In most cases, theres no need for a special macOS app, since the sites support PWA apps instead.
In Safari, go to the website, click the Share icon, and choose "Add to Dock". That will place icons on your Dock and Launchpad that behave like an app.
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5 iPhone Apps Apple Still Hasn't Brought to iPad
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In Safari, go to the website, click the Share icon, and choose "Add to Dock". That will place icons on your Dock and Launchpad that behave like an app.
Well, the reason that they didn't have calculator was because it didn't make sense, and there were plenty of third party options for the few people that needed one.
The only reason they added calculator to the iPad now is because the functionality for math notes and converting is in it (and probably exposed via App Intents so Siri and other apps can use it too).
I cant believe Invites has been out for a few whole days, and Apple hasn't brought it to iPad yet!
Yes, I was surprised recently when it popped up after an order telling me I could track the order in Wallet. It’s kind of hidden (have to tap the button at the top of wallet with a package icon), but does seem to work.
It seems to be enabled with certain online merchants when you pay with Apple Pay.
Why would an iPad need the Wallet and phone apps since these make more sense on the phone? I would for Journal to also be on the Mac with a solid keyboard. Since it’s only on the phone I won’t use it until it’s on the Mac.
While Apple has made strides in bringing long-missing apps to the iPad in recent years, there are still five iPhone apps that remain noticeably absent.
After years of requests from users, Apple finally introduced the Health, Weather, and Calculator apps to the iPad in iPadOS 16, 17, and 18, providing a tweaked experience for the bigger screen. However, this week's debut of Apple Invites, an event-planning app exclusive to the iPhone, highlights that Apple is still not bringing all of its first-party applications to the iPad. Here are five apps we're still waiting on to come to Apple's tablet:
Invites
Apple introduced the Invites app earlier this week, offering a streamlined way for users to create, manage, and send event invitations. The app allows users to design invitations with customized backgrounds, photos, and AI-generated imagery via Apple Intelligence's Image Playground.
It integrates with Maps and Weather to provide location and climate details for attendees, and features RSVP tracking along with collaborative Apple Music playlists and shared photo albums.
Despite its clear utility, Apple Invites remains natively unavailable on iPad, with the only options being running the iPhone version or using the browser version via icloud.com. Given that iPads are commonly used for light productivity tasks, planning, and creative work, the absence of Invites on the platform is a peculiar omission.
Wallet
First introduced in 2012 as Passbook and later rebranded as Wallet, Apple's digital wallet app is best known for storing credit and debit cards for use with Apple Pay. However, Wallet also houses event tickets, boarding passes, loyalty cards, and transit passes.
While the iPad lacks NFC hardware, making contactless Apple Pay in stores impossible, there are still several Wallet features that could benefit iPad users. The ability to view transaction history, receive Apple Pay notifications, and manage delivery tracking from online purchases could all be useful on a larger display. For example, iPad mini users might find Wallet beneficial for accessing event tickets or passes without needing to switch to their iPhone.
Sports
Apple Sports launched with iOS 17.2, providing users with real-time scores, standings, and statistics across a wide range of professional and college sports leagues. The app integrates with Apple News and Apple TV.
Apple Sports similarly has not yet made the jump to iPad. While iPad users can obviously access live scores through Safari or third-party apps, the lack of a dedicated Sports app on iPadOS is an unusual limitation for such a simple app.
Given the iPad's famous suitability for media consumption, including watching live sports through services like Apple TV+, the absence of a native Sports app makes little sense. Users who might want to monitor games while working or browsing on their iPad are left without the convenience that iPhone users enjoy.
Phone
While iPads cannot function as standalone cell phones, they are capable of receiving calls via an iPhone using Continuity, yet there is no Phone app for the iPad.
This means iPad users cannot initiate continuity phone calls without first opening FaceTime or a third-party VoIP app. There is also no call history, no favorites list, and no way to access voicemail directly from the iPad.
Journal
Apple introduced the Journal app in iOS 17.2 as a new way for users to document their daily experiences, incorporating text, photos, locations, and audio recordings into structured journal entries. The app uses machine learning to offer prompts and suggestions based on a user's daily activities.
Unlike many other iPhone-exclusive apps, Journal cannot even be downloaded and run on an iPad. Because it is a system app rather than an App Store download, there is no workaround for iPad users who might want to use it in Stage Manager or another multitasking mode.
Given that journaling is often associated with extended writing and reflection, an iPad version would seem particularly useful, allowing users to write longer entries with a paired Magic Keyboard or Apple Pencil. The lack of an iPad version is made even more conspicuous by the fact that many popular third-party journaling apps, such as Day One, offer excellent cross-platform compatibility.
Article Link: 5 iPhone Apps Apple Still Hasn't Brought to iPad
Calculator and journal app are "easy" apps for potential iOS devs to make. Tim is hoping to get more Indie devs.
But the same is obviously true about those apps on iPhones too. If the goal on the iPad is more indie devs surely the same would apply to iPhone.
They need something to say in the iPadOS part of WWDC 2036.
Which makes me wonder why they don't do it. I don't think that it would cannibalize iPhone sales in any significant way, since the vast majority of people will still want/need a cellphone that fits in their pocket.
I would use Journal if they brought it to the iPad and MacOS.
Otherwise it’s just useless to me.
Otherwise it’s just useless to me.
They could at least make it an expensive extra feature like the nano texture. But that would mean admitting their profit concern.
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Yes and very frustrating. I end up dictating everything and then have to edit the entry. It’s annoying as f*. From what I’ve been reading online it’s one of the biggest reasons people aren’t using Journal.
So ******* weird, there’s no reason in hell these apps can’t work on an iPad. 🤬
While baffling, these aren’t so serious because there are better third-party apps that can replace them. More concerning are the apps that only Apple can provide (Phone, Wallet, Watch, …) or that have important cross-device syncing purpose (Freeform, Journal, Invites, …).
The actual purported story is the following:
“When they were prototyping the iPad, they ported the iOS calc over, but it was just stretched to fit the screen. It was there all the way from the beginning of the prototypes and was just assumed by everyone at apple that it was going to be shipped that way.
“A month before the release, Steve Jobs calls Scott Forstall into his office and says to him, “where is the new design for the calculator? This looks awful.” He said, “what new design?” This is what we are shipping with. Steve said, “no, pull it we can’t ship that.” Scott fought for it to stay in, but he knew he had to get their UI team involved to design a new look for the calculator but there was no way they could do it in that short time frame, so they just scrapped it.
It has been such low priority since then that no one cares to work on it since there is more important things to work on.”
The Mac doesn’t even get this. The only way to get Fitness+ on the Mac is mirroring your iPhone or iPad to it. And even that's a pretty lack luster experience.
I was going to say the same thing. It looks like crap on the iPad but you can download it.
I mean, most of the functionality is already there. Continuity phone calls have been on the iPad for years now. A standalone phone app would just make the existing feature easier and nicer to use, by giving it a dedicated UI that’s consistent with the iPhone. Lots of people I know don’t even know that you can take phone calls on the iPad because the functionality is so buried.
Let's see...an iPad is not a phone so. Not to mention, the pain it would be provisioning that. I suppose it could be something like the watch does. But man, the amount of customers that came into the store over the years that discovered their cellular iPad had a phone number associated with it, then wanted that number ported over to their son/daughter.
I really want to give the Journal app a try, but I prefer to use it on my iPad Pro that has a Brydge keyboard for typing. As long as the Journal app isn’t on the iPad, I’ll continue to use Day One.
I want iPhone Mirroring app on the iPad. It sounds crazy at first, but it solves the phone app absence (and others) and it makes sense whether you are studying or traveling etc. From a productivity and general convenience perspective, the more you can consolidate to a single screen/device, the better.