The Catalyst versions of the apps, which are based on the code for iOS / iPadOS, are the ones that users have come to know via mobile devices. This means that the Cupertino company is slowly bringing the software available on the iPhone and iPad to Mac. Catalyst technology allows developers to quickly port from one version to another. While Catalyst is designed to take already existing iPad apps and move them to the Mac, Apple definitely prefers that developers simply start out by building a common app for both, rather than. Federighi also revealed that Apple's own developers have been using the technology used in Project Catalyst for over a year now, notably to convert some of the company’s iPad apps to the Mac.
Every time developers come up with an idea for an app they face the eternal question: Which platform should we build it for, iOS or macOS? After all, resources, especially in the beginning, are constrained and no one wants to risk spreading themselves too thin by working on two products at the same time.
In most cases, the decision comes down to pure numbers: There are over 1.3 billion active iOS devices against 100 million macOS ones. Best mac apps native. So iOS usually wins. But even though you can build progressive Mac apps with WebView, nothing beats a native Mac app for user experience and speed. Finally, with Apple’s announcement of Project Catalyst at WWDC 2019, you don’t have to compromise any longer.
What Is Project Catalyst
In a nutshell, Project Catalyst is a new macOS Catalina feature (out of more than 120) by Apple built into the latest Xcode 11, which allows developers to extend their existing iOS apps to macOS using all the native Mac functionality, such as mouse and keyboard navigation, window and file management, rich text editing, etc.
To try Project Catalyst today, download macOS Catalina first. Note that not all apps are eligible for iOS to macOS transfer. How to know which are which?
iOS app criteria for Project Catalyst
Apple made sure that most iPad apps would have no problem transferring to macOS. But there are a few exceptions. First, if your app relies on features that are exclusive to iPad, it might not operate correctly on Mac. Some examples include using gyroscope, accelerometer, back-facing camera, HealthKit, or ARKit.
Ipad Apps On Mac Os
In general, Apple says that if the app supports the latest iPad functionality, such as multitasking, drag and drop, as well as keyboard shortcuts, porting it to Mac shouldn’t be a problem. In addition, try to think through the user experience of your app on macOS to check for any incompatibilities yourself.
Benefits of using Project Catalyst
Currently, there are two approaches to building apps on Mac. Either you create something natively or use WebView. The first approach requires a completely separate codebase; the second, a functioning web app and results in slower user experience in the end.
Project Catalyst combines the best of both worlds. It lets you create completely native apps while retaining exactly the same codebase you had in iOS. Basically, at the flip of the switch, you get access to macOS features like:
- System Preferences.
- Keyboard, trackpad, mouse, and Touch Bar input methods.
- Menu bar.
- Window management and content scaling.
- And many more.
All in all, using Project Catalyst would save you days, or even weeks, right from the beginning and an immeasurable amount of time you’d otherwise spend maintaining separate codebases in perpetuity.
How to start with Project Catalyst
Once you’re running macOS Catalina and have Xcode 11, turning on Project Catalyst is a breeze:
- Open your iOS app project in Xcode.
- Go to project settings and check the Mac box.
- The Mac version of the app should now be created.
The new Mac app shares the same codebase, frameworks, resources, and runtime environment as your iOS app. As you continue to enhance and optimize your project, compatible changes will appear in both versions.
If you need some feature inspiration, check out the newly released Project Catalyst apps created by the teams at Twitter, Jira, and TripIt. But before you start building the new app in a new macOS Catalina environment, make sure your Mac is running at top speed.
Make sure your Mac is bug-free
Developers know that every time you change any variables around your app, unpredictable things might happen. The best you can do is ensure your Mac hasn’t carried over any bugs accumulated in years of use. The fastest way to do this is using a professional optimizer:
- Download a free version of CleanMyMac X here.
- Open the app and go to Maintenance under Speed.
- Check Free Up RAM, Run Maintenance Scripts, Rebuild Launch Services, and anything else you deem applicable.
- Click Run.
Ipad Apps On Mac Catalyst Windows 10
The Maintenance scan will ensure your Mac is not laden with everyday inefficiencies. However, if you feel like your Mac needs a deep, overall optimization scan, CleanMyMac X can help you here too:
- Instead of Maintenance, go to System Junk.
- Click Scan.
- Review Details and check appropriate options.
- Select Clean.
Now that your Mac is free of bugs, resource-hogging cache files, and unresponsive processes, you’re ready to take full advantage of Project Catalyst. Port your iOS app to macOS in no time and remember to scan regularly (about twice a month) with CleanMyMac X to make sure all processes run as smoothly and quickly as possible.
![Ipad Ipad](/uploads/1/3/4/2/134253130/910860559.jpg)
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Native Mac apps built with Mac Catalyst can share code with your iPad apps, and you can add more features just for Mac. In macOS Big Sur, you can create even more powerful versions of your apps and take advantage of every pixel on the screen by running them at native Mac resolution. Apps built with Mac Catalyst can now be fully controlled using just the keyboard, access more iOS frameworks, and take advantage of the all-new look of macOS Big Sur. There’s never been a better time to turn your iPad app into a powerful Mac app.
Designed for macOS Big Sur.
When an app built with Mac Catalyst runs on macOS Big Sur, it automatically adopts the new design. https://krmqwo.weebly.com/best-duplicate-photos-app-mac.html. The new Maps and Messages apps were built with the latest version of Mac Catalyst.
Get a head start on your native Mac app.
Your iPad app can be made into an excellent Mac app. Now’s the perfect time to bring your app to life on Mac. The latest version of Xcode 12 is all you need. Begin by selecting the “Mac” checkbox in the project settings of your existing iPad app to create a native Mac app that you can enhance further. Your Mac and iPad apps share the same project and source code, making it easy to make changes in one place.
Optimize your interface for Mac.
Your newly created Mac app runs natively, utilizing the same frameworks, resources, and runtime environment as apps built just for Mac. Fundamental Mac desktop and windowing features are added, and touch controls are adapted to the keyboard and mouse. By default, your app will scale to match the iPad’s resolution. On macOS Big Sur, you can choose “Optimize interface for Mac” to use the Mac idiom, running your app using the native resolution on Mac. This gives you full control of every pixel on the screen and allows your app to adopt more controls specific to Mac, such as pull-down menus and checkboxes.
Even more powerful.
The new APIs and behaviors in macOS Big Sur let you create even more powerful Mac apps. Apps can now be fully controlled using just the keyboard. You can create out-of-window and detachable popovers, control window tabbing using new window APIs, and make it easier for users to select photos in your app by using the updated Photos picker. iOS Photos editing extensions can now be built to run on Mac. And your app is even easier to manage when it’s running in the background with improved app lifecycle APIs.
Ipad Apps On Mac Catalyst
New and updated frameworks.
Mac Catalyst adds support for new and updated frameworks to extend what your apps can do on Mac. HomeKit support means home automation apps can run alongside the Home app on Mac. The addition of the ClassKit framework lets Mac apps track assignments and share progress with teachers and students. Plus, there are updates to many existing frameworks, including Accounts, Contacts, Core Audio, GameKit, MediaPlayer, PassKit, and StoreKit.
Tools and resources.
Download Xcode 12 and use these resources to build native Mac apps with Mac Catalyst.