Apple is developing a new cross-platform clipboard feature that will enable iPhone users to copy and paste content on Windows PCs, a move reportedly accelerated by EU interoperability demands and expected to roll out by 2027, initially limited to European markets.
Apple is preparing a cross-platform clipboard feature that would let iPhone users copy text or other content and paste it on a Windows PC, according to reporting by Juli Clover on Mj Tsai’s blog. The work appears to have started after Microsoft used Apple’s European Union interoperability request process, which Apple created to meet obligations under the Digital Markets Act.
According to the report, Apple began assessing Microsoft’s request in March and later put forward a project plan on June 26. The company’s proposal would let an iPhone share and import items from the pasteboard, Apple’s term for the clipboard, with a paired accessory such as a Windows computer. Apple is said to be modelling the feature on the Accessory Notifications system it added for third-party wearables in the EU.
That broader framework is already being used to open up parts of iPhone connectivity to non-Apple devices in Europe. Apple’s developer documentation says Accessory Notifications lets companion apps request notification forwarding from users, and that customer installations using the framework can only operate on devices in the EU with an Apple Account from an EU country or region. Reports from MacRumors say iOS 26.5 brought further EU-only interoperability changes for third-party wearables, including proximity pairing and notification access.
Windows Central reported that the clipboard feature will require approval on both the iPhone and the Windows PC, with Apple planning to use AccessorySetupKit and a one-time permission prompt before content can be pasted from the phone. Apple has described the project as a significant engineering effort, with completion expected by fall 2027, though Windows Central said an eventual beta could follow. The same report suggested the rollout may initially be limited to EU users, reflecting how Apple has often confined regulation-driven changes to that market.
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