Apple pushed out iPadOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 updates to all iPad and Mac users last week, bringing a number of changes and new features to the system. Unfortunately, these updates have also caused Universal Control and Handoff to malfunction for many users.
Universal Control lets you control multiple iPads and Macs with a single set of mouse, keyboard, and trackpad. you can seamlessly move your cursor and keyboard between devices and infer the location of a device based on your cursor activity via iCloud.
Apple claims that this feature can be enabled automatically, and the only requirement is that the device be signed in with the same iCloud account. It relies on Apple’s Handoff technology to do this, which allows you to start working on one device and then switch to another nearby device.
A thread on Apple’s support forums has collected complaints from many iPad and Mac users who say the Universal Control feature doesn’t work properly after updating to iPadOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3. These users said that the feature was still working properly before Apple released the update.
For some users, these issues also affect other features that rely on Handoff technology, such as Universal Copy and Paste and Apple Watch Unlock. One user wrote:
"iOS 16.4 and Ventura 13.3 have broken Universal Control on my 27-inch iMac and iPad Pro, which worked seamlessly before the previous update. And my iMac now won't unlock with Apple Watch 6. iMac won't connect (sync) to my watch either. Thank you, Apple. How can we fix this problem?"Another user stated:
"I'm having the same problem. And entering text on my iPhone to control Apple TV doesn't work either. I can't unlock my Mac on my Apple Watch, and the Handoff feature seems to be completely disabled."Users say they can temporarily fix the problem by restarting all of the devices involved and turning Handoff on and off in the Settings app on each device. But this is only a temporary solution, and having to do these steps is a sign that something is wrong.
Apple is rumoured to be preparing to roll out iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1, with updates likely to be pushed out within the week. Ideally, these updates will fix the glitches in the Handoff and Universal Control features introduced last week.
The Handoff and Universal Control features after updating to iPadOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3? Please let us know in the comments section.
