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iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 Betas Add Universal Control

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The iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 betas that Apple released today introduce support for Universal Control, the long-awaited feature that's designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with a single mouse and keyboard.

universal-control-wwdc.jpeg

There are Universal Control settings available on both the Mac and the iPad, and the feature is enabled by default after updating to the new betas. On the Mac, the settings can be found under Displays > Advanced, and on the iPad, the AirPlay & Handoff section under General has a new "Cursor and Keyboard (Beta)" option.

universal-control-macos-monterey-12-3.jpg

With Universal Control, you can use the same cursor and keyboard on any nearby Mac or iPad that's signed into your iCloud account. So, for example, if you have a MacBook and an iPad next to it, your MacBook's trackpad and keyboard can be used right on the iPad.

Apple introduced Universal Control in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference and initially said that it would be introduced this fall, but the company was not able to meet that deadline and ultimately delayed the launch.

In December, Apple updated its macOS Monterey feature page with a "spring 2022" release date for Universal Control, which is aligned with when we are expecting to see iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 launch.

Article Link: iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 Betas Add Universal Control
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/27/universal-control-monterey-12-3-beta/
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Now the computer you use can see you, track your location, and use a key-logger and mouse tracker to know what you are typing and clicking. Good thing Google isn't in control of all this information or we might be in trouble. We can trust Apple though. They wouldn't hand off this info to any authorities ever.
 
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Got it working here. I had to explicitly link my iPad and Mac under the "Add Display" option in my mac's System Preferences to get it to work, but once I did it works as expected.

Dragging and dropping files between devices works, too.

Note it appears this is *not* compatible with Wacom tablets. I can only jump control and drag files if I use my mouse.

CleanShot 2022-01-27 at 14.42.48@2x.png
 
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Based on my (obviously limited) testing it looks like the destination device needs to be awake as well. I cannot drag from my Mac to my iPad if the screen is off.
 
walterpaisley said:
Got it working here. I had to explicitly link my iPad and Mac under the "Add Display" option in my mac's System Preferences to get it to work, but once I did it works as expected.

Dragging and dropping files between devices works, too.

Note it appears this is *not* compatible with Wacom tablets. I can only jump control and drag files if I use my mouse.

View attachment 1950194
Click to expand...
Now dragging and dropping file between different devices to copy is way cool, if it works in real life.
 
walterpaisley said:
Got it working here. I had to explicitly link my iPad and Mac under the "Add Display" option in my mac's System Preferences to get it to work, but once I did it works as expected.

Dragging and dropping files between devices works, too.

Note it appears this is *not* compatible with Wacom tablets. I can only jump control and drag files if I use my mouse.

View attachment 1950194
Click to expand...
Makes sense. I can't expect this to work with 3rd party tablets given how complex this probably is to get working and work well.
 
reyesmac said:
Now the computer you use can see you, track your location, and use a key-logger and mouse tracker to know what you are typing and clicking. Good thing Google isn't in control of all this information or we might be in trouble. We can trust Apple though. They wouldn't hand off this info to any authorities ever.
Click to expand...

? That was a good one…
You should guest on Dave Chappelle show.
 
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Reactions: CrzySxyCl
To those who have the beta, does UC work with a third-party mouse/keyboard? I’d like to think it does, but I could see Apple being Apple and restricting it to the Magic Mouse/Keyboard only.
 
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Reactions: eperitus
Does TouchID on 1 external/standalone apple keyboard work with universal control between 2 macs?
 
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I wonder if someone will workaround Universal Control to enable it on 2015 and older Macs. There's a shortcut that enables AirPlay to Mac on older Macs, fingers crossed.

such a shame that Apple capped this feature.
 
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Reactions: steverae, SFjohn and macsplusmacs
Has anyone tried it when using Universal Control with a non-Apple display? For example, the LG 5k display connected to a closed lid 2021 MBP 16". I have an iPad Pro connected to one of the LG monitor's USBC port and would love to be able to use my Logitech mouse & keyboard on the iPad.
 
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