u/aleari_11

Hi everyone, I’m having a very specific problem with the Mac App Store.

I have a Mac with an M3 chip running macOS Tahoe 26.6.2.

Normal Mac apps download and update normally. However, apps listed as “Designed for iPhone/iPad” cannot be downloaded or updated.

The behavior is always the same:

1. I click the cloud/download button
2. I authenticate with Touch ID
3. The download appears to start
4. After a few seconds, it goes back to the cloud button
5. The app is not installed

I tested this with both:

• apps I had previously downloaded/purchased
• completely new, free iPhone/iPad apps

With a new app, the App Store actually registers it as purchased/owned, but the app still remains in the cloud state and never installs.

Things I have already tried:

• Restarting the Mac
• 200 GB+ of free storage
• Confirming the correct Apple Account
• Confirming that the same Apple Account is used for Media & Purchases
• Checking that there are no payment/billing issues
• Checking Apple's System Status — everything is green
• Trying a completely different network using my iPhone hotspot
• Enabling automatic downloads for apps purchased on other devices
• Trying from a second macOS user account — same problem
• Normal Mac apps download/update correctly

So the problem seems to be specific to the installation/download of iPhone/iPad apps on macOS, rather than the App Store in general.

Has anyone experienced this ?

I'm particularly interested in solutions that don't require erasing the Mac or reinstalling macOS.

Thanks!