In the third beta of macOS Monterey that Apple released to developers today, there is a small Universal Control update that is designed to make it easier to access the various Universal Control settings that you might need when using the feature to control multiple Macs and iPads with a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard.
If you open up the Displays section of System Preferences after updating to the new software, there is a new "Universal Control..." button that was first noticed by 9to5Mac. The Universal Control button goes directly to the three Universal Control settings that are available.
Prior to this beta, the Universal Control options were located under the now-removed "Advanced" tab, and were just a bit harder to get to.
The Universal Control settings have not changed, even though their location has been updated. The first two settings are enabled by default and allow Universal Control to work, while the third is optional and can be toggled on to allow you to automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad you've previously connected to.
Universal Control is live in the macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 betas available to developers and public beta testers, and it is working well even in a beta capacity. The feature will be available to everyone when the updates see a public release, which could perhaps come in March following Apple's planned March 8 event.
Handoff is a bit of a different animal, isn't it. Universal Control involves mouse and cursor control across different Apple devices, whereas Handoff involves passing clipboard data (among other things?) to other Apple devices.
Handsoff is part of/required by UC. You can't turn it off while turning UC on.
UC is the ultimate solution that Apple has imagined, combining Handsoff and AirDrop with the soft-KVM, it makes multiple devices feel like one. So far the experience is so great that I couldn't live without when I have multiple Macs around. I sometime forgot that I'm using multiple Macs now and would try to drag an application window from one to another. Hopefully they can make applications work across devices someday.
Well, those three checkboxes are all that matters, and they are turned on by default iirc. Moving its location hardly matters, and unlike disastrous handoff, this one at least can’t get triggered randomly easily so I’m fine.
Handoff is a bit of a different animal, isn't it. Universal Control involves mouse and cursor control across different Apple devices, whereas Handoff involves passing clipboard data (among other things?) to other Apple devices.
I set the third option back to off, because you can't change the side of your other device automatically.
And when I took my iPad to another room and tried to use the cursor gesture to show apps in slide over, I didn't realize my cursor went to my Mac, which made me lose the cursor due to how massive my iMac screen is. I was so confused about what happened to my iPad cursor.
Wednesday January 25, 2023 9:40 am PST by Joe Rossignol
After announcing new Mac and HomePod models last week, Apple adjusted its trade-in values for select devices in the United States.
iPhone trade-in values decreased by up to $80, and most Android smartphones also went down. Mac trade-in values remained unchanged or increased by up to $40 depending on the model, while some Apple Watch models increased in value and others decreased. Trade-in...
Friday January 27, 2023 10:01 am PST by Juli Clover
Multiple rumors have suggested that the next-generation iPhone 15 models will adopt the Wi-Fi 6E standard that Apple has already introduced in the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro, and now a leaked document appears to confirm Apple's plans.
Sourced from researcher and Apple leaker Unknownz21 (@URedditor), the document features diagrams of the iPhone 15's antenna architecture. D8x refers to the...
Wednesday January 25, 2023 5:39 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The iPhone 15 will support Wi-Fi 6E, according to a research note shared this week by Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley. The analysts did not specify whether the feature will be available on all models or limited to the Pro models.
Apple has added Wi-Fi 6E support to a handful of devices so far, including the latest 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook...
Thursday January 26, 2023 12:14 pm PST by Juli Clover
New 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the latest M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are available in Apple retail stores and are already in the hands of customers, and we picked up one of the new M2 Max machines to answer all of the questions MacRumors readers considering a purchase might have.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Yesterday, we asked MacRumors fans on...
Thursday January 26, 2023 6:30 am PST by Tim Hardwick
The new Mac Pro coming later this year is expected to feature the same spacious modular design as the 2019 model, but with fresh concerns over its lack of upgradeability surfacing, some users are beginning to wonder what the transition away from Intel architecture actually means for Apple's most powerful Mac.
The current Intel Mac Pro that Apple sells is popular with creative professionals...
Friday January 20, 2023 11:43 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 16.3 will be released to the public next week. The software update will be available for the iPhone 8 and newer and includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes.
Below, we've recapped bigger features in iOS 16.3, including support for physical security keys as a two-factor authentication option for Apple ID accounts, worldwide ...
Friday January 27, 2023 2:11 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to be announced in September as usual. Already, rumors suggest the devices will have at least eight exclusive features not available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
An overview of the eight features rumored to be exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro models:A17 chip: iPhone 15 Pro models will be equipped with an A17...
Apple on January 23 released iOS 16.3, delivering support for Security Keys for Apple IDs, changes to Emergency SOS functionality, support for the second-generation HomePod, and more.
Top Rated Comments
UC is the ultimate solution that Apple has imagined, combining Handsoff and AirDrop with the soft-KVM, it makes multiple devices feel like one. So far the experience is so great that I couldn't live without when I have multiple Macs around. I sometime forgot that I'm using multiple Macs now and would try to drag an application window from one to another. Hopefully they can make applications work across devices someday.
And when I took my iPad to another room and tried to use the cursor gesture to show apps in slide over, I didn't realize my cursor went to my Mac, which made me lose the cursor due to how massive my iMac screen is. I was so confused about what happened to my iPad cursor.
Does any one know if the feature works from Magic Keyboard on the iPad back to the Mac? Or does the mouse support only work from the Mac to the iPad?