| Cult of Mac

Universal Control sends game dev with Mac arsenal over the moon [Setups]

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Apple's Universal Control is this game developer's dream of seamlessly carrying tasks from one screen to the next.
Apple's Universal Control is this game developer's dream of seamlessly carrying tasks from one screen to the next.
Photo: BacioiuC@Reddit.com

When Apple demonstrated its new Universal Control feature during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote back in June 2021, it made Apple fans drool. Too bad Cupertino made everyone wait longer than expected to get their hands on it.

But now, Universal Control is finally in beta testing ahead of its public release, and the anticipatory drool is once again flowing — especially among those who get to test it out.

The owner of today’s iMac Pro-based featured setup, a game developer and blogger, is no exception.

Universal Control on Mac and iPad is one of Apple’s most magical features yet

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Universal Control
It "just works," and it does so magnificently.
Photo: Apple

Universal Control, which is finally in testing ahead of its public debut, lets you control a Mac and an iPad with the same keyboard and mouse, bringing the two computers closer together than ever before. It’s particularly handy if you rely on both macOS and iPadOS apps and find yourself regularly switching between them.

The feature looked pretty ambitious and exciting when Apple previewed it during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote back in June. And now that it’s here (mostly) and we’ve had the chance to try it out, we firmly believe it is one of Cupertino’s most magical features to date.

Here’s why Universal Control will knock your socks off.

macOS Monterey 12.3 beta resumes testing Universal Control [Updated]

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macOS Monterey Universal Control: Coming soon to a Mac (and other Apple gear) near you.
Universal Control: Coming to a Mac (and other Apple gear) near you. Eventually.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded the first beta for macOS Monterey 12.3 to developers on Thursday. It includes the long-overdue Universal Control feature, suggesting this will finally launch soon.

The beta comes just a day after macOS 12.2 ended testing and was released to the public.

Mac gets SharePlay in macOS 12.1 but Universal Control delayed again

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Mac gets SharePlay in macOS 12.1 but Universal Control still missing
Easily watch videos with friends thanks to SharePlay in macOS 12.1.
Photo: Apple

macOS 12.1, the first major update to Monterey, went out Monday. The major new feature is SharePlay, but there are some other enhancements. But it does not include the much-anticipated Universal Control.

It comes on the same day as the release of iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3.

macOS 12.1 release candidate brings SharePlay a big step closer to Mac

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SharePlay for Mac iPad and iPhone
A highlight of macOS 12.1 Monterey will be SharePlay.
Photo: Apple

Developers got access to the macOS 12.1 release candidate on Tuesday. This means beta testing of the new Monterey version is almost over, and Mac users will soon be able to start playing with SharePlay. But there’s still no sign of the much anticipated Universal Control feature.

Apple also seeded release candidates for iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3 to developers.

macOS 12.1 Monterey moves closer with SharePlay and (maybe) Universal Control

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SharePlay for Mac iPad and iPhone
A highlight of macOS 12.1 Monterey will be SharePlay.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded macOS 12.1 beta 4 to developers on Wednesday. It has a build number that ends in “a,” which suggests the public release is only a week or two away. This version of Monterey will bring SharePlay to the Mac. It might also be the debut of the much anticipated Universal Control.

It is not accompanied by fresh betas of iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 or watchOS 8.3.

First macOS 12.1 Monterey beta resumes testing missing features

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First macOS 12.1 Monterey beta resumes testing missing features
macOS 12.1 might bring some much anticipated Monterey features.

Developers just got their hands on macOS 12.1, the initial major update to Monterey. It’s Apple’s first opportunity to test features missing from macOS 12, like SharePlay and Universal Control.

But the beta is so new it’s not yet clear whether these features are in it yet.

Apple delays Universal Control for macOS Monterey until ‘later this fall’

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macOS Monterey Universal Control
Hardly surprising.
Photo: Apple

Apple has finally put us out of our misery and confirmed Universal Control for macOS Monterey will be delayed until “later this fall.”

The new feature, which lets you seamlessly control a Mac and iPad with a single keyboard and mouse, has been missing from most macOS Monterey betas. It has popped up in more recent builds, but it still cannot be activated.

macOS Monterey might debut without handy Universal Control feature

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Universal Control is part of macOS Monterey and iPadOS 15.
Working with multiple Macs and iPads get a lot easier with Universal Control.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple released the tenth and possibly final beta of macOS Monterey on Wednesday and it still doesn’t allow testers to try out Universal Control. Apple will either have to delay the introduction of one of the highlights of macOS 12 or release it without it having gone through the usual beta testing program.

Apple normally announces when the debut of a major feature has been delayed. But it has not done so with Universal Control.