14 DAY TRIAL // One of the overly-discussed features that are part of the latest iOS version is the warning displayed to users when an application accesses the clipboard.
Available in iOS 14 on all supported iPhones (iPhone 6s and newer), the feature displays a message at the top of the screen whenever an application reads the content in the clipboard to paste it into its interface.
This new feature has led to discoveries that some apps access the clipboard without actually needing to, and as it turns out, Google liked the idea so much that it’s now working on bringing to Android.
New Android 12 feature
As per a report from XDA, Android 12 will come with a similar capability, essentially displaying a warning when an application reads the content stored in the clipboard.
This time, the notification wouldn’t be displayed at the top of the screen but at the bottom and will read “[App name] paste text you copied.”
Interestingly, Google is planning a different approach than Apple. The warning is activated by default in iOS 14, so users might get to see it no matter if they want it or not, as there’s not even a toggle to disable it.
But the search giant wants things to be different, so it’ll be off by default, letting users enable it from the settings screen of Android 12. The operating system will include a new clipboard access toggle which when enabled will “Show a message when apps access text, images, or other content you've copied.”
Of course, it’s just a matter of time until people find out that some Android apps access their clipboards for no clear purpose.
Android 12 is projected to land in the spring on the Pixel phones, with the rest of the ecosystem to receive it in the next months.