Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Apple’s Universal Control won’t arrive on Macs, iPads until 2022

By Chuong Nguyen Published December 13, 2021

After having dropped the latest releases of its operating systems — including iOS 15.2, iPad OS 15.2, macOS Monterey 12.1, watchOS 8.3, and tvOS 15.2 — early Monday morning local time, one highly coveted feature that Apple promoted during its WWDC presentation earlier this year was notably missing. Unfortunately, it appears that Universal Control, a KVM-like feature that allows you to share a mouse and keyboard and work seamlessly across a Mac and iPad, didn’t quite make the cut in the latest versions of the company’s new iPadOS and macOS operating system releases.

It appears that the release date for Universal Control on the Mac has now been adjusted from winter to “available this spring,” according to Apple’s information page for macOS Monterey. The company did not give any further details or explanation for the delay, though this could mean that the feature won’t arrive until macOS 12.2 drops.

The MacBook Pro with the default wallpaper, which hides the notch. — Apple

In addition to being able to share a single keyboard and mouse across devices, Universal Control also allows you to share content between devices, so you can choose the best device to do your work.

Recommended Videos

“A single keyboard and mouse or trackpad now work seamlessly between your Mac and iPad — they’ll even connect to more than one Mac or iPad,” Apple said of the feature. “Move your cursor from your Mac to your iPad, type on your Mac and watch the words show up on your iPad, or even drag and drop content from one Mac to another.

Macs and iPad tablets within close proximity of each other will be connected via Continuity and AirPlay. To work, all devices must be logged in to iCloud with the same Apple ID, and the hardware will need to have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff enabled.

The much-anticipated feature has prompted tech-savvy users to create a workaround in the past to enable Universal Control on earlier betas of macOS Monterey prior to launch.

The company stated that MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro launched in 2016 and later will be compatible with the feature, along with 2017 and newer iMac models, the iMac Pro, the 2018 and newer Mac mini, and the Mac Pro. All generations of the iPad Pro, the iPad Air 3rd generation and newer, iPad 6th generation and newer, and iPad mini 5th generation and newer will work with the feature.

In addition to Universal Control, macOS 12 brings a slew of features, including updated Maps, new privacy controls, recording indicators whenever apps access the webcam or microphone, iCloud+ privacy features like Private Relay and Hide My Email, SharePlay, and AirPlay.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…

Mobile

Which iPads does the Apple Pencil Pro work with? Here’s the full list

A photo of someone drawing with the Apple Pencil Pro.

With four new iPad models announced during Apple’s “Let Loose” event, there was plenty for Apple fans to like. A new iPad Pro and iPad Air were announced, with 11-inch and 13-inch models for each. Apple also lowered the price of its 10th-generation iPad, giving it a very welcome $100 price cut.

With all the excitement over the new slates and the OLED iPad Pro, it was probably easy to overlook that accessories weren’t neglected during “Let Loose." There’s a new Apple Pencil Pro that works with several of the tablets that were newly announced, along with a new Magic Keyboard. But which iPads does the new Apple Pencil Pro work with? That's what we're here to clear up.
Which iPads does the Apple Pencil Pro work with?

Computing

iPad Pro M4 vs. MacBook Air M3: a harder choice than ever

iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard.

The line between the iPad Pro and the MacBook Air has always been slim. Despite being very different devices, they're the two 13-inch devices in Apple's lineup -- and with the updated M4 iPad Pro, they are more competitive with each other than ever.

There's a lot we still don't know about the M4 iPad Pro, but here's a preliminary look at how the two devices stack up against each other.
Specs

Computing

The new iPad Pro would be perfect, if only it were a Mac

A person gaming on the M4 iPad Pro and playing Diablo Immortal.

It’s no secret that I’ve been cheering on Apple’s gaming advances over the last year or so. Long-suffering Mac gamers have gone from being the forgotten also-rans of Apple’s ecosystem to feeling on top of the world, all in a very short period of time. But there’s one vital piece missing from the puzzle, and Apple’s new M4 iPad Pros have made it incredibly obvious.

I’ll admit, Mac gamers have been treated well in recent times. Not only have we had phenomenal hardware advancements in the form of the M3 Max chip -- which is a genuine gaming chip so cool and quiet that you’d be fooled into thinking it’s not -- but there’s also been a slate of top-tier games arriving on Apple’s platform, including my beloved Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a good time to be a Mac gamer.