Data associated with Apple’s mobile operating system can be accessed and managed on macOS computers. These files may include application packages, system software components, media assets, and backups of mobile devices. For instance, an application’s installation package, identifiable by the “.ipa” extension, is one type that can be stored and analyzed on a computer running macOS.
The ability to handle this kind of data on a desktop operating system is crucial for development, debugging, archiving, and security analysis. Historically, developers have relied on this capability to create and test mobile applications before deployment. Moreover, individual users benefit from the ability to create backups of their mobile device data and restore it if necessary.