Google is preparing to add a feature in its next big software update Android 17, which till now only Apple users had access to. According to reports, Google is working on creating a feature like Universal Clipboard for Android devices. This feature will allow users to instantly paste text, links or images copied from one device to another Android phone or Chromebook, that too without any third-party app.
Currently, Android users need a third-party keyboard like SwiftKey to sync the clipboard. In some phones this feature is available through system utility, but it is not available in all devices. In Android 17, Google wants to simplify this process so that all Android devices can easily share the clipboard.
According to reports, Google will sync this feature to Android phones and Chromebooks through Google Play Services. This is the same method that Apple uses in its ecosystem. Interestingly, Google has currently started testing this feature with the same name as Apple’s Universal Clipboard, although what will be the final name is not yet decided.
Currently this feature is in beta version
A new UniversalClipboardManager class has been seen in the beta version of Android 17, which is present in the same system path as Google’s Handoff feature. It is clear from this that Google is working on device-to-device connectivity on a large scale.
The report also states that Google Play Services will not read the clipboard directly. Pixel System Service app will do this work. This app will ask permission to read the clipboard in the background to identify whether the copied data is text or not. The system will then send this data to Google Play Services, which will deliver it to connected devices through the Handoff framework.
However, initially this feature will not include photo, video or file support, which is a bit inferior compared to Apple’s Universal Clipboard. But it is expected that Google will also add support for these formats in future.
According to the information, this feature first appeared inside Play Services in November last year. From this it can be inferred that Google has been working on this for a long time. But this feature will not be available to common users before Android 17.
