Apple iPadOS 16.4 / macOS Ventura 13.3 update caused trouble, Universal Control and Handoff features were affected

On April 5, Apple pushed iPadOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 system updates to all iPad and Mac users last week, bringing some changes and new features. Unfortunately, these updates also caused Universal Control and Handoff features to malfunction for many users.

Universal Control lets you control multiple iPads and Macs with one mouse, keyboard, and trackpad. You can seamlessly move your cursor and keyboard between devices, and use iCloud to infer the location of your devices based on your cursor activity.

Apple claims the feature is automatically enabled, requiring only that the devices be logged in with the same iCloud account. It relies on Apple's Handoff technology, which lets you start working on one device and then switch to another nearby device.

On Apple's support forums, a thread has collected complaints from many iPad and Mac users who say that the Universal Control feature is no longer working properly after updating to iPadOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3. These users say that this feature was working normally before Apple released the update.

For some users, these issues also affected other features that rely on Handoff technology, such as universal copy and paste and Apple Watch unlocking. One user wrote:

iOS 16.4 and Ventura 13.3 broke Universal Control on my 27" iMac and iPad Pro, which worked seamlessly before the update. Also, my iMac now won't unlock with my Apple Watch 6. The iMac won't connect (sync) with my watch either. Thank you, Apple. How can we fix this?

Another user said:

I have the same problem. Also, typing on my iPhone to control my Apple TV doesn't work. My Apple Watch also doesn't unlock my Mac. Handoff seems to be completely broken.

Users say they can temporarily fix the problem by restarting all devices involved and toggling the Handoff feature on and off in the Settings app on each device. However, this is only a temporary solution, and having to do these steps in itself is a sign that something is wrong.

Apple is rumored to be preparing to roll out iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1, which could arrive this week. Ideally, these updates will fix the glitches with the Handoff and Universal Control features introduced last week.

Have you encountered any problems with the Handoff and Universal Control functions after updating to iPadOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3?