Apple will automate iOS app porting to macOS, but won’t make touchscreen Macs

Following Apple’s confirmation at WWDC yesterday that the 2019 release of macOS will support ports of third-party iOS apps — a process that’s already underway in macOS Mojave with a handful of first-party apps — Apple software chief Craig Federighi offered early details to Wired on how the porting process to Macs will work. On a positive note, it should be largely automated, but less positively, Apple’s still saying no to touchscreen Macs.

Confirming a December 2017 report that Mac support for iOS apps was underway, Federighi said that Apple has been working on the porting frameworks for two years, internally beta-testing the developer tools by converting the new iPad apps Home, Stocks, News, and Voice Memos to run on macOS Mojave. The originally iOS-exclusive user interface framework UIKit is being updated to support the Mac as a target device, so an app designed for iPhone and Apple TV use will be able to run on Macs as well.