Apple’s New Universal Control Feature for Macs Actually Feels Like Magic

Apple ’s long - expect Universal Control feature is last here , and after spending some time with it , I have to say : It ’s precisely what Apple promise . Now available as part of the macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 developer betas , the feature creates the bridge deck between Macs and iPads that many have been waiting for Apple to build up .

Universal Control , announce at WWDC last year , lets you use a single mouse and keyboard on both an iPad and Mac and puff and drop content between the two . This manner , you’re able to send photos or video recording clip from your pad to your laptop and vice versa without using AirDrop , uploading to the cloud , or some other workaround .

So , how does it lick ? I ’ll start by state that Apple was n’t mincing run-in when it claimed there was “ no apparatus required . ” You just need to do the basics : login to both devices using the same Apple ID and check they are both up to date . For now , you’re able to only apply the feature if you ’re enrolled in Apple ’s developer program , but it ’ll eventually be a default characteristic on iPad and Mac .

Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo

Using Universal Control after I had downloaded iPadOS 15.4 on an iPad miniskirt and macOS Monterey 12.3 on the latest 13 - in MacBook Pro was effortless . I plainly placed the two gimmick next to each other and dragged my laptop cursor to the edge of the filmdom . When I nudge it a bit further , instead of slamming into an invisible wall , the pointer magically start to the iPad miniskirt and transform from a background arrow into iPadOS ’s belittled circle . From there , I pulled up the Notes app on the iPad and started type with the MacBook Pro keyboard . It was , plainly , incredible .

Curious to see what happens going the opposite direction , I plugged in a SteelSeries gaming black eye into the iPad mini ’s USB - C port and pushed the orbitual icon across the unseeable bridge deck . This time , the icon fly from the pill and reappear as an arrow on the Mac . I jubilantly discovered that the iPad could still be control by touch while the mouse — which , I should say , was stop up into the pill — moved the MacBook cursor . To recapture dominance of the MacBook , I simply swiped on the trackpad and its lawful cursor hark back ( while the iPad cursor reappeared on the tablet ) .

sweep up and dropping filing cabinet was no different . I uploaded a couplet of photo of this setup to the MacBook Pro ’s desktop and moved them over to the Files app on the iPad miniskirt with a simple clink and swipe of the trackpad . The file appeared directly . For full transparency , I ’m not an Apple user — in fact , the last thing I owned that was designed in Cupertino was an iPod Touch — and yet , it ’s feature like Universal Control that anyone skip over between operating systems should envy . I certain as hell do .

Here, I’m using the MacBook Pro keyboard to type notes on the iPad mini

Here, I’m using the MacBook Pro keyboard to type notes on the iPad miniPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo

That ’s not to say the feature process cleanly . While it does n’t ask any setup , Universal Control did n’t kick in immediately after I updated my devices . Also , there was an instance where it did n’t require to drag a file from the MacBook to the iPad when using a black eye plugged into the tablet . The hiccup shortly and speedily resolve itself , but I ca n’t quite pinpoint what might have cause it . I also wonder what Apple suggests users do when they do n’t want their cursor jump between gimmick , specially since I discovered that the feature work with the devices on opposite sides of the room . Sure , you could change state it on and off , but that ’s an inelegant solution that cave what makes Universal Control so compelling : its easiness of use . This lineament just plunge in beta so let ’s hope these thing get ironed out in the next few month .

If you ’re using a laptop or tablet — any “ portable ” equipment — then you will need to reconnect each time once the devices are in range . If you require to use Universal Control permanently on a screen background Mac , you may go into Display > System Preferences to set the feature up to work continuously . On the iPad Mini , you ’ll find the feature in a new Cursor and Keyboard ( Beta ) option in General > AirPlay & Handoff .

Apple has previously said the feature article would be available last fall but later changed the expect launch date to “ available this spring , ” which is when we wait the courtly public launch of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 .

Image: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo