You can now launch an iPhone or iPad app on an M1 Mac in full screen

Macbook M1 Ios Apps (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

What you need to know

iPhone and iPad apps on Mac can now be used in full-screen mode.

Reported by The 8-Bit (via MacRumors), you can now run iOS and iPadOS apps in full screen on an Apple silicon Mac. The change was silently part of macOS Big Sur version 11.1, which released to the public yesterday.

While the major features of macOS Big Sur 11.1 included things like support for Apple's new AirPods Max headphones, a dedicated Apple TV+ tab in the TV app, support for Apple ProRAW, and privacy labels in the App Store, Apple also slid in the ability to run an iPhone or iPad app in full screen on the new M1-based Macs.

macOS 11.1 allows the HBO Max iPad app to go full screen. Our long national nightmare is over.macOS 11.1 allows the HBO Max iPad app to go full screen. Our long national nightmare is over.— Chris Domico (@chrisdomico) December 14, 2020 December 14, 2020

When users were first trying out iPhone and iPad apps on the Mac, many complained that apps could not go full screen. Even video apps that were highlighted during Apple's presentation like HBO Max were stuck in a small window which made using the app on Mac quite useless. Now, you can run all of those apps in full-screen mode.

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.

While these apps will most likely improve once the developer optimizes them for the Mac, it is great to know that little changes like this can have a major impact on users in the meantime. For those looking to try out an iPhone or iPad app on their Mac, you will need a Mac with the new M1 processor. You'll find the "Designed for iPhone" or "Designed for iPad" apps in the Mac App Store.

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.