Google is preparing to bring a convenience that iOS users have experienced for a long time to the Android side. Thanks to the “Universal Clipboard” feature that the company is working on and is expected to be available with Android 17, users will be able to directly paste the content they have copied on one device on another Android device. This development represents an important technical step towards making cross-platform content sharing more fluid.
Android users can already perform copy-paste operations with the Gboard keyboard. However, Gboard does not offer clipboard data synchronization between devices. Moreover, Google’s recent restriction of Gboard’s access to the clipboard has made these operations even more restricted. With Android 10, only the default keyboard or active application was allowed to access clipboard data. In Android 13, the copied content is automatically deleted after an hour, and a warning is displayed to the user if any application tries to access the clipboard.
Android 17 may reduce the need for third-party solutions in clipboard syncing
Currently, the most practical method that users can use for clipboard synchronization is Microsoft’s SwiftKey keyboard. Clipboard data can be easily synchronized between Android devices and Windows computers with SwiftKey. This integration is made possible thanks to Microsoft’s ownership of both SwiftKey and the Windows operating system. In addition, thanks to the pre-installed tools at the system level on some Android devices, clipboard data can be transferred to computers via Windows connection without SwiftKey. Such system tools can route clipboard data by bypassing restrictions running in the background.
The Universal Clipboard system that Google is working on is expected to work between Android devices and Chromebooks with a similar logic. According to the information shared by Android Authority, this feature can be implemented through Play Services. However, it is possible that “Pixel System Service”, the system service application on Pixel devices, will directly undertake this function. This difference indicates that the feature may be offered with infrastructures that vary depending on the device manufacturer.
Android Authority states that the newly developed system includes a class called “UniversalClipboardManager” and it is located in the “android.companion.datatransfer.continuity” path. This artifact was noticed in the latest beta and canary versions of Android. Although the name to be used for the feature is not yet official, the definition of “Universal Clipboard” stands out as the most likely candidate for now.
Google has recently focused more on bringing iOS features to the Android platform. Finally, Android’s “Quick Share” feature has been updated to work similarly to Apple’s AirDrop system. In this way, transferring files, photos and videos between Android and iOS devices has become much easier. In addition, it has been confirmed by various sources that a feature similar to Apple’s “NameDrop” function is about to be integrated into Android. In this way, users will be able to share their personal information by simply bringing their devices closer, without touching each other.