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Twitter releases new Catalyst app for macOS Catalina

Twitter releases new Catalyst app for macOS Catalina

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The most notable Catalyst app yet

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Twitter’s stop-start history of Mac development entered a new era today with the release of yet another all-new app. The Twitter app is now available in the Mac App Store, but only for users running the new version of macOS, Catalina.

That’s because the app was built with a Catalina framework called Catalyst that allows developers to port their iPad apps over to the Mac with less work than before. Twitter announced that it would support Catalyst at this year’s WWDC in June, though other companies like Netflix have been less enthusiastic. Twitter is by far the most notable Catalyst app so far.

In Twitter’s case, it’s not like the new Mac app is a straight port of the iPad app running in a window — the UI is mostly different overall. But it doesn’t quite feel native to the Mac, either. It looks pretty ridiculous in full-screen (as it does on the iPad, to be fair), and the Mac-style toolbar visually clashes with Twitter’s own below it.

Still, hey, new Twitter app for Mac. That’s something. Though it is also worth pointing out that, even more so than with most recent macOS releases, you might want to hold off on updating Catalina until you’re really sure it won’t break anything.