Apple

Mac and iPad compatible with the new Universal Control

One of the features of macOS Monterey presented at WWDC 2021 that most caught the attention of all users was UniversalControl. However, its launch has been delayed due to foreseeable problems in its development, despite the fact that it seemed that it could arrive before the end of the year. Finally, it is still not available, but developers can already start testing it because it has been released with the first beta of macOS 12.3 (the latest official stable version is 12.2).

In case you didn’t know, Universal Control is a functionality that will be available from the aforementioned macOS 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 and which basically consists of unify the controls of the Mac and iPad. In other words, it gives you the possibility of using the same mouse and keyboard on both devices without having to change anything at all or connect the devices to each other. In fact it is very sidecar-like, a function that allows you to use the iPad as a second screen for the Mac, but with the difference that the iPad and the Mac act independently of each other. It should be noted that it will also make it possible to unify the controls of an iMac and a MacBook, for example.

mouse and keyboard

This function has arrived with the first beta of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3, which means that users cannot officially use it, unless they install these betas on their devices, something that we do not recommend since they are operating systems on trial. However, the normal thing is that users do not have to wait long to be able to enjoy this function, since end of March or early april is when these versions are expected to be released.

Devices that support this feature

It’s not all good news when it comes to Universal Control, as this is a new feature, there will be some users who won’t be able to enjoy it because their iPad, Mac, or both don’t support it. However, below we will leave you which iPad and Mac models are compatible with this functionality and, therefore, those that will be able to use it after its launch.

  • Compatible Macs:
    • MacBook (2016 and later)
    • MacBook Air (2018 and later)
    • MacBook Pro (2016 and later)
    • iMac 21.5-inch (2017 and later)
    • iMac 24-inch (2021)
    • iMac 27-inch (Late 2015 and later)
    • iMac Pro (2017)
    • Mac mini (2018 and later)
    • Mac Pro (2013 and later)
  • Compatible iPads:
    • iPad (6th generation and later)
    • iPad mini (5th generation and later)
    • iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
    • iPad Pro (any model)

AirPods Pro on iPad

Therefore, if you don’t have a compatible device, We are afraid to tell you that you will not have any chance to test this functionality. It is understood that the established compatibility is due to certain requirements at the hardware level and therefore it is impossible to execute on those that do not reach it. However, you will have noticed that the list of devices that can is quite extensive, so not too many users will be left out.

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