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Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.3 update to its public beta testing group, with the new software coming a week after the second macOS Monterey 12.3 public beta.

macOS-Monterey-2.jpg

Public beta testers can download the macOS 12.3 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

Universal Control is the major new feature in macOS Monterey 12.3, and it is designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled using a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard. If you have a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro, for example, both devices can be controlled with the MacBook Pro's trackpad and keyboard or a keyboard attached to the iPad.


iPadOS 15.4 is required for Universal Control on the iPad, and once the updates are installed on your devices, the feature just works as it is automatically enabled.

macOS Monterey also includes new Emoji 14 characters like melting face, biting lip, heart hands, and more, and plus it adds support for updating AirPods with a Mac. There's no official update interface, but your AirPods can receive firmware updates over-the-air when connected to a Mac, similar to how the update process works with an iPhone.

There are some under-the-hood changes as well. Apple is removing Python 2 from macOS with macOS 12.3 after support was suspended in January 2020, and Apple is eliminating some kernel extensions used by Dropbox and OneDrive, necessitating software updates for those apps.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Third Public Beta of macOS Monterey With Universal Control
 
Last edited:

brilliantthings

macrumors 6502a
Feb 13, 2011
819
363
This is going to significantly improve my workflow. I only have one mac and one iPad. What's the verdict? Is this beta stable enough?

PS I know betas are betas
 
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Kissmo1980

macrumors 6502
Feb 16, 2021
436
1,204
This is going to significantly improve my workflow. I only have one mac and one iPad. What's the verdict? Is this beta stable enough?

PS I know betas are betas
I used to jump on Beta trains... not anymore.
You probably can live without the features for 2-3 more weeks.

It's up to you- it's not the stability fo the system - the junk remaining afterwards when you decide you don't want betas anymore.

Either way - it's not a dead end. You can always cleanup and start fresh.
It's a matter of time, mood and willing to do this.... maybe I've gotten old. I rather spend some time doing something away from the Mac than spend too much time tweaking it.

It used to be fun - it faded out for me :) Others may still enjoy it - I'm not judging.

Cheers mate!
 

mxrider88

macrumors 6502a
Mar 8, 2019
739
879
Sydney, AU
Really looking forward to Universal Control. My guess is it’s a game changer.
I’m struggling to see it man.. probably just another half baked feature that turns out to be a gimmick. Like continuity, that never works with messages or personal hotspot that when you need it, it is not discoverable and you need to toggle it off and on.
 
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BryceWillis

macrumors newbie
Feb 15, 2022
2
1
One question I've had about Universal Control that I haven't been able to determine is if one of the displays can be ABOVE another. For example, at my desk I can have my primary MBP in front of me, my older MBP on an external monitor ABOVE my MBP and an iPad off to the side.

I have the beta installed on one of the two MBPs and I cannot move the iPad ABOVE so I worry that I can't do this with the older MBP. Anyone know the answer to this riddle? I don't want to install the Beta on my primary machine yet.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
17,882
9,343
Atlanta, GA
Guess 12.x will be stable around the release date of 13.3 …

Apple OSs are full of features and bugs. That is why I‘m still on Big S. It runs quite well and I really don‘t want another year full of bugs til Monterey gets stable.
12.1 has been nice and stable on my new MBP so I'll happily upgrade to 12.3.
 

MigC

macrumors newbie
Oct 1, 2021
17
1


Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.3 update to its public beta testing group, with the new software coming a week after the second macOS Monterey 12.3 public beta.

macOS-Monterey-2.jpg

Public beta testers can download the macOS 12.3 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

Universal Control is the major new feature in macOS Monterey 12.3, and it is designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled using a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard. If you have a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro, for example, both devices can be controlled with the MacBook Pro's trackpad and keyboard or a keyboard attached to the iPad.


iPadOS 15.4 is required for Universal Control on the iPad, and once the updates are installed on your devices, the feature just works as it is automatically enabled.

macOS Monterey also includes new Emoji 14 characters like melting face, biting lip, heart hands, and more, and plus it adds support for updating AirPods with a Mac. There's no official update interface, but your AirPods can receive firmware updates over-the-air when connected to a Mac, similar to how the update process works with an iPhone.

There are some under-the-hood changes as well. Apple is removing Python 2 from macOS with macOS 12.3 after support was suspended in January 2020, and Apple is eliminating some kernel extensions used by Dropbox and OneDrive, necessitating software updates for those apps.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Third Public Beta of macOS Monterey With Universal Control
Not mentioned anywhere but worth a note: reworked Metal drivers for Intel/AMD platforms introduced with beta3 now enabling the use of GPU Metal in Blender 3.1 beta + 3.2 alpha.Nice to see Apple catering to their long standing pro user base (mostly still on older platforms) and contributing financially and with manpower to devepment of open software.Good times ahead. Ty Apple.
 
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brilliantthings

macrumors 6502a
Feb 13, 2011
819
363
I used to jump on Beta trains... not anymore.
You probably can live without the features for 2-3 more weeks.

It's up to you- it's not the stability fo the system - the junk remaining afterwards when you decide you don't want betas anymore.

Either way - it's not a dead end. You can always cleanup and start fresh.
It's a matter of time, mood and willing to do this.... maybe I've gotten old. I rather spend some time doing something away from the Mac than spend too much time tweaking it.

It used to be fun - it faded out for me :) Others may still enjoy it - I'm not judging.

Cheers mate!
Yep. I agree. Thanks for the reminder!
 

MrCrowbar

macrumors 68020
Jan 12, 2006
2,232
519
Guess 12.x will be stable around the release date of 13.3 …

Apple OSs are full of features and bugs. That is why I‘m still on Big S. It runs quite well and I really don‘t want another year full of bugs til Monterey gets stable.
Same, Monterey has been pretty buggy and broke security and compatibility for multiple things. Been similar with previous OSs, so I tend to wait until the next major version is out to update to the "obsolete" one. I also install on an external drive and go through my checklist to make sure all I need to work still works and there's workarounds for things that don't. New Macs coming with the new one pre-installed with no means of downgrading is kinda off-putting actually.
 
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AdonisSMU

macrumors 604
Oct 23, 2010
7,288
3,031
12.2 and 12.2.1 is a complete disaster.
I'll tell you why these are a complete disaster. They modified the way thunderbolt works and not my external monitor no longer works properly with my Mac. Previously the thunderbolt connection from my LG 4k HDR display to my MBP would also charge the MBP. After the update to 12.2 and 12.2.1 its broken causing the devices that I had connected to it not to work either. Many other users have experienced the same problems.
 

brilliantthings

macrumors 6502a
Feb 13, 2011
819
363
I used to jump on Beta trains... not anymore.
You probably can live without the features for 2-3 more weeks.

It's up to you- it's not the stability fo the system - the junk remaining afterwards when you decide you don't want betas anymore.

Either way - it's not a dead end. You can always cleanup and start fresh.
It's a matter of time, mood and willing to do this.... maybe I've gotten old. I rather spend some time doing something away from the Mac than spend too much time tweaking it.

It used to be fun - it faded out for me :) Others may still enjoy it - I'm not judging.

Cheers mate!
Yep. I agree. Thanks for the reminder!
One question I've had about Universal Control that I haven't been able to determine is if one of the displays can be ABOVE another. For example, at my desk I can have my primary MBP in front of me, my older MBP on an external monitor ABOVE my MBP and an iPad off to the side.

I have the beta installed on one of the two MBPs and I cannot move the iPad ABOVE so I worry that I can't do this with the older MBP. Anyone know the answer to this riddle? I don't want to install the Beta on my primary machine yet.
Yes. You just adjust the position of the displays relative to each other in Display control panel.
 
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