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.
Saturday August 16, 2025 6:45 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple smart home hub concept
This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system.
In a report this week, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform will blend...
Last week, Apple released and then pulled a software tool that accidentally contained identifiers for many unreleased devices and chips, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. His findings included new models of the Studio Display, Apple TV, Apple Watches, Apple Vision Pro, iPad mini, HomePod mini, and more.
Here is what was uncovered in the file, according to MacRumors contributor ...
Monday August 18, 2025 11:59 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The seventh developer beta of iOS 26 is now available. While we are now in the later stages of the iOS 26 beta cycle, there are still some changes.
Below, we outline everything new that we have found in iOS 26 beta 7 so far.
Redesigned Blood Oxygen Feature
The seventh developer betas of iOS 26 and watchOS 26 include a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch ...
Alleged images of the iPhone 17 Pro Max's internal design have surfaced, offering a potential look inside the device before it is announced by Apple next month.
The images were shared by the account "yeux1122" this week, in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver. The account aggregates Apple rumors and leaks, so it is likely not the original source of the images, and it is unclear if they...
Apple is expected to delay the launch of its base iPhone 18 model until spring 2027, marking a major shift in the company's long-established release cycle, according to South Korea's ETNews.
The report claims that Apple has informed some of its suppliers that the iPhone 18 will not be part of the September 2026 iPhone lineup. Instead, the company will unveil only higher-end models in the...
Tuesday August 19, 2025 9:29 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's software engineers are testing iOS 18.6.2, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions.
Yesterday, an anonymous source with a proven track record said iOS 18.6.2 was incoming, but the update was not present in our logs at that time.
Last year, the same anonymous source claimed that iOS 17.5.2 was in the pipeline, but Apple ...
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement.
The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category:
Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game)
Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
Tuesday August 19, 2025 11:25 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers with updated beta firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, allowing them to test the new AirPods features in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware is only available to developers at the current time, and a device running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 is required to install the update. The firmware has a build number of 8A5343a, up from 8A5324b.
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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.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
