TikTok Will Stop Accessing Clipboard on iPhones

Jun. 26, 2020

Among all thecool hidden iOS 14 features, Apple also added a neatprivacy featurethat sends a notification whenever an app accesses your clipboard. Following the privacy concerns of iOS users, TikTok has said it will make changes in the app to stop this action.

In a statement toThe Telegraph,a TikTok spokesperson claims that the app was accessing clipboard to identify spammy behavior. The company, however, says it has removed the feature in the latest version.

“For TikTok, this was triggered by a feature designed to identify repetitive, spammy behavior. We have already submitted an updated version of the app to the App Store removing the anti-spam feature to eliminate any potential confusion,”a TikTok spokesperson toldTelegraph.

TikTok didn’t reveal if the app ever sent clipboard data to its servers. The company also didn’t clarify the situation of this feature on Android devices. However, if you’re a TikTok user with an iPhone, you shouldconsider updating the app to the latest versionwhen it rolls out on the App Store.

In case you’re out of the loop, iOS developers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk discovered this situation earlier this March. The developers noticed how several apps were able to access the clipboard without the explicit consent of users.

While TikTok says to have fixed the issue, we haven’t heard from other app makers accessing the clipboard just yet. Other popular iOS apps reading clipboard include New York Times, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, Weibo, 8 Ball Pool, Call of Duty, and PUBG Mobile, to name a few.

That said, we could expect mainstream iOS apps to follow TikTok’s suit and remove such intrusive clipboard access, all thanks to Apple’s enhanced privacy features introduced withiOS 14.

Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.