Having macOS run iOS programs directly is nothing new. Since the advent of the M1 series of Macs, we can even download and install supported iOS apps directly in the Mac App Store and use keyboard and mouse to simulate touch operations on macOS. While there are already many iOS apps that directly support installation on macOS, there are still some app developers who choose to remove their iOS apps from the Mac App Store in order to reduce development costs or worry about other factors.
If we still want to run these applications on M1-series Macs that are fully supported by the system architecture, then we need special means — sideloading, or sideloading — to install these iOS applications. This was a routine operation prior to macOS 11.2.3, which we call the "pre-macOS sideloading" era.
Obviously, Apple doesn't want us to make it easy to successfully run unverified, unsupported iOS apps directly on macOS. The simple "sideloading" that was allowed was disabled by Apple in the macOS 11.3 update, and naturally the latest macOS Monterey 12.1 is not supported. Therefore, in the "post-macOS sideloading" era, we need the help of PlayCover, a helper specifically designed to install iOS apps on the M1 Mac, to be able to fully install and experience unsupported iOS apps on the M1 Mac.
Run the PlayCover-installed Protoss on M1 Mac
▍PlayCover Introduction
Advantages of PlayCover in the post-macOS sideload era
As mentioned earlier, although it is still the principle of "sideloading", PlayCover itself is already a complete set of auxiliary software to run iOS programs on macOS, compared to the "pre-macOS sideloading" era, PlayCover:
Ability to easily install iOS apps on M1 Mac via decrypted IPA;
It has complete keyboard shortcut mapping and mouse operation mapping, and supports shortcut map export and import;
It was also the only way we installed iOS apps on M1 Mac during the "post macOS sideload" period;
In addition, PlayCover's official maintenance team responds to problems in a timely manner, the community resources are rich, and the developer updates and maintenance places are also very frequent, so it is recommended that everyone install and use.
▍ Install PlayCover
Although PlayCover has been out for some time and has its own official website (https://www.playcover.me), it is still in beta, and developer announcements and release channels are focused on PlayCover's official Discord server. It is recommended that you join the official Discord as a priority to get the latest development progress, changelog, and support for troubleshooting.
At present, the latest PlayCover version is 0.9.63, after joining the official Discord, you can see the update information released by the developer in the #announcements Channel, click the attachment to download and install.
PlayCover's official Discord server
Another thing to note is that since the PlayCover developers have not signed their own software, they need to enter the "Applications" folder of macOS when opening PlayCover for the first time, and after finding PlayCover, "Right-click - Open" can run normally, so that macOS is directly forbidden to run and prompts us to move the software into the Trash.
▍ Use PlayCover to install iOS apps
Gets the decrypted iOS app IPA installation package
It should be noted that PlayCover installs iOS apps through IPA files, and PlayCover only supports the installation of IPA files exported from jailbroken iOS devices, and does not support "pre-macOS sideloading" era of "pre-macOS sideloading" era with unleaded IPA files such as iMazing. This means that if we want to install an iOS app, we either need a jailbroken iOS device to export the IPA file or wait for other helpful classmates to share their exported decrypted IPA file.
Fortunately, the PlayCover community has a wealth of decrypted IPA resources, uploaded and shared by members of the official Discord server. We can find an IPA file available for download in the #decrypted-ipas channel, use Discord to search for keywords in the channel to find the corresponding IPA, and click the share link to download the decrypted IPA to the M1 Mac for installation. Some IPAs have also been uploaded and organized to the PlayCover IPA sharing site, and we can also go directly to search for downloads.
A decrypted IPA sharing channel on PlayCover's official Discord server
▍ Install IPA with PlayCover
After getting our decrypted IPA installation file, we open the PlayCover, select the Add app, and select the IPA you just downloaded in the Finder to install, PlayCover will make a series of signatures, modifications, etc. on the application, bypassing Apple's restrictions, successfully installing the iOS application on the M1 Mac, and installing a series of auxiliary tools such as PlayTools, making it more convenient for us to use the iOS application on the Mac.
PlayCover app main interface
Such installed applications can be seen and clicked to run directly on the main PlayCover interface, some supported applications (such as Yuanshen) can also click the green maximize button to display the window in full screen, and right-click the installed iOS application can also perform subsequent actions (such as enabling PlaySign, opening the installed application location in the Finder, clearing the application cache, importing and exporting keyboard mappings, etc.).
Apps installed through PlayCover, right-click the menu to configure the app
In addition, you may have seen that PlayCover has provided some downloadable IPA links in the main interface, but the IPA provided here is not comprehensive, and some IPA links to the iOS software version has lagged behind, so it is recommended that you give priority to finding a suitable IPA file in the Discord server.
▍ Special iOS app installation necessary actions
Some iOS apps have special installation steps, and a lot of the content to be aware of is explained in detail on the Discord server's #faq-read-first, so if you encounter problems where PlayCover can't install apps or apps that are already installed can't be opened, it's recommended to go to this channel to find a solution.
A large percentage of PlayCover users are designed to run protoss on macOS. In the case of PlayCover 0.9.63, Original God 2.4, we can:
Enter Recovery mode to temporarily turn off SIP protection for macOS:
In macOS with SIP protection turned off, open terminals and execute sudo nvram boot-args="amfi_get_out_of_my_way=1" to allow nvram boot-args and restart your Mac again;
After opening PlayCover, click the Enable PlaySign button at the bottom of the interface;
Open the installed protoshin, here we should be able to log in normally, but at this time we need to immediately shortcut command + Q to turn off the protoshin and re-enable the SIP protection of macOS:
Enter Recovery mode as well and enter csrutil enable in terminal terminal and confirm;
Enter the password again and wait for the command execution to finish restarting your Mac;
At this point, we will open PlayCover to start the original god, and we can enter the game normally.
Since each version of PlayCover and The Original God have different special installation operations, please also analyze the specific version and check the corresponding installation solutions in the official Discord server of PlayCover.
▍ Convenient use of keyboard and mouse simulation touch screen operation
In addition to solving a major problem of installing iOS apps on M1 Macs, PlayCover can also simulate touch screen operations through keymapping, making it smoother to use iOS apps on Macs (making the experience of playing iOS versions of games such as Yuanshen on Mac closer to PC-side operations).
In our PlayCover-installed app, we can use the shortcut ctrl + P to enter the keyboard-mouse mapping interface, where:
Ctrl + J: Adds a movable joystick for WASD mapping
Ctrl + M: Add mouse movement area (used to move the view with the mouse)
Ctrl + N: Add on-screen button mapping for a key in the keyboard (where Shift + L for left mouse button and Shift + R for right mouse button)
Ctrl + '+/-': Increase/decrease the button size
Ctrl + Delete (Backspace): Removes a key mapping
Ctrl + W/A/S/D: Fine-tune the button position
Alt/Option: Shows or hides the mouse
In addition, PlayCover also supports using Ctrl + U to open the recording of macros, Ctrl + I to end recording, and Ctrl + O to play back the recorded macros.
Of course, if we want to do complex shortcut bindings ourselves, we can also directly import other keyboard mappings that have been designed. In the #keymap-showcase channel of PlayCover's official Discord, we can find the keyboard and mouse mapping shared by other students, directly download and import the corresponding game, so that it is more convenient and quick to use the keyboard and mouse to operate.
For the original god, its corresponding key and mouse mapping is located in: https://sspai.com/s/BLVL, students who join the Discord server can directly click into the channel to download, and right-click on the installed game icon in the main interface of PlayCover to import the set keyboard mapping file.
The perfect "Proto-God" key-mouse operation mapping provided by Discord server students
In addition, the original god installed by PlayCover also natively supports the operation of the gamepad, the original god officially supports xbox and PlayStation series of gamepads, after connecting to the Mac through Bluetooth, the original god can be directly converted to a gamepad operation, without going through keyboard mapping operation, and the playing experience on the PC or PlayStation host is consistent.
▍ Tail
It has to be said that to a large extent, the need to "play the original god on macOS" has led to the birth of PlayCover, but PlayCover has actually developed into a complete set of "M1 Mac running iOS applications" infrastructure. At the same time, PlayCover itself is constantly iteratively updating, not only trying to remove some very suspicious operational needs such as "turning off SIP protection", but also continuing to add more rich application and functional support.
Although the current PlayCover only supports the Apple silicon version, that is, the Mac equipped with the M1 series of chips, according to the official website information, the development team will also increase support for the Intel chip Mac in the future, when you can also install iOS applications and games on the Intel chip Mac.
PlayCover, with its well-established development and community support, is the perfect choice to install and run iOS apps on the M1 Mac today — whether it's a game or a regular app.
Finally, to know that some of the stubborn application installation workaround provided by PlayCover today, a large part of them are specific versions of specific applications, and some of the methods mentioned in this article are also likely to be directly invalid after an application version update, so once again remind you that students who are ready to use PlayCover join the official Discord to get more and more timely installation method support.
The introduction of this article ends here, thank you for reading.
Author: SpencerWoo
Editor-in-charge: waychane