Ever wanted to combine a Mac and an iPad into a single desktop workspace?
On Monday, Apple introduced a new feature called Universal Control that’ll let you use a single mouse and keyboard to move between your Mac and a nearby iPad.
The feature arrives in the next version of macOS, which is called Monterey. At WWDC, Apple SVP Craig Federighi demoed the function by placing an iPad next to a MacBook. “Without any other setup, I’m going to simply move my Mac cursor toward my iPad, and then the iPad automatically recognizes it,” he said.
“And if I move a bit further, boom, my cursor is now on the iPad,” he added. “And now I can move my cursor back-and-forth effortlessly between the two.”
Hence, you can use a Mac’s trackpad and keyboard to control the iPad, removing the need to rely on the touch-screen interface. You can also drag and drop files between the two devices.
The Universal Control feature works with more than two devices. In the demo, Federighi added access to a third computer, a nearby iMac, and dragged an image file across all three devices.
Cupertino designed the feature to help users entrenched in the company’s ecosystem get more out of their products. According to Apple, Universal Control will work on a variety of Mac and iPad devices going back to 2016.
“Both devices must be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication,” the requirements say. “To use wirelessly, both devices must have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff turned on and must be within 10 meters (30 feet) of each other.” The feature can work on up to three devices.
To further improve macOS, Apple is incorporating two other features: Monterey will include support for AirPlay, so you’ll be able to cast video and audio content from an iPhone to a Mac. The company is also adding Shortcuts, already available on iPhones, enabling you to automate several software-based tasks on the computer with a single click.
“With a rich gallery of pre-built actions designed just for Mac, users can instantly share files, make animated GIFs, and more,” the company said. “Power users looking to take things further can use the Shortcuts Editor on Mac to customize shortcuts to match their workflows.”
The other big change to Monterey involves Safari, which has been redesigned with a new interface. “A new tab bar takes on the color of the webpage and combines tabs, the tool bar, and the search field into a single compact design,” the company said.
You can also cluster and save your tabs together via “tab groups.” The feature can be accessed through a button, which will roll out a sidebar, and let you access existing groups or create new ones. In addition, your saved tab groups can be accessed on the Safari browser across your Apple devices.
MacOS Monterey will also contain other features arriving to iOS 15, including FaceTime improvements and Focus, which is designed to help you filter out distracting notifications.
MacOS Monterey will be available as a public beta next month. Apple plans to officially roll it out as a MacOS update in the fall.
