In macOS Mojave, Apple introduced a new notarization feature for apps distributed outside of the Mac App Store that's designed to further protect users from malicious Mac apps.

Apple is encouraging Mac app developers to submit their apps to Apple to be notarized. An Apple-notarized Mac app comes with a "more streamlined Gatekeeper dialog" to assure users that an app is not known malware.

macappstoregatekeeper
Apple already provides trusted non Mac App Store developers with Developer IDs that are necessary to let the Gatekeeper function on macOS install non Mac App Store apps without a hassle, but notarization takes it one step further and adds an extra layer of security.

Notarization automatically scans Developer ID-signed software and performs security checks for malicious code and code signing problems.

According to Apple, in a future version of macOS, notarization will be required for Developer ID-signed software.

macOS Mojave is here. Give Mac users even more confidence in your software distributed outside the Mac App Store by submitting it to Apple to be notarized. When users on macOS Mojave first open a notarized app, installer package, or disk image, they'll see a more streamlined Gatekeeper dialog and have confidence that it is not known malware.

Download Xcode 10 and submit your software today. In an upcoming release of macOS, Gatekeeper will require Developer ID-signed software to be notarized by Apple.

The notarization process is designed for non Mac App Store apps and is not required for those that are submitted to the Mac App Store. More information on notarization can be found on Apple's developer site.

Top Rated Comments

Spock Avatar
83 months ago
I don’t mind this level of control on my iPhone or my iPad but when it comes to the Mac I like to have full control of what I install on my computer, I don’t like the thought of not being able to install an application because Apple may not approve of the content, video game emulators or torrent clients for example.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alex2792 Avatar
83 months ago
The Mac App Store is deader than a dead zombie. Why would any developer pay Apple 30% when they can just have people buy a license from their website/store and keep all the money?
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spock Avatar
83 months ago
You can install anything you want.
I was not as specific as I should have been, if future versions of MacOS do not allow applications to be installed on my Mac at all unless they are signed by Apple, it will not make me a happy Mac user.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kabeyun Avatar
83 months ago
I don’t mind this level of control on my iPhone or my iPad but when it comes to the Mac I like to have full control of what I install on my computer, I don’t like the thought of not being able to install an application because Apple may not approve of the content, video game emulators or torrent clients for example.
You can install anything you want.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
83 months ago
Though I agree, 30% is an obscene figure for Apple to charge.
I still don't get this attitude. Sell your app at Best Buy and see how much they charge you to do that. Most retail items are priced at 50-100% of what they get them for.

Good luck opening your own store to sell you app, or creating your own website and getting anywhere near the same traffic and sales.

Owning a storefront is a BIG thing. There aren't that many. Nobody gives people free or near free access to their stores. It costs a lot of money. Spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and open an app store yourself, and charge people 1%. See how that works for you.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
guzhogi Avatar
83 months ago
The Mac App Store is deader than a dead zombie. Why would any developer pay Apple 30% when they can just have people buy a license from their website/store and keep all the money?
They'd still have to pay for the cost of hosting the app on a server, marketing, etc. However, you're right; I doubt that it's worth 30% of the revenue.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...