iPhone and Windows will work better together, thanks to Europe and the DMA

Users who rely daily on devices from different computing ecosystems could soon benefit from a highly useful update.

Thanks to the competition regulations introduced by the European Union, Apple and Microsoft are working together to implement a copy and paste feature between iPhone devices and Windows-based PCs.

This update will allow transferring text and other content instantly, bringing to third-party PCs the same sharing convenience that today exists exclusively among the various products of the Californian company, offering a seamless workflow.

iPhone and Windows, the DMA forces them to work better together

At the heart of this awaited news is the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European legislation created to ensure greater interoperability among the tech giants.

Leveraging a formal request system established specifically to comply with the DMA, Microsoft has urged a solution that would overcome the current and stringent limits of iOS. Currently, an application can access the smartphone’s clipboard only when it is in the foreground and after explicit user authorization for each transfer operation.

The Redmond company has noted that these restrictions prevent true background synchronization, calling for a mechanism that would allow copying and pasting data freely, without having to manage repeated permissions or open specific apps each time.

The approved project plan provides that the smartphone can consistently share the clipboard with a paired device. Apple intends to base it on the AccessorySetupKit, a mechanism that echoes the notification management for third-party wearable devices introduced with iOS 26.5.

In practical terms, people will need to give their consent only once to authorize communication with the Windows PC. After this initial setup, sharing will occur automatically.

Being a complex development effort, the timeline won’t be short: the company expects to complete the work by autumn 2027, initially making the feature available in a beta version for developers. The rollout to the general public could therefore occur in the early months of 2028.

Do the EU-created functions stay in the EU?

What remains is to determine precisely the user base that will be able to use this function. As this is an adjustment to the DMA regulations, it is highly likely that the copy-and-paste integration between iOS and Windows will be restricted to citizens resident in the European Union.

Apple could still decide to extend it globally, but precedents show mixed strategies.

On one hand, the procedures for transferring data or eSIMs to Android devices have been released worldwide; on the other, some advanced options for pairing accessories from competing companies have been confined strictly within the European market.