Apple has confirmed it will build a clipboard-syncing feature that lets iPhone users copy content and paste it directly on a Windows PC, and vice versa. The feature is the result of a formal interoperability request Microsoft filed under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act on March 25, 2026 — and it means Galaxy Book owners in the EU could eventually access their iPhone’s clipboard without any Apple hardware in between.
How It Happened: The DMA Timeline
Microsoft submitted its clipboard interoperability request on March 25, 2026. Apple initially pushed back, citing concerns about system integrity and intellectual property. By April 27, Apple moved the request to the next phase of its DMA interoperability process for deeper technical review. On June 26, Apple confirmed it would go ahead and build the feature, using a framework similar to its existing Accessory Notifications and Accessory Live Activities systems introduced in iOS 26.5.
In its filing, Apple described the consent model:
“This solution will require the user to perform a one-time consent to sharing the pasteboard with each paired accessory that will receive this functionality.”
Apple calls the project “a significant engineering effort” and targets fall 2027 for completion. If it ships on schedule, the feature would arrive with iOS 28 and iPadOS 28 — though it may initially be limited to EU users only, since it stems from European regulation.
Android Already Has This
For Android users, cross-device clipboard sync has been available for years through Microsoft’s Phone Link app paired with SwiftKey Keyboard on Windows. Copy something on your Galaxy, Pixel, or any Android phone, and it appears in your Windows clipboard — no regulatory intervention required. Apple building an equivalent feature under legal pressure rather than competitive initiative underscores how the DMA is reshaping what was once Apple’s tightly walled ecosystem.
The practical upside for Samsung users specifically: once this ships, a Galaxy Book running Windows will be able to pull clipboard data from a paired iPhone — useful in mixed-device households or workplaces where not everyone is on the same platform.
Whether Apple extends this beyond the EU voluntarily remains an open question. The company has a pattern of limiting DMA-mandated features to European users, treating compliance as a regional obligation rather than a global product improvement.
Sources: Apple’s EU Interoperability Request filing, via MacRumors, Android Authority, SamMobile
