The iOS 16.1 feature came about as a result of an annoying bug introduced in iOS 16 as part of a new privacy feature. Intended to help limit who can access your data, the feature requires apps to gain permission before accessing the iPhone clipboard to paste text from other apps.
However, some iPhone users were seeing the prompt so often it was becoming annoying, which led Apple to fix the problem in iOS 16.0.2. Since then, the iPhone maker has released iOS 16.0.3, and the next iOS release on Monday 24 October is expected to be iOS 16.1.
In true Apple fashion, the iPhone maker has improved the copy and paste feature further in iOS 16.1. The iOS 16.1 privacy setting includes a new Paste from Other Apps menu showing apps that have previously asked for permission, in the Settings > [app] > Paste from Other Apps.
The menu offers three options: Ask—the app must continue to request permission to paste content from other apps; Deny—the app cannot paste content from other apps; and allow—the app can paste content from other apps without asking for permission again.
Important for iPhone privacy
The excessive notifications might be annoying but the clipboard feature is important for your privacy. “Many apps paste to the clipboard without permission which is extremely worrying as it could be sensitive information such as a password or card details that is being taken without consent,” says Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET.
“It’s often taken when opening an app, and there is no way to stop this from occurring,” he warns.
The iOS 16.1 feature is pretty cool because it allows you to control your privacy without the annoyance of constant prompts. In fact, the iOS 16.1 menu reminds me of the App Tracking Transparency Feature and App Privacy Report already available on iPhones.
Another cool feature for iPhone privacy is the Safety Check, which allows you to see which permissions have been granted to various iPhone apps. Why not try it out while you wait for iOS 16.1?