Apple's Project Catalyst Will Bring iOS Apps To macOS Catalina This Fall

During its WWDC 2019 keynote today, Apple announced that its users will soon be able to access iOS apps on their Mac computers, something made possible by Project Catalyst. The news isn't entirely surprising — it was teased last year under the codename Marzipan. With Apple's event today, the plan became official alongside important details, including that the new support will arrive with macOS Catalina.

Project Catalyst was announced by Apple Senior VP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi during the company's keynote, during which he detailed macOS Catalina. We got a taste of the iOS on macOS experience last year with the arrival of News, Voice Memos, Home, and Stocks on Mac.

The macOS Catalina release will expand upon that in a big way, bringing a slew of popular apps to the company's desktop software. Twitter, Gameloft, and Atlassian have already ported their own apps to macOS. Project Catalyst went live today for developers alongside the first macOS Catalina beta.

Federighi pointed out that this marks the first time a single development team can create one app that is available on the iPhone, iPad, and, starting later this year, the Mac. As one example, Asphalt 9: Legends was brought from iPad to Mac in a single day, and it didn't take much longer for Twitter to bring its own app to Mac.

Ultimately, Project Catalyst will make it possible for developers who have focused on the mobile platform to quickly bring their product to the Mac. Owners will have the added benefit of fresh new products accessible on their desktop or laptop, providing even more of the seamless experience that draws many to Apple's ecosystem.