TikTok application to stop accessing the user’s clipboard after being caught in the law by iOS 14

A new feature in iOS 14 alerts users when apps read the clipboard, and it turns out that some apps have been reading the clipboard data too much.

Image via Jeremy Burge.
TikTok users who upgraded to OSiOS 14‌, for example, quickly noticed constant alerts warning them that TikTok was accessing the clipboard every few seconds. After being caught, TikTok now says it is removing the feature.

Okay, so TikTok is grabbing the contents of my clipboard every 1-3 keystrokes. OSiOS 14‌ is cheating on you with the new paste notification pic.twitter.com/OSXP43t5SZ – Jeremy Burge (@jeremyburge) June 24, 2020

In a statement to The TelegraphTikTok said it accessed the clipboard to identify spam behavior.

“After the beta release of ‌iOS 14‌ on June 22, users saw notifications while using a number of popular apps.

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

“TikTok is committed to protecting user privacy and being transparent about how our application works.”

An update to remove the feature has already been submitted to the ‌App Store‌, and a download of the new update confirms that TikTok no longer appears to be accessing the clipboard.

TikTok did not say whether the feature would be removed from Android devices, or whether clipboard data was ever stored or moved from user devices. Other apps to read the clipboard have also been called including Starbucks, Overstock, AccuWeather, various news apps and more.

Before OSiOS 14‌ was released, a couple of developers raised an alarm to let users and Apple know that iPhone and iPad apps were silently accessing the clipboard. Apple’s new ‌iOS 14‌ feature seems to have been added in response, and apps can no longer read the clipboard without users knowing exactly what’s going on.

‌IOS 14‌ is limited to developers right now, but Apple plans to release a public beta version next month before the fall release of the software. Reporting to the clipboard is just one of the many new privacy features in ‌iOS 14 completa, with a complete list available in our iOS 14 roundup.