iPad and Mac computers come included with Apple’s Universal Control feature. To utilise the service, users must log in to the same iCloud account on both devices. In addition, the cellular and internet connections on both smartphones must be the same.
To put it another way, Universal Control essentially turns iPads and Macs into dual-monitor setups, allowing you to move the mouse pointer to the edge of one display to access the next one on the other.
It will stay linked until either the device is put to sleep or removed from the range after Universal Control has been set up (which is 10 metres or 30 feet). For example, you may use two or more devices and have them automatically reconnect, or you can turn it off from the Settings menu.
Gesture controls for the MacBook trackpad were shown by Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering, Craig Federeighi, during the WWDC presentation last year. When using Universal Control, for example, documents may be closed with a flick of the trackpad and the user can swipe through pages and write smoothly across devices.
If you don’t already have a trackpad on your iMac, you don’t need one to utilise Universal Control with an external Magic keyboard and mouse. But for now, only Macs and iPads may get the beta version of the iPhone upgrade; it is scheduled to arrive shortly.
All MacBook Pro and MacBook (2016 and newer) models, MacBook Air (2018 and newer models) and Retina 5K 27-inch iMac (late 2015 introduction) models, as well as the iMac Pro, Mac mini (late 2018 and newer models), and Mac Pro (late 2019 and newer models) are eligible for the beta update to use Universal Control right away.
Universal Control Across Macs and iPads Detailed overview
One input source may be used to operate several Macs or iPads. This functionality was previewed at WWDC 2021. For example, you may use the same keyboard and trackpad on your MacBook Pro to manage an iPad that is sitting nearby.
One Mac running macOS 12.3 beta and another device, such as an iPad running iPad OS 15.4, are required for Universal Control to function properly. Without a main Mac acting as the host, you cannot access Universal Control.
Universal Control, a long-awaited feature meant to let numerous Macs and iPads to be managed with a single mouse and keyboard, has been included to both iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3, both presently in beta.
Any Mac or iPad logged into your iCloud account within range may be controlled with the same cursor and keyboard thanks to Universal Control. You can use your Mac’s trackpad and keyboard to manage the iPad if you have a MacBook Pro and an iPad next to it, for example. If you’re using an iPad with a keyboard, you can do the same thing.
Universal Control is enabled by default in the latest versions of macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4. If your devices don’t support the functionality, you’ll have to activate it manually.
Requirements for your computer
As well as iPadOS 15.4 and Monterey 12.3 on an iPad and Mac, Universal Control needs the following models of iPad and Mac to function. We are unable to provide assistance for devices that are more than a decade old.
- Apple’s iMac (2016 and later)
- This is the MacBook (2016 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2018 and later)
- Apple’s iMac (2017 and later)
- The iMac (5K Retina 27-inch, Late 2015)
- MacBook Air, Mac mini, and iMac pro (2018 and later)
- To put it another way, the Mac Pro (2019)
- All of the iPad Pro models
- Apple iPad Pro (3rd generation and later)
- The iPad (6th generation and later)
- a smaller version of the iPad (5th generation and later)
You Should Think Twice About Using Universal Control
You must have two-factor authentication setup on all of your iCloud accounts before you can utilise Universal Control.
To make advantage of the wireless network, Bluetooth, WiFi, and Handoff must be enabled, and the devices must be within 30 feet of each other. The iPad and Mac cannot share a cellular and internet connection (so the Mac can’t be connected to the iPad), and through USB, the Mac must be trusted on the iPad.
Last but not least, although Universal Control may be used with several Macs, an iPad is necessary in order to utilise it on an iPad.
In other words, you can’t use Universal Control with two iPads without a Mac, but you can use it with two iPads and a Mac.
As a result of using Universal Control
In the beginning, you’ll want to move your mouse pointer down the right side of your Mac’s screen. When the pointer can be pushed through the side of the screen to another device, you should see an animation displaying this capability.
Onward and upwards, with the mouse freely moving across displays and keyboard input automatically assigned to whatever device the cursor is presently positioned on, should be no problem.
To use a single set of peripherals on all your Apple devices, you can type into text input fields, such as in Notes or Safari, using the same keyboard.
If you’re transferring files between an iPad and a Mac, be sure you have an app open that supports the file type before dragging and dropping. Open the Photos app on the iPad first before attempting to drag a photo from the Mac to the iPad. Open the Files app on your iPad if you wish to transfer a document.
Because the Mac desktop supports several file formats, dragging an item from an iPad to a Mac is much easier. The Magic Keyboard’s support for features like three-finger swiping between pages means that same movements are also available on the iPad.
Several multitouch gestures, such as Mission Control, aren’t accessible on iPads, while others are slightly altered for use on the tablet. You can use a three-finger swipe on the Mac trackpad to close an iPad app that you’ve opened. With a mouse, you can pull the dock up by clicking and dragging it down from the top of the screen.
As long as the app enables text input, you may copy and paste material from one device to another using a single keyboard, however this capability doesn’t seem to be functioning well with Safari. There is a good chance that copy/paste will be improved throughout the beta testing phase.