The control center is now in v4 for windows but remained at v2 for Mac for the past several years. V2 control center is a 32-bit application and we have been receiving warnings from Apple for an extended period of time. Brother appears to have chosen to ignore them and has little interest in updating its drivers and software for their printers.
Back in 2017, we reviewed the Brother ADS-1500W scanner(read our full review here). This has been our go-to scanner for several years and the standard bywhich we judged all other scanners.
- On your Mac, click Control Center in the menu bar. Drag a slider (such as the Volume slider) or click an icon (such as the AirDrop icon). To see more options, click anywhere in an item or click the arrow on the right. For example, in Display, drag the slider to adjust the display brightness, or click anywhere in Display to show controls to turn Dark Mode and Night Shift on or off.
- If you’re using a Windows PC, download the Control Center 4 Update tool directly from Brother’s website here. If you’re using a Mac computer, it’s important to note that Control Center 4 is a Windows software. It means that the application isn’t suitable for Mac OS.
One of the things we liked most about the ADS-1500W was theBrother ControlCenter 2 application that came with the scanner. While not the most attractive application weever used, it got the job done.
The ControlCenter 2 application supported duplex scanningin color and black & white, included OCR scanning, supported long-pagedocuments and, with the dedicated card slot on the ADS-1500W, scanned businesscards and credit cards.
The only problem with the Control Center 2 software wasthat it was a 32-bit application.
Starting with macOS Mojave, we would occasionally get thewarning notice that the application would not be compatible with futureversions of macOS.
Brother Control Center Update Mac
Shortly before the public release of macOS Catalina, wereached out to Brother to inquire about their plans to update or replaceControlCenter 2 with a 64-bit application. The only response we got was that no information was currently availableand to check back on the Brother Support site in the future.
With the release of macOS 10.15 Catalina, we again checked with Brother only to find that they announced that the ControlCenter2 application was not supported and would not be updated.
Here is what is posted on the Brother web site.
“For macOS 10.15 Users:ControlCenter2 is not supported. You may use one of the following as an alternative scanning method:
– Scan using iPrint&Scan, if available. Click here for a list of models that are currently compatible with iPrint&Scan. Please check back for additional models as they are added.
– Scan using Apple Image Capture.”
Unfortunately, the iPrint&Scan app suggested by Brotheris not currently compatible with the ADS-1500W so your only option is to use anative Mac application for your scanning.
Image Capture
Image Capture is included in macOS Catalina. You will find it in the Applications folderand the icon looks like this.
The Image Capture application gives you basic control ofthe scanning function and the application window looks like this.
You can set the scan type as Text, B&W or Color andadjust the resolution from 100 to 600 dpi. Other adjustments control scanning destination, page orientation, theability to name the document and if needed, apply manual image correction toadjust brightness, tint temperature and saturation.
Perhaps most important are two check boxes that support theduplex scanning feature of the ADS-1500W and the ability to combine multiple scannedpages into a single document.
In late September 2019, Brother released an updated ICA(Image Capture Application) driver for the ADS-1500W (Version 1.5.0) which youcan download here. We suggest you download and install thislatest version to ensure you get all of the functionality available.
Using Preview
In cases where you may want to mark the document after youscan it, we suggest you use the Preview application, also included in macOSwith this icon.
Preview incorporates the Image Capture scanning functioninto its functionality providing almost all the same document controls as youfind in the Image Capture app. What’s missing is the ability to name thedocument before you scan it. To scan a document in Preview, click on File onthe Menu bar and you will see an option for Import from Brother ADS-1500W.
Selecting that option opens a similar scanning window.
The Bottom Line
The Image Capture application is a workable alternative to the Control Center2application and will probably meet your needs so you can continue to use theBrother ADS-1500W scanner. That said,we’re disappointed that Brother would abandon its loyal users and not investthe time to continue support for what is otherwise, a great piece of hardware.
Perhaps if the ADS-1500W was a discontinued model we could understandBrother’s position but we are hard pressed to recommend the ADS-1500W scannerfor anyone looking to make a current purchase.
Do you own a Brother ADS-1500W scanner? What are your plans for continued use? Are you going to use Image Capture and Preview, or are you going totrade up to a different scanner with a supported scanning application? Why not join the conversation and leave acomment below?
If you liked this article, please consider sharing it with your friends and leaving a comment below. Also, don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow Us” on Twitter and add the Apple Tech Talk channel to your Apple News app.
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Share this post.Back in 2017, we reviewed the Brother ADS-1500W scanner(read our full review here). This has been our go-to scanner for several years and the standard bywhich we judged all other scanners.
One of the things we liked most about the ADS-1500W was theBrother ControlCenter 2 application that came with the scanner. While not the most attractive application weever used, it got the job done.
The ControlCenter 2 application supported duplex scanningin color and black & white, included OCR scanning, supported long-pagedocuments and, with the dedicated card slot on the ADS-1500W, scanned businesscards and credit cards.
The only problem with the Control Center 2 software wasthat it was a 32-bit application.
Starting with macOS Mojave, we would occasionally get thewarning notice that the application would not be compatible with futureversions of macOS.
Shortly before the public release of macOS Catalina, wereached out to Brother to inquire about their plans to update or replaceControlCenter 2 with a 64-bit application. The only response we got was that no information was currently availableand to check back on the Brother Support site in the future.
With the release of macOS 10.15 Catalina, we again checked with Brother only to find that they announced that the ControlCenter2 application was not supported and would not be updated.
Here is what is posted on the Brother web site.
“For macOS 10.15 Users:ControlCenter2 is not supported. You may use one of the following as an alternative scanning method:
– Scan using iPrint&Scan, if available. Click here for a list of models that are currently compatible with iPrint&Scan. Please check back for additional models as they are added.
– Scan using Apple Image Capture.”
Unfortunately, the iPrint&Scan app suggested by Brotheris not currently compatible with the ADS-1500W so your only option is to use anative Mac application for your scanning.
Image Capture
Image Capture is included in macOS Catalina. You will find it in the Applications folderand the icon looks like this.
The Image Capture application gives you basic control ofthe scanning function and the application window looks like this.
You can set the scan type as Text, B&W or Color andadjust the resolution from 100 to 600 dpi. Other adjustments control scanning destination, page orientation, theability to name the document and if needed, apply manual image correction toadjust brightness, tint temperature and saturation.
Perhaps most important are two check boxes that support theduplex scanning feature of the ADS-1500W and the ability to combine multiple scannedpages into a single document.
In late September 2019, Brother released an updated ICA(Image Capture Application) driver for the ADS-1500W (Version 1.5.0) which youcan download here. We suggest you download and install thislatest version to ensure you get all of the functionality available.
Brother Control Center Mac 10.12 Downloads
Using Preview
In cases where you may want to mark the document after youscan it, we suggest you use the Preview application, also included in macOSwith this icon.
Preview incorporates the Image Capture scanning functioninto its functionality providing almost all the same document controls as youfind in the Image Capture app. What’s missing is the ability to name thedocument before you scan it. To scan a document in Preview, click on File onthe Menu bar and you will see an option for Import from Brother ADS-1500W.
Selecting that option opens a similar scanning window.
The Bottom Line
The Image Capture application is a workable alternative to the Control Center2application and will probably meet your needs so you can continue to use theBrother ADS-1500W scanner. That said,we’re disappointed that Brother would abandon its loyal users and not investthe time to continue support for what is otherwise, a great piece of hardware.
Perhaps if the ADS-1500W was a discontinued model we could understandBrother’s position but we are hard pressed to recommend the ADS-1500W scannerfor anyone looking to make a current purchase.
Do you own a Brother ADS-1500W scanner? What are your plans for continued use? Are you going to use Image Capture and Preview, or are you going totrade up to a different scanner with a supported scanning application? Why not join the conversation and leave acomment below?
If you liked this article, please consider sharing it with your friends and leaving a comment below. Also, don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow Us” on Twitter and add the Apple Tech Talk channel to your Apple News app.