It has been a very busy day at the Cupertino offices. After learning that the iOS 15.4 beta allows you to unlock an iPhone with FaceID while wearing a mask, now it’s time to review the features that come with it. iPad OS 15.4 Y macOS Monterey 12.3. The first betas of both systems are already available for developers and come with a novelty highly anticipated: Universal control.
What is Universal Control? Basically, this function will allow you simultaneously control an iPad and Mac —with iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey, respectively— with the same keyboard and mouse. The pointer of mouse, for example, you can move from one device to another in a natural way, as if it were a secondary monitor connected to your computer. Best of all, Control Universal offers support for up to 3 devices.
It’s important to remember that Apple originally planned to offer Universal Control with the release of iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey. However, some obstacles were crossed during the development and the company was forced to postpone it. The good news is that it’s just around the corner now, as Universal Control is one of the main new features in the betas of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3, which are available to developers today.
What you need to know about Universal Control in iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey
Apple has shared with us some points that those interested in trying Universal Control should take into account. We reproduce them in full below:
- When you first connect your Mac and iPad by moving the pointer to the edge of the screen, you’ll see the icon for the device you’re connecting from.
- For desktop Macs that you want to permanently set up with Universal Control, such as in a workspace with an iMac and a MacBook, you can set it to be always connected by going to System Preferences and then tapping Displays.
- If you want to organize your devices after you connect them, you can always do so in Display Preferences, just like you would an external display. This makes the pointer move smoothly between screens without suddenly jumping up or down. This is also useful if you have a hot corner on the bottom right of your Mac set to Sticky Notes and don’t want it to be used for Universal Control.
Beware, if at least one of the devices is portable, be it a MacBook or iPad, “you will have to reconnect them by pressing each time the device is in range but has been moved or put to sleep,” says Apple. Please note that Universal Control is currently only available to developers. But nevertheless, it will not take long to reach all users in the coming weeks.