Apple Plans iPhone-to-Windows Copy and Paste in EU After Microsoft Request

[RemedyRabbit]

Would I personally like this? Yes.

Do I think the EU is garbage and shouldn't dictate stuff like this to companies. Also yes.

I’m a little bit baffled here chief, why is the EU garbage for forcing a company to do something that you like? Seems kinda irrational.

 

[Squidiey]

Apple is working on a new feature that will support cross-device copy and paste between iOS devices and Windows PCs.

Microsoft asked for the feature using Apple's EU interoperability request system for developers, which Apple implemented to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Apple began evaluating the request in March, and on June 26, proposed a project plan.

Microsoft described how the feature would be used:

• Copy text or other supported content on their iPhone and paste it directly on their Windows PC, and vice versa.
  
• Perform common productivity workflows without needing to foreground an app or take explicit repeated actions to initiate a transfer.
  
• Experience clipboard synchronization as a lightweight, continuous capability rather than a manual, app-driven operation.

Apple proposed a solution that would let an iPhone share and import items from the pasteboard to a paired accessory, like a Windows PC. Apple plans to use a solution similar to the Accessory Notifications option it added for third-party wearables in the EU in iOS 26.5. Users would need to give a paired device one-time permission to paste content from an iPhone.

Right now, an app can only read an iPhone's clipboard if the app is actively running in the foreground and the user grants clipboard access with each copy/paste action. For its own devices, Apple has a Universal Clipboard feature with cross-device copy and paste between iOS and macOS.

Microsoft complained that the clipboard restrictions imposed on apps prevent the continuous synchronization of clipboard content from an iPhone to a PC or other connected device in the background.

Apple says introducing cross-device copy and paste is a significant engineering effort, with work expected to be complete by fall 2027. It will be shipped first in a developer beta for testing ahead of a public release. If the feature is added toward the end of fall 2027, it could be early 2028 before the public gets access.

It is likely that cross-device copy and paste will be limited to iPhone and Windows users in the European Union, though it is possible Apple could implement it worldwide.

Apple has brought some features it was required to support under the DMA to all countries, like eSIM transfers from iPhone to Android and simpler data transfers when switching between Android devices and iPhones. Other features, like AirPods-style pairing and notification forwarding for third-party wearables, have only rolled out in the EU.

Article Link: Apple Plans iPhone-to-Windows Copy and Paste in EU After Microsoft Request

Me on Linux:
Let it come first and then we’ll reverse engineer it and port it for our OS.

 

[Squidiey]

I have been using Macs for more than 25 years so, I don’t use a Mac because of its integration with the iPhone, although features like AirDrop and Handoff are genuinely excellent. Similar cross-device features are becoming more common on Android as well.

Apple can’t rely on locking customers into its own ecosystem forever. While iPhone owners may be more inclined to buy a Mac, many don’t even own a laptop, and plenty use Windows PCs instead.

Better integration with Windows and even Linux wouldn’t hurt Mac sales. If anything, it could make the Mac more appealing to people who currently avoid it because of ecosystem limitations.

Fun fact: Macs are technically PC as it stands for *Personal Computer* and not *Windows Computer*

 

[rafark]

Hmmm. Well, I've not had the problem, but not saying that you haven't.

I’ve experienced bugs too. Airdrop is so nice and smooth… when it works.

 

[robvalentine]

Paired how exactly…? Over Bluetooth? Or some app that has to be running on both systems?

Not that I’m in the EU, but I’d much prefer AirDrop to PC functionality.

There's some third party apps that allow that (data is sent over internet as opposed to bluetooth so is a bit slower and clunkier)

 

[robvalentine]

The EU regulators don’t understand “safety”. If someone gets malicious code this way, they can thank the EU regulators🙂

TBF you can send malware through airdrop too, so not sure what your argument is?

 

[maszaikasza]

I'm waiting for the major tech companies to start offering cross-platform integrations as a real feature users need, not an unwanted side effect of regulations and laws.

 

[Oberhorst]

MacOS is not a DMA gatekeeper platform, so this is unlikely.

Windows is a DMA gatekeeper platform, so maybe copy from Windows to Mac will come to be... in EU.

(Yes, this is ridiculous)

This doesn't matter if you have an iOS and macOS device. As soon as you copy it on Windows, it's gonna be in the iPhone's buffer/clipboard and from there it's gonna be synced to macOS. You might have to unlock your iPhone first though, we'll see how that's gonna work exactly.