Guide
Is there a Universal Clipboard for Android?
Short answer
Not built in. Apple’s Universal Clipboard only works between Apple devices, and Android’s clipboard stays on the phone you copied on. To copy on Android and paste on an iPhone, iPad, Windows PC or Mac, you need an app. UniClip adds Copy to Universal Clipboard to Android’s text selection menu and sends the text to your other devices over the internet.
What Android’s clipboard does on its own
Android’s clipboard holds one item, on the device you copied it on. Your keyboard may add a short history on that same device: Gboard shows recent clips in its clipboard panel and deletes unpinned ones after an hour, and Samsung Keyboard has a clipboard panel of its own.
Android 10 and later stop apps from reading the clipboard unless they are the keyboard or the app on screen. That protects what you copy, and it is why no app can quietly mirror your Android clipboard to another device: you choose what to send.
A few pairings can share a clipboard. Galaxy phones and tablets on the same Samsung account and Wi-Fi share it with each other. A Windows PC shares it with an Android phone that uses Microsoft SwiftKey, and through Phone Link with Samsung, HONOR, OnePlus, OPPO and some other phones. None of them reach an iPhone or iPad.
How to copy on Android and paste on another device
- Get the app on both devices. Install UniClip from Google Play or the App Store and sign in with the same Google or Apple account on each phone or tablet.
- Send the text from Android. Select it in any app, tap the ⋮ menu next to Copy and Share, and choose Copy to Universal Clipboard.
- Tap it on the other device. Open the app there and tap the clip. It is on that device’s clipboard, ready to paste. On Pro, a notification with Copy Now does it without opening the app.
To paste on a computer, link it once instead of installing anything: open the web app, and in the phone app go to Settings, Linked devices, Link a computer and scan its QR code. On Free, clips of up to 200 characters reach all your devices and disappear after 1 minute. Pro keeps every clip until you delete it, in a searchable history on every device.
Ways to share a clipboard with Android, compared
| Option | iPhone and iPad | Computers | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| UniClip | Yes | Any browser: Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS | Anywhere, over the internet |
| Microsoft SwiftKey with Windows | No | Windows only | Anywhere; the latest clip, for an hour |
| Samsung clipboard sharing | No | Other Galaxy devices | Same Wi-Fi and Samsung account |
| KDE Connect | Only when you send it by hand | Windows, Mac, Linux | Same network |
| Messaging yourself | Yes | Web chat or email | Anywhere, one message at a time |
Questions
Does Android have a universal clipboard?
No. Android’s clipboard holds one item and stays on each device. Keyboards such as Gboard keep recent clips on that device, and some Samsung and Windows pairings share a clipboard, but nothing built in syncs an Android phone with an iPhone or iPad.
Can I use Apple’s Universal Clipboard on Android?
No. It needs every device signed in to the same Apple Account with Handoff on, so it only works between Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro.
Does UniClip read my Android clipboard?
No. It only receives text you send on purpose from the selection menu. It never reads your clipboard in the background, and Android doesn’t let apps do that anyway.
Does it work on Android tablets and Chromebooks?
Yes. Android tablets run the same app from Google Play, and a Chromebook uses the web app or the Chrome extension.
Sources
- Apple Support: Use Universal Clipboard to copy and paste between your Apple devices
- Android Developers: Privacy changes in Android 10, limited access to clipboard data
- Gboard Help: Copy and paste with Gboard
- Samsung Support: Share the clipboard across Galaxy devices
- Microsoft Support: Copy and paste text between Microsoft SwiftKey and Windows
UniClip – Universal Clipboard is an independent app by KharagEdition, not made by or affiliated with Apple, Google, Microsoft or Samsung. Facts about their products come from the sources above.