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 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account.
In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone.
iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen.
Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about.
Measure App
Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles.
Games App
There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent.
CarPlay
The...
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/')
