Mac App Store Search Not Showing Mac Apps
When you search for Morpho, the App Store automatically flips you over to iPhone & iPad Apps, even though there’s a perfectly good Mac app that matches the search.
To add insult to injury, searching for Morpho on the iPhone or iPad App Store does show our app first. But specifically because we’ve built a Mac app, our app doesn’t show up in the list of iPhone & iPad Apps on the Mac App Store. For being a good platform-citizen, we’ve been rendered virtually invisible in search.
I’ve seen this happen with several apps, including Morpho.
I don’t know when this changed, but now it makes sense why 2025 was our worst year for Morpho downloads on the Mac.
If the Mac App Store can’t be bothered to promote, you know, actual Mac apps, then I don’t know what the point is for developers or customers.
I tried it again, and it’s true: searching for Morpho now defaults to Mac Apps.
I wish I knew why this happened, why it’s working now, and whether it’s truly fixed or could happen again.
Here’s a report on Reddit that the same thing is happening for another app, but only in certain countries.
Ultimately, it seems that with the launch of Morpho Converter 3.0 there were enough searches or downloads to “upgrade” it to defaulting to Mac Apps.
Previously:
- Mac App Store Design in Tahoe
- Private iPad Camera Multitasking Entitlement
- Pop Out Timer Rejected From the App Store
- LatherApp Rejected From the App Store
- Is There Hope for the Mac App Store?
Update (2026-03-30): Aaron Pearce:
I do wonder why I bother with Mac ports of my app. App Review just seems to consistently find a reason to reject. Doesn’t feel worth it compared to just running the iPad app on the Mac at some stages.
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I have the same experience with my app QuickSave for Wallabag.
I noticed that after pushing an update to the store the number of purchases increased for about 1-2 weeks. Afterwards the store decided to go back to the iOS store.
Apple has an index where an app should appear for every query (if at all). My assumption is that if there is an index for iOS which is much higher than the highest macOS index they show the iOS store instead.
I find it especially troublesome how easy it is to miss that I'm in another store and I would assume that this means there is NO matching query in the macOS store. Apple should change the UI and rather include top matches from the iOS store in the Mac list with a visual indicator that it's not a Mac app.
What IS the point for developers or customers? It just seems to place burdensome limitations on both and the only benefit is to Apple.
Centralized updates is one argument but every other platform already has that in a way that is both more open and actually works.
I just checked and I've a similar experience with my side project (NewsNinja): it shows up as a Mac app, but iPhone and iPad apps don't. It makes it seems it's only made for MacOS, not sure if this changed recently.
