Apple Expanding Universal Clipboard to Windows PCs for EU Users
Apple is working on enabling iPhone-to-Windows copy-paste functionality for users in the European Union. The feature would allow seamless clipboard sharing between iOS devices and Windows PCs, essentially extending Apple's existing Universal Clipboard—currently limited to Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro—to Windows systems.
The development stems from a formal interoperability request filed by Microsoft, which cited the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as the regulatory basis for the request. The DMA, which designates Apple as a gatekeeper platform, requires such companies to facilitate interoperability between their systems and third-party services upon valid requests.
The EU's ruling on connected devices has also played a role in pushing Apple to open up more of its ecosystem. Under the DMA framework, developers and government agencies can formally request that gatekeepers like Apple enable their systems to work with competing platforms and services.
Apple's Universal Clipboard currently lets users copy content on one Apple device and paste it on another nearby device signed into the same Apple ID. Extending this functionality to Windows PCs would represent a notable shift toward cross-platform compatibility driven by regulatory pressure rather than voluntary feature development.