iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, macOS 12.3 (u) available now

New feature should be on by default

A gentle reminder to readers who may perhaps have overlooked the announcement, but Apple has confirmed plans to ship iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 in the week beginning March 14.

UPDATE The updates are available now as of March 14

Updates are coming soon

This fits with Apple’s customary approach to shipping software updates in advance of new products reaching customers. In this case, it will ship the all-new iPhone SE and iPad Air 5 on Friday March 18, so the release will arrive just before then.

The iPhone update will introduce a range of enhancements, including Tap to Pay on iPhone and the capacity to use Face ID while wearing a mask. The company has also improved AirTags anti-stalking features, is introducing a gender-neutral Siri voice and adding some new emoji for messages. An Apple Card widget, iCloud Keychain Notes, Custom Email Domains and SharePlay lead a busy field of additional smaller improvements.

iPadOS gains all the above, along with a keyboard brightness toggle and iPad Notes app control – but it’s Universal Control which will be most interest iPad users, so long as they also use a Mac.

Apple says it will introduce the long-awaited Universal Control feature with these updates. Universal Control enables users to work with a single mouse and keyboard and move between Mac and iPad for a seamless experience, “with no setup required,” the company says.

The new macOS update will be required to support Universal Control and supports Custom Email domains, SharePlay and other Apple ecosystem wide features.

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