According to MacRumors, Apple and Microsoft have begun work on a cross-platform system that would potentially allow copy/paste functions between the two platforms. Work began once Microsoft submitted a formal interoperability request through Apple’s EU-mandated DMA system, asking for a seamless clipboard experience similar to the one already between Apple devices called Universal Clipboard.
Microsoft formally asked for the copy/paste functions back and forth between the devices, background clipboard syncing, and a continuous workflow instead of one being application-driven. Apple agreed to build the system using the Accessory Notification Framework, which was introduced in iOS 17.6 for third-party wearables, allowing a Windows PC to be a paired accessory once the user consented.
As of bow apps can only read the clipboard data when they are in the foreground and after the user has approved it. Apple claims this is a major undertaking, so don’t expect to be buzzing content between platforms until 2028 at the earliest. If you’re outside the EU, it’s possible you might not get this feature at all, as it was requested through the EU Digital Markets Act. So… we’ll have to hope and wait and see if the feature becomes available and where.
