After discontinuing Twitter for Mac this week, Twitter (formally generally known as X) has now enabled help for working the unmodified iPad app on Apple Silicon Macs, a characteristic that debuted with macOS Huge Sur. Though the app initially had an issue the place customers would get suspended for utilizing it, evidently the app is now protected to make use of.
Twitter for Mac (Catalyst)
Twitter for Mac initially debuted in 2019 alongside Apple’s new Catalyst framework in macOS Catalina. Though this wasn’t the primary model of Twitter for Mac, this model was distinctive as a result of Catalyst allowed Twitter’s engineers to make the most of many of the codebase from the iOS app, and there aren’t a ton of modifications required for macOS compatibility. Nonetheless, after Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, improvement on Twitter for Mac completely stopped.
This meant that the app turned increasingly out of contact with the remainder of Twitter, each for higher and for worse. Annoyingly, it meant you’d should open the net app for those who wished to learn posts over 280 characters. On the plus facet, it additionally meant that you simply weren’t compelled to make use of the brand new For You web page. Outdated Twitter for Mac additionally has no help for any type of verification, as all “legacy” checkmarks had been removed in April 2023, and the app by no means obtained help for Twitter Blue.
After practically two years of no updates, the app was finally removed from the App Retailer this week, with a popup forcing individuals to get off the app. In actuality you’ll be able to merely shut this popup and continue using the app if you want, however it’s now clear that the previous Catalyst app isn’t going to be supported anymore. Shortly after its removing, the iPad app confirmed up on the Mac App Retailer.
iPad apps on Apple Silicon Macs
When Apple introduced the Mac transition to Apple Silicon at WWDC 2020, they introduced that Apple Silicon Macs would have the ability to run any iPhone or iPad app, so long as the developer doesn’t decide out. Sadly, many of the massive builders opted out. There have been some workarounds to sideload iOS apps onto your Mac, however they didn’t consistently work.
In contrast to Catalyst, no modification is required to get your iPad app on the Mac App Retailer, since Apple Silicon Macs help all iOS frameworks. Though an ideal expertise isn’t assured instantly, it ought to usually be fairly steady. iPad apps on Apple Silicon Macs are an effective way for smaller groups to natively help the Mac without having to dedicate any important period of time to it, which is probably going essential to the X engineering staff after a lot of layoffs occurred over the course of late 2022 and early 2023.
X for iPad (working on Mac)
The iPad app working in your Mac is just about what you’d count on. It’s a really iPad feeling expertise, annd not like the net app, it doesn’t make the most of a ton of assets. It additionally correctly helps push notifications, which has by no means labored persistently for me on the internet app.
The previous Twitter for Mac app turned quite buggy over time, primarily as a result of it wasn’t actively up to date and have become increasingly out of sync with backend server adjustments. For instance, profile banners would not load, trying to find tweets would by no means yield any outcomes, and generally the app would straight up freeze on you.
With the brand new iPad app expertise, you’ll have the ability to make the most of the previous 2 years of Twitter adjustments, for higher and for worse. Options like bookmark search, X Articles, Creator Subscriptions, replies/reactions in DMs, and the entire customization options of X Premium are actually obtainable natively in your Mac.
That being mentioned, the iPad app isn’t good. As pointed out by my colleague Zac, the brand new iPad app doesn’t help timeline streaming. With the previous Mac app, you possibly can maintain your timeline pinned to the highest, and new tweets would simply present up as they had been made, without having to actively work together with the app. Moreover, many interactions that you simply’d count on to be behind a proper click on are literally behind a protracted press, which isn’t what you’d count on on a Mac. There’s additionally a bug the place typing into the search bar gained’t truly present what you’re typing, though it’s doable that’s a macOS Sequoia bug.
Wrap Up
Total, it’d be higher if there was a very optimized Mac app once more for X. Though, I’m glad that I not should cope with the poorly optimized net app that’d use 1-2gb of RAM per tab, even in Safari.
Additionally, the suspension issue is value mentioning. It’s fairly weird that this “bug” even occurred, however a minimum of the misguided suspensions had been mounted inside 24 hours. I don’t totally perceive how they launched this app with none of the staff logging into it first, however it’s what it’s.
Are you proud of this new X for iPad app on Apple Silicon Macs? Had been you personally impacted the suspension downside? Tell us how you’re feeling within the feedback.
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