How To Download Ipad Only Apps On Iphone

Downloaded iPhone apps onto iPad

Some iOS apps are for iPhone only, but that doesn't mean you can't download iPhone apps onto an iPad and use them on iPad too.

Many iPad users would rather use the scaled up iPhone version of an app that is intended for a different screen device than no version of the app at all. This applies to many games, messaging apps, and social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram, where iPhone exclusive versions of an app exists, but with a little know-how you can download and use the iPhone app on an iPad.

This tutorial will detail how to download and install iPhone apps onto an iPad using the App Store in iOS.

You'll obviously need an iPad and an Apple ID for this to work. The Apple ID is required to download any app from the iOS App Store.

How to Download and Install iPhone Apps onto iPad

Open the App Store app on the iPad

App Store

Search for the app name that you want to download which is iPhone only, the app won't show up yet
Now tap on the "Filters" button next to the search box in App Store

Tap Filters for the iPhone app in App Store on iPad

In the search filters, tap on "Supports" and choose "iPhone Only" from the selection options (the default is iPad Only)

Tap the Filters button and choose iPhone Only on iPad

The searched iPhone app should appear on the iPad App Store now, tap on the download, buy, or "Get" button to download the iPhone app to the iPad

Download the iPhone app on the iPad via App Store

Repeat with other apps using the "iPhone Only" search parameter to download more iPhone apps to iPad if desired
Return to the iPad home screen to find the downloaded iPhone app, use it as normal

Downloaded iPhone apps onto iPad

In the example here we download the iPhone-only app "Snapchat" to an iPad. It works fine on the iPad too once it is downloaded, but the app is a scaled version since the iPhone app is stretched to fit onto the iPad screen.

Remember to set the "Supports" filter back to "iPad Only" when finished so that iPad apps will be found by default again.

If you just want to try this out without keeping anything on your iPad, remember you can stop and cancel an app download in iOS at any time by deleting it while it is still downloading. Or you can simply wait until it is finished downloading to the iPad, and then uninstall the app with the quick delete trick.

This is a great trick to download, install and use iPhone apps on an iPad, but it's also helpful for situations where an iPhone version of an app is preferable to the iPad version for whatever reason. As long as the app is distinct for iPhone (or iPad) you can use this trick to download iPhone apps to the iPad.

Note that when you use an iPhone app on an iPad with a much larger screen, you will see the app is scaled to fit the iPad. With the scaling comes some pixelation and some artifacts on the image quality however, so don't expect a perfect experience or a perfect fit. Despite that visual imperfection, the app will work fine, so enjoy those iPhone apps on your iPad!