Universal Control is a Result of Years of Work on iPadOS, Says Apple Product Manager

[MacRumors]

Universal Control results from years of working on the iPadOS platform, allowing for a feature such as Universal Control that bridges the gap between the iPad and the Mac to exist, an Apple product manager has said in a new interview this week.

Vivek Bhardwaj, an Apple product manager who works on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, shed light on Apple's thinking about Universal Control in an interview on the AppStories podcast. Bhardwaj said that Apple's approach to Universal Control was to help create a more continuous experience between the iPad and Mac platforms, building on existing Continuity features such as Universal Clipboard and the ability to unlock a Mac with an Apple Watch.

For Universal Control to exist, Bhardwaj said that Apple had to first work on iPadOS as a platform itself. Bhardwaj references features such as the ability to drag and drop files, photos, text, and more across the system and support for using a trackpad on an iPad.

To use Universal Control, at least one Mac has to be in the workflow as it can't be used solely between two or more iPads. Regarding whether Universal Control could ever work between just multiple iPads, Bhardwaj said that Apple designed Universal Control with both the iPad and Mac in mind, adding that a considerable amount of Mac users also own an iPad, whereas many customers don't own two iPads.

In the interview, Bhardwaj also touched on Shortcuts coming to the Mac and what that means for automation on the platform. Universal Control became available to users after weeks of testing with macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4, released earlier this month.

Article Link: Universal Control is a Result of Years of Work on iPadOS, Says Apple Product Manager

 

[nepalisherpa]

I love this feature when it works. I know it's in "beta" phase but, for some reason, it keeps forgetting my iPad even though I have "Automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad" selected and scrolling has not worked at all.

 

[Caliber26]

There's a lot to criticize Apple for, but this is the type of seamless integration that separates them from the rest of the pack and why so many of us are happy to pay their premium prices.

 

[Pilot Jones]

A genuinely impressive feature that will no doubt change many a workflow.

Now bring Final Cut and Logic to the iPad you cowards.

 

[haruhiko]

Universal Control is the best feature for my work setup. a MacBook Pro connected to an external display with an iPad at the side.

 

[tharitm]

The next thing to do should be to remove the requirement for both devices to be under the same Apple ID. Instead replace with a prompt or confirmation of a 6 digit code on both devices. This will allow anyone using a Mac for work to quickly connect to the iPad.

 

[BootsWalking]

There's a lot to criticize Apple for, but this is the type of seamless integration that separates them from the rest of the pack and why so many of us are happy to pay their premium prices.

Logitech implemented it four years ago.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

It’s just magical.

Apple’s finest software works up to date. To come up with something this magical it is not easy. I really hope Apple knows that it is the best feature at the moment and in the future, it only gets richer.

 

[fbr$]

What I really want and need is to drag an app from my Mac to my iPad and run it on iPadOS...

 

[w5jck]

I wonder if Vivek Bhardwaj is one of the reasons iPadOS is such a buggy pile of useless garbage?

 

[Karma*Police]

The reason why users have both a Mac and iPad is because of the limitations you’ve imposed on both platforms! Instead of wasting time and resources to create universal control, you should have figured out a way create one uber OS by merging the best of iPad OS and Mac OS. This would have massive benefits for Apple, developers, and users.

 

[Freeangel1]

I would use this feature IF:
The iPadOS had a REAL FILE system like macOS where you can save and store files locally on an iPad instead of having to rely on Cloud Storage

 

[Xavier]

I can't wait to upgrade my old iMac to a new computer with this feature. I currently have a MacBook Pro for work that has Universal Control and if my secondary computer had this feature, I could finally ditch my second keyboard and mouse.

 

[jtdx99]

I love Universal Control and know it’s in beta, but is it just me or does the scrolling on iPad OS not work?

 

[MayaUser]

Logitech implemented it four years ago.

not the same ...lacks a lot of features
"Logitech Flow allows users of both Windows and macOS machines to quickly and painlessly copy and paste text, both plain text and rich text, images, files and folders between peer computers. It achieves this by sending clipboard hints from the flow out computer to the flow in computer during channel switch." And this is the limit of what you can do between 2 desktop OS..so even the compatibility is limited to desktop OS

 

[JanoschR]

Still not working for me.. ?

 

[skitidetdu]

Logitech implemented it four years ago.

Too bad it requires you to buy a Logitech mouse or keyboard. Would easily pay for the software alone as I sit with both platforms at work

 

[NMBob]

Stick enough bandaids on a pig and it turns into a pig covered in bandaids.
iFinder Or Bust.

 

[barkomatic]

I haven't been able to find a significant use for this feature just yet. I tried to transfer some files from my Mac to the iPad and it just choked.

 

[BootsWalking]

not the same ...lacks a lot of features
"Logitech Flow allows users of both Windows and macOS machines to quickly and painlessly copy and paste text, both plain text and rich text, images, files and folders between peer computers. It achieves this by sending clipboard hints from the flow out computer to the flow in computer during channel switch." And this is the limit of what you can do between 2 desktop OS..so even the compatibility is limited to desktop OS

You said Logitech lacks a lot of features but only listed one in your post and it's not even a feature that's missing - you can still move files between desktops, it just requires using copy/paste instead of dragging. So what other features are lacking from this product implemented in 2017?

 

[BootsWalking]

Too bad it requires you to buy a Logitech mouse or keyboard. Would easily pay for the software alone as I sit with both platforms at work

Give Synergy a look.

 

[Waterndirt]

M1 Mac Mini and iPad Pro 12.9... doesn't work for me, locks up my iPad, frozen screen, have to hard reset.

 

[ss2cire]

I would use this feature IF:
The iPadOS had a REAL FILE system like macOS where you can save and store files locally on an iPad instead of having to rely on Cloud Storage

You can save locally, when choosing a location to save make sure you select “on my iPad” (on iPhone it’ll say “on my iPhone”)

 

[ss2cire]

Give Synergy a look.

Synergy is the commercialized version of Barrier

 

[idmean]

Logitech implemented it four years ago.

This doesn’t allow you to drag and drop files. This only shares the cursor and implements something akin to Universal Clipboard, which Apple introduced more than five years ago.