Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.3 update to its public beta testing group, with the new software coming a week after the second macOS Monterey 12.3 public beta.
Public beta testers can download the macOS 12.3 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.
Universal Control is the major new feature in macOS Monterey 12.3, and it is designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled using a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard. If you have a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro, for example, both devices can be controlled with the MacBook Pro's trackpad and keyboard or a keyboard attached to the iPad.
iPadOS 15.4 is required for Universal Control on the iPad, and once the updates are installed on your devices, the feature just works as it is automatically enabled.
macOS Monterey also includes new Emoji 14 characters like melting face, biting lip, heart hands, and more, and plus it adds support for updating AirPods with a Mac. There's no official update interface, but your AirPods can receive firmware updates over-the-air when connected to a Mac, similar to how the update process works with an iPhone.
There are some under-the-hood changes as well. Apple is removing Python 2 from macOS with macOS 12.3 after support was suspended in January 2020, and Apple is eliminating some kernel extensions used by Dropbox and OneDrive, necessitating software updates for those apps.
Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store.
The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump.
...
Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by Juli Clover
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google.
For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more.
Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features.
Liquid Glass Toggle
iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass.
In the Settings app, under Display...
Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences.
The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag.
This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked.
Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report.
Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered.
There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Wednesday November 5, 2025 3:54 pm PST by Juli Clover
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026.
Home Hub
Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...
This is going to significantly improve my workflow. I only have one mac and one iPad. What's the verdict? Is this beta stable enough?
PS I know betas are betas
I used to jump on Beta trains... not anymore. You probably can live without the features for 2-3 more weeks.
It's up to you- it's not the stability fo the system - the junk remaining afterwards when you decide you don't want betas anymore.
Either way - it's not a dead end. You can always cleanup and start fresh. It's a matter of time, mood and willing to do this.... maybe I've gotten old. I rather spend some time doing something away from the Mac than spend too much time tweaking it.
It used to be fun - it faded out for me :) Others may still enjoy it - I'm not judging.
Really looking forward to Universal Control. My guess is it’s a game changer.
I’m struggling to see it man.. probably just another half baked feature that turns out to be a gimmick. Like continuity, that never works with messages or personal hotspot that when you need it, it is not discoverable and you need to toggle it off and on.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.3 update to its public beta testing group, with the new software coming a week after the second macOS Monterey 12.3 public beta ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/09/macos-monterey-12-3-public-beta-2/').
Public beta testers can download the macOS 12.3 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website ('https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/').
Universal Control is the major new feature ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/27/hands-on-universal-control/') in macOS Monterey 12.3, and it is designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled using a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard. If you have a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro, for example, both devices can be controlled with the MacBook Pro's trackpad and keyboard or a keyboard attached to the iPad.
iPadOS 15.4 is required for Universal Control on the iPad, and once the updates are installed on your devices, the feature just works as it is automatically enabled.
macOS Monterey also includes new Emoji 14 characters ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/27/ios-15-4-emoji/') like melting face, biting lip, heart hands, and more, and plus it adds support for updating AirPods with a Mac. There's no official update interface, but your AirPods can receive firmware updates over-the-air when connected to a Mac, similar to how the update process works with an iPhone ('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/update-airpods/').
There are some under-the-hood changes as well. Apple is removing Python 2 ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/28/apple-removing-python-2-in-macos-12-3/') from macOS with macOS 12.3 after support was suspended in January 2020, and Apple is eliminating some kernel extensions ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/27/macos-12-3-deprecates-dropbox-onedrive-kexts/') used by Dropbox and OneDrive, necessitating software updates for those apps.
Article Link: Apple Seeds Third Public Beta of macOS Monterey With Universal Control ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/16/apple-macos-monterey-12-3-public-beta-3/')
Not mentioned anywhere but worth a note: reworked Metal drivers for Intel/AMD platforms introduced with beta3 now enabling the use of GPU Metal in Blender 3.1 beta + 3.2 alpha.Nice to see Apple catering to their long standing pro user base (mostly still on older platforms) and contributing financially and with manpower to devepment of open software.Good times ahead. Ty Apple.
('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/16/apple-macos-monterey-12-3-public-beta-3/')
