Copy and Paste on iOS 16 is Handled far too Strictly by Apple. - Maxandfix

Copy and Paste on iOS 16 is Handled far too Strictly by Apple.

I've just had it with this permission prompt for a few days.

I've been using iOS 16 for a while now, and so far, I've been really happy with the new features and enhancements. It's fun to customize the lock screen. The ability to erase an image's backdrop by pressing and holding the image's subject hasn't aged well. But only a few days after the new software went live, I've already discovered my biggest annoyance: iOS now prompts me for permission before I can copy something from one program and paste it into another. Constantly. Repeatedly, there must be a more effective solution than this.

I comprehend the rationale for the new prompt. Sensitive information including passwords, private images, two-factor passcodes, and more are frequently found in your iPhone's clipboard. Apps probably skim this data more frequently than we know. And once again, Apple is adhering to its privacy dictum by asking users in plain English if they want to grant apps access to their data. Continue to question them.

However, the new prompt is creating conflict where none previously existed. It makes copying and pasting less smooth by nature. For instance, the permission popup appears when I copy and paste the topic of a picture from Photos into a text message in Messages. Each time. The same is true when pasting content into Notes.

These are essential iPhone applications, so even while it's right that Apple enforces its policies everywhere, I can' help but think impatiently things like, "Yes, of course it's alright for you to paste this photo into a message. How could it not be? sufficient already We are discussing a basic, widely used action flow, and there is now a barrier in its path. Apple should not be verifying what is obviously user intent and a straight order.

It makes sense to want to stop programs from spying on your clipboard. But certainly Apple can add "always allow" to the list of options so that users won't always be presented with this box. Or the firm could, as it already does for location, notifications, background data, and other things, add a "pasteboard" toggle to the privacy settings for each app. Give us a means to make our copy and paste preferences permanent, please.

Since the pop-up appears so regularly, I'm beginning to question if it's a bug rather than the intended behaviour. In other cases, such as when pasting into Slack, it even fails to appear. In the initial betas of iOS 16.1, nothing has changed so far, but I'm hopeful Apple will improve this interaction shortly.

Back to blog