Apple Releases macOS Monterey 12.3 – Brings Universal Control, Dynamic Head Tracking and Spatial Audio on M1 Macs

Apple on Wednesday released macOS Monterey 12.3 to the public. The release is the third major update to macOS Monterey, which was launched in October 2021. The update comes a bit over a month after the release of macOS Monterey 12.2.

The macOS Monterey 12.3 update can be downloaded to a compatible Mac via the Software Update section of System Preferences. Like all Mac updates, ‌the macOS Monterey 12.3 update is available free of charge. The update is also available in the Mac App Store.

A full list of full release notes for the macOS 12.3 update are below:

macOS 12.3 adds Universal Control so you can use a single mouse and keyboard across your Mac and iPad. This release also includes new emoji, dynamic head tracking for Music, and other features and bug fixes for your Mac.

Universal Control (beta)
– Universal Control allows you to use a single mouse and keyboard across iPad and Mac
– Text can be typed on either Mac or iPad and you can drag and drop files between them

Spatial Audio
– Dynamic head tracking is available in Music with supported AirPods on Mac computers with the M1 chip
– Customizable spatial audio settings for Off, Fixed, and Head Tracked are now in Control Center with supported AirPods on Mac computers with the M1 chip

Emoji
– New emoji including faces, hand gestures, and household objects are available in emoji keyboard
– Handshake emoji allows you to choose separate skin tones for each hand

This release also includes the following enhancements for your Mac:
– Siri now includes an additional voice, expanding the diversity of options
– Podcasts app adds episode filter for seasons, played, unplayed, saved, or downloaded episodes
– Safari webpage translation adds support for Italian and Chinese (Traditional)
– Shortcuts now supports adding, removing, or querying tags with Reminders
– Saved passwords can now include your own notes
– Battery capacity readings have improved accuracy

This release also includes bug fixes for your Mac:
– News widgets in Today View may not open articles when clicked
– Audio may sound distorted while watching video in the Apple TV app
– Some photos and videos may be unintentionally moved when organizing albums in Photos

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222