macOS 16 will warn you if an app tries to snoop on the things you copy and paste
macOS 16 will improve clipboard privacy on your Mac by displaying a banner if an app tries to read the things you’ve copied and pasted, Apple has confirmed.
As a result of the change, the macOS clipboard will work the same as the clipboard on your iPhone and iPad. These clipboard privacy prompts were implemented five years ago on the iPhone and iPad with iOS and iPadOS 14 after security researchers warned that many apps were reading the contents of the system clipboard without user consent. The clipboard, or pasteboard, is where the content is temporarily stored when you use the Cut, Copy and Paste commands in apps.
Many apps were reading pasteboard contents to learn as much about their users as possible. This was a privacy issue because secrets like passwords, verification codes and such end up in the clipboard when you use the Cut or Copy command.
macOS 16 will enhance clipboard privacy
Apple’s documentation for developers states that the clipboard in macOS 16, iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 will work in the same way. That means displaying a banner if an app tries to read clipboard data without permission. It also means providing a secure paste option to Mac developers which won’t show a banner if the user is pasting content into the app they’re actively using. However, reading the contents of the clipboard will, in most cases, require permission from the user.
“Prepare your app for an upcoming feature in macOS that alerts a person using a device when your app programmatically reads the general pasteboard,” Apple writes.
“The system shows the alert only if the pasteboard access wasn’t a result of someone’s input on a UI element that the system considers paste-related.” The system permits an app to see “the kinds of data” on the clipboard without actually reading them and showing the privacy alert.
MacRumors spotted a Mastodon post by Apple’s software engineer Jeff Nadeau, who said the iPhone maker is aware of Mac apps “that are continuously scraping the pasteboard in the background.”
Other changes in macOS 16
Apple will preview macOS 16, iOS 19 and other updates at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The operating system will be publicly released in the fall. macOS 16 will bring other changes, including the rumored user interface overhaul for a more consistent cross-device experience.
The company has already previewed the new accessibility features coming to its platforms in the fall, including a version of the iPhone’s Magnifier feature for the Mac that will use Continuity Camera on an iPhone to let you zoom in on objects, read documents and books on your desk with the new Accessibility Reader function, etc.
macOS 16 will also simplify connecting to captive Wi-Fi networks at coffee shops, hotels and gyms. Instead of Instead of filling out a web form on a captive portal on every device you use, you’ll do this once on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and Apple will sync those details across all your other iPhones, iPads and Macs.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/05/14/apple-macos-16-clipboard-privacy-prompt/
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