macOS Monterey 12.3 is now available for download: universal control and more

Apple has released macOS Monterey 12.3 for download. The most exciting new feature is called Universal Control and it clearly builds on the idea of ​​using peripherals on multiple devices. There’s also news for Spatial Audio, Emojis, and more.

Universal Control is the biggest new feature of 12.3

About a month after the MacOS 12.2 security update, Apple has another real feature update ready. The most exciting innovation in macOS Monterey 12.3 is called Universal Control. Apple had already announced before the release of macOS 12 that they wanted to use this feature to significantly expand the idea of ​​device-wide peripheral control, so after a long wait, the feature has now made it to a public release, but it will have the addition “Beta”. to get.

Assuming an update to macOS 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4, Universal Control allows you to freely use Mac’s sidecar, cursor, and keyboard between Mac and iPad, unlike the sidecar screen feature. In addition, the devices should automatically recognize each other when approaching, allowing for an easy transition when the cursor reaches the corresponding edge of the screen. For this, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff must be activated on all devices, the maximum distance is about 10 cm.

Cross-device operation is then significantly expanded with the universal clipboard function. This makes it possible to transfer files between the connected devices using drag & drop. However, there are some limitations between iOS and macOS due to the major differences in the operating systems. Apple writes about this in the Developer Patch Notes that “some file types and applications” are not supported.

Emoji, audio and more

The rest of the changes in macOS Monterey 12.3 revolve around emojis, spatial audio, and the usual improvements and bug fixes. Below is an overview of the relevant patch notes: Spatial Audio:

• Dynamic head tracking is available in Music with supported AirPods on Mac computers with the M1 chip
• Customizable Spatial Audio Settings Off, Fixed and Head Tracking are now available in the Control Center with supported AirPods on Mac computers with the M1 chip

emoji:

• New emoji including faces, hand gestures and household items are available in Emoji Keyboard
• Handshake emoji allows you to choose a different skin color for each hand

Other improvements:

• Siri now includes an extra voice
• Podcasts app adds episode filters for seasons, played, unplayed, saved or downloaded episodes
• Shortcuts now support adding, removing or requesting tags with reminders
• Saved passwords can now contain their own notes
• Accuracy of battery capacity display has been improved