Apple finally brought “universal control” to the iPad and Mac last week with iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3. In this article we explain which devices support this new feature.
The HDMI cable will be redundant in the future
It was one of the big innovations from Apple with the software updates iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3: universal control. In short, this feature lets you easily use one mouse, keyboard, or trackpad on several devices at the same time. Unfortunately, this Universal Control does not work on every iPad and Mac. Read in this article which Apple devices support this new function!
These devices support universal control
First of all, it is important for your iPad and Mac to update to the latest software version. For your tablet it’s iPadOS 15.4 and for your Mac it’s Monterey 12.3. The update can be found under ‘Settings’ and then under the heading ‘General’. apple reports that universal control is available for the following Macs:
- MacBook Pro (2016 and later)
- MacBook (2016 and later)
- MacBook Air (2018 and later)
- iMac (2017 and later)
- iMac (27″)
- iMac Pro
- Mac mini (2018 and later)
- Mac Pro (2019)
We expect that the new Mac Studio also belongs in this list. It is possible to use Universal Control on the following iPads:
- iPad Pro
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad (6th generation and later)
- iPad mini (5th generation and later)
If your two devices are in this list, you can get started with universal control. Watch out! Both your iPad and Mac must be signed in with the same iCloud and Apple ID. In addition, Handoff must be enabled in your ‘AirPlay settings’. As a final condition, both devices cannot be more than 10 meters apart.
What can you do with Universal Control?
With this new function from Apple you can easily share your screen and it is possible to use your iPad as a second screen of, for example, your MacBook. This is ideal for your (creative) workflow†In addition, you can easily share files via ‘drag and drop’ in universal control. So you no longer have to share an image awkwardly. It’s like your devices are connected by cable!