Apple yesterday unveiled the first beta developer beta of macOS Big Sur 11.3. As we explained at the time, the update includes a variety of new changes and features, such as support for setting up stereo-paired HomePods as your default audio output device.
It seems that macOS Big Sur 11.3 contains some changes for the use of iPad applications on M1 Macs.
For those unfamiliar, M1 enables Mac users to install iPhone and iPad apps through the Mac App Store. However, the experience was flawed in many ways, and macOS Big Sur 11.3 takes some small steps to change that.
First, macOS Big Sur 11.3 added a dedicated new Touch Alternatives preferences window, which is a feature designed to repeat touch gestures that you would use in the iPad version of the app. This feature has been around since the M1 Macs were first released in November, but MacOS Big Sur 11.3 adds a new preferences window that gives users more detail control over the feature.
Click the name of the app in the menu bar and then select Preferences to access the new Touch Alternatives preferences window. Here you can enable Touch Alternatives and then specify which specific controls you want to use.
Previously, macOS Big Sur only allowed you to enable Touch Alternatives, with virtually no control over the details. Here it is in action:
Window size changed
As first seen by The edge, MacOS Big Sur 11.3 also makes a very, very small adjustment to the window size of iPad applications on the Mac. The report explains:
iPad apps will now appear larger than before – if your screen size allows – and beta testers will find a new preference window for iPhone and iPad apps that allows them to better customize the keyboard commands of the “touch options”. Touch options allow for ‘keyboard, swipe and drag gesture keyboard alternatives, and allow finger gestures using the option key and a trackpad.’
For those unfamiliar, some iPad apps do not allow you to adjust the window size when used on the Mac – such as HBO Max. With MacOS Big Sur, the default window of these applications is now slightly larger. Here is a pre- and post-comparison of HBO Max on the M1 MacBook Air:
9to5Mac’s take
These are small but useful changes to the experience of using iPad apps on the M1 Macs, and while it’s encouraging to see Apple make improvements, much more needs to be done.
The change to the default size of the window is particularly strange. The ideal solution is that Apple and developers can adjust the window sizes by the user, but this is apparently not possible with programs like HBO Max.
What do you think of the experience of using iPad apps on the Apple Silicon Macs? What improvements do you want Apple to make? Let us know in the comments!
FTC: We use revenue to earn automatically affiliate links. More.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: