Can You Allow Paste in All Apps for Items Copied to the Clipboard on iPhone?

Can You Allow Paste in All Apps for Items Copied to the Clipboard in iOS 16?

iOS 16's new security feature boosts protection while copying & pasting between apps, but the feature is honestly pretty annoying.

By Rachel Needell Wed, 10/19/2022

If you've updated to iOS 16 or have a new iPhone 14, you've definitely noticed the new paste permission feature. Every time you want to copy text or data from a website or app to literally anywhere else, your iPhone will ask, "'App' would like to paste from 'App.' Do you want to allow this?" While keeping my info secure is always nice, I can't be the only one wondering if this is really necessary.

How to Turn Off "Allow Paste" Permission

Unfortunately, you can't give an app permission to access the clipboard before pasting from another app in iOS 16. This may potentially change with future software releases, but for now, you will need to continue to select Allow Paste when pasting between apps. However, once you've given an app permission to paste within another app, you shouldn't be asked again. (Although some iOS 16 users are reporting differently, which could be evidence of a bug that's yet to be worked out with the new software). If you like tips like this that get straight to the point, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day!

As for why the new iOS has started asking for this permission, it seems to be a case of a few bad apples spoiling the bunch. There were some apps that were known for dishonestly accessing copied data via the clipboard, and Apple responded by sending users notifications when this occurred. However, users could do little to prevent the behavior. Now, with iOS 16, this new paste permission feature is implemented across all apps and with no way to disable or allow an app permanent access to the clipboard before attempting to paste.

People have a lot of questions, and my best recommendation is to send Apple feedback at apple.com/feedback/iphone/. While increased security is extremely valuable in this day and age, if a feature really bothers you or affects your device's daily use, feel free to reach out and let them know your complaints!

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Author Details

Rachel Needell

Rachel Needell is a Feature Web Writer at iPhone Life, a published poet, and a longtime Apple enthusiast. Before graduating in the spring of 2021 with her Master’s degree in Literature, specializing in early 20th-century American and British Modernism, she was a college writing tutor and University English professor. Her latest piece, "Temporizing: Self Portrait" can be found in the Winter '21 edition of New Note Poetry. Although an enthusiastic traveler, you can most often find Rachel curled up under a blanket with a glass of red wine, reading a book with her cat Blue in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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