth received her Master of Fine Arts degree in media making from Temple University, where she also taught undergrads as an adjunct faculty member in their department of Film and Media Arts.