Universal Control Not Coming with iPadOS 15.2 and macOS 12.1

BY Chandraveer Mathur

Published 8 Dec 2021

Universal Control

Yesterday, Apple seeded the Release Candidate build for iPadOS 15.2 and macOS Monterey 12.1, clarifying that the Universal Control feature won’t be a part of the software update for consumers when it rolls out next week. The missing feature would allow you to use one mouse and keyboard across a Mac and an iPad.

Disappointingly, there is no mention of Universal Control in the changelog/release notes for macOS Monterey 12.1 and iPadOS 15.2. The feature hasn’t even been a part of any recent beta builds or release candidate versions. The latest release candidates seeded yesterday have sealed Universal Control’s fate. Customers probably won’t get the feature when the stable update rolls out sometime next week.

Universal Control was first mentioned at Apple’s WWDC event earlier this year. It allows you to control multiple Macs and iPads using a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard. Weirdly enough, the macOS Monterey page on Apple’s website continues to list Universal Control as “available later this fall.” In the US, “fall” ends on December 21, and winter sets in.

macOS Monterey 12.1 and iPadOS 15.2 should launch next week ahead of the Christmas holiday, albeit without Universal Control.

Would you update to macOS Monterey 12.1 and iPadOS 15.2 despite the lack of Universal Control? Why do you think Apple skipped the feature? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.