macOS Monterey 12.3 brings Apple’s Universal Control to Mac and iPad

Apple released macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 on Monday. These give Mac and iPad users access to the long-delayed Universal Control.

Plus, iOS 15.4 also went to the public. And watchOS 8.5 and tvOS 15.4 too.

What’s new macOS Monterey 12.3

Apple’s release notes for Monday’s Mac update say, “macOS 12.3 adds Universal Control so you can use a single mouse and keyboard across your Mac and iPad. This release also includes new emoji, dynamic head tracking for Music, and other features and bug fixes for your Mac.”

The signature feature is Universal Control. As Apple noted, this enables a single keyboard and mouse to control both a Mac and an iPad, or two Macs, allowing you to easily jump between them. It’s a feature Apple promised at the WWDC Developers Conference in June 2021 and is just now delivering. Don’t miss the Cult of Mac preliminary review of Universal Control.

Read the full macOS 12.3 release notes.

It’s quite likely the just-announced Mac Studio will debut running macOS Monterey 12.3.

What’s new iPadOS 15.4

The cross-device Universal Control feature requires iPadOS 15.4 to be installed on the iPad. But that’s not the only new feature. The release notes say, “iPadOS 15.4 adds Universal Control so you can use a single mouse and keyboard across your iPad and Mac. This release also includes new emoji, an additional voice for Siri, and other features and bug fixes for your iPad.”

Read the full iPadOS 15.4 release notes.

The new iPad Air 5 will probably require this version.

How to install macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPad OS 15.4

Anyone with a compatible Mac can download macOS Monterey 12.3 now. Go to Apple menu  > About This Mac. Then click Software Update. Alternatively, you can install the new version from the App Store. (Note: At the time of this writing, Apple had not yet updated the version of macOS Monterey in the App Store. But it should happen soon.)

iPad users can install iOS 15.4 or iPadOS 15.4 by connecting the device to a Mac, or to a PC running iTunes. Alternatively, an over-the-air update is also possible. That’s accomplished by opening the Settings app and going to General > Software Update.

Full macOS Monterey 12.3 release notes

macOS 12.3 adds Universal Control so you can use a single mouse and keyboard across your Mac and iPad. This release also includes new emoji, dynamic head tracking for Music, and other features and bug fixes for your Mac.

Universal Control (beta)

• Universal Control allows you to use a single mouse and keyboard across iPad and Mac
•  Text can be typed on either Mac or iPad and you can drag and drop files between them

Spatial Audio

• Dynamic head tracking is available in Music with supported AirPods on Mac computers with the M1 chip
• Customizable spatial audio settings for Off, Fixed, and Head Tracked are now in Control Center with supported AirPods on Mac computers with the M1 chip

Emoji

• New emoji including faces, hand gestures, and household objects are available in emoji keyboard
• Handshake emoji allows you to choose separate skin tones for each hand

This release also includes the following enhancements for your Mac:

• Siri now includes an additional voice, expanding the diversity of options
• Podcasts app adds episode filter for seasons, played, unplayed, saved, or downloaded episodes
• Safari webpage translation adds support for Italian and Chinese (Traditional)
• Shortcuts now supports adding, removing, or querying tags with Reminders
• Saved passwords can now include your own notes
• Battery capacity readings have improved accuracy

This release also includes bug fixes for your Mac:

• News widgets in Today View may not open articles when clicked
• Audio may sound distorted while watching video in the Apple TV app
• Some photos and videos may be unintentionally moved when organizing albums in Photos

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Full iPadOS 15.4 release notes

iPadOS 15.4 adds Universal Control so you can use a single mouse and keyboard across your iPad and Mac. This release also includes new emoji, an additional voice for Siri, and other features and bug fixes for your iPad.

Universal Control

• Universal Control allows you to use a single mouse and keyboard across iPad and Mac
• Text can be typed on either iPad or Mac and you can drag and drop files between them

Emoji

• New emoji including faces, hand gestures, and household objects
• Handshake emoji allows you to choose separate skin tones for each hand

FaceTime

• SharePlay sessions can be initiated directly from supported apps

• Siri can provide time and date information while offline on iPad Pro with A12Z Bionic and later
• Siri now includes an additional voice, expanding the diversity of options

This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPad:

• Volume controls can be set to adjust as you rotate your iPad, on iPad (5th generation and newer), iPad mini (4th and 5th generation), iPad Air 2, iPad Air (3rd and 4th generation), and iPad Pro
• iCloud custom email domains can be managed from Settings
• Safari webpage translation adds support for Italian and Chinese (Traditional)
• Podcasts app adds episode filters for seasons, played, unplayed, saved, or downloaded episodes
• News offers enhanced discovery of audio content in the Today feed and Audio tab
• Camera in keyboard can be used to add text to Notes and Reminders
• Shortcuts adds support for tags in Reminders; add, remove, or query tags when creating and editing Shortcuts
• Security recommendations can now be hidden
• Saved passwords can now include your own notes in Settings

This release also includes bug fixes for your iPad

• Keyboard may insert period between typed numbers
• News widgets in Today View may not open articles when tapped
• Photos and videos may not sync to iCloud Photo Library
• Speak Screen Accessibility feature may quit unexpectedly within the Books app
• Live Listen may not turn off when switched off in Control Center

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222