One of the advantages of Mac models equipped with M1 is the ability to run iOS applications. However, a change in the latest macOS beta indicates that Apple may restrict this.
Earlier today, Apple released the latest beta version of macOS 11.2 Big Sur to developers. According to reports, the beta code shows that Apple may be preventing users from sideloading unsupported iOS apps on the M1 Mac.
This discovery comes from internal code shared between iOS 14.4 and the latest beta version of macOS 11.2 Big Sur. The new systems discovered in these latest beta versions will completely prevent users from installing some iOS apps. Specifically, this will prevent users from downloading iOS apps that the developers did not provide for the M1 Mac through the Mac App Store.
Currently, users can download the IPA file through the registered Apple ID, and manually install the iOS application directly on the M1 Mac.
The code found is related to the API protected by the management operating system DRM (Digital Rights Management). It is currently impossible to confirm whether this lock is already running on macOS Big Sur 11.2 Beta 2, or Apple may enable it remotely after the user updates.
If this does work for the end user, the following will be the pop-up window they see when they try to install an unsupported application:
This application cannot be installed because the developer has no plans to run it on this platform.
So far, Apple has not confirmed any such changes, whether for the public or developers. However, this situation may change in the near future. It is worth noting that in the latest beta version, unsupported iOS applications can still be sideloaded.