New M1 Macs let users run iPhone and iPad apps natively for the first time, but gamers should think twice about loading up Call of Duty: Mobile. Playing Activision’s popular shooter on one of the super-fast new computers could get them banned.
The newest Call of Duty games haven’t been ported to Mac, so it might seem like a fun idea to load up Call of Duty: Mobile and kick back with a controller while enjoying some fast-paced action on a bigger screen.
But don’t. CoD: Mobile is one of several iPhone and iPad games that should be avoided on macOS if you don’t want to get banned from playing.
Don’t play Call of Duty on your Mac
A number of CoD: Mobile players who attempted to play the game on an M1 Mac report that their accounts have since been banned. All their progress is lost and they are no longer able to log in.
“Loading Call of Duty: Mobile on M1 Macs will get your account banned,” warns one player on Reddit. David Harry, a YouTuber who has been testing iOS games on Mac, describes the same problem in a video:
Other gamers say they’ve been banned in PUBG Mobile for playing the game on an M1 Mac. It’s not yet clear whether the bans are intentional, or inadvertent because these games don’t yet recognize the hardware.
Will things change?
Some players speculate that the game companies think those playing CoD: Mobile or PUBG Mobile on an M1 Mac are using jailbroken iOS devices. These titles prohibit jailbreaking because it could be used to apply in-game exploits.
It could be that some games are never officially supported on Mac for this reason. We asked Activision and Tencent for more information, and we’ll update this story when we get a response.
In the meantime, be careful about what you attempt to play on an M1 Mac, especially if you have data tied to an account that you don’t want to lose. And let us know if you’ve been banned from any games on macOS.
