A new addition to the iOS ecosystem lets you copy and paste on an iPhone using a simple pinch gesture. That way, you can easily work on your iPhone and then move to another device like an iPad to pick up where you left off. If this idea excites you, read along to find out how it is done!
How to copy and paste on an iPhone
Moving photos, videos, and other objects to a different Apple device have never been so easier than using the new pinch to copy-paste feature in iOS. In fact, it makes the process of sharing photos between iPhone or iPad faster than the AirDrop function. Here’s how you can use the pinch trick to copy and paste on an iPhone.
- Open Photos app or any app that has the image file.
- Select a photo.
- Pinch 3 fingers together on a photo gently.
- Wait for the Copy test to appear.
- Switch to another iPhone and open the Messages or Notes app.
- Pinch outward with 3 fingers to transfer the photo.
- Wait for the image to be pasted.
It’s Apple’s Universal Clipboard extension service that makes the task possible. So that you can copy content such as images or photos on your iPhone, and then hop over to another device (iPad/iPhone) to paste it there without hassles. The copied content remains there briefly, or until you replace it.
How do you copy and paste with 3 fingers on iPhone?
Open the Photos app or any app that has the photo you would like to share.
Pick a photo you want to send.
Next, perform a three-finger pinch gesture by moving the fingers inward over the photo.
Wait for a few seconds, the Copy text should appear on your iPhone screen.
Now, switch to another Apple device nearby to transfer the photo.
Open any note-taking app like Notes or the Messages app. For convenience purposes, I’ve used the Messages app here as I was experiencing trouble with the Notes app on my iPhone.
Tap inside the messages field and perform a three-finger pinch gesture by moving the fingers in an outward direction. A Paste text should appear on your screen.
Wait for the Pasting from…. message to appear and let the transfer process to complete. The photo will be pasted into the text field.
How to copy and paste from MacBook to iPhone
If you’re attempting to transfer a photo or an image from your MacBook to the iPhone or iPad, you won’t be able to use the pinch-to-copy gesture on the MacBook. Rather, you can use the keyboard shortcut. However, before proceeding any further make sure the Handoff is enabled on your computer.
Launch the Photos app (or other) that has the photo you want to share.
Select a photo to transfer. Press the Command+C keyboard together to copy the image.
Switch to your iPhone or iPad. Perform a pinch gesture by moving your 2 fingers in an outward direction into a text field. Wait for the message to appear.
The photo should be pasted into the text field.
Copy and paste between Apple devices not working
Remember, you should be signed in with the same Apple ID on both devices and they should be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Second, your devices should be within the Bluetooth range (about 33 feet or 10 meters) and the Handoff feature should be enabled. Lastly, it is important to know that the feature works on devices, running iOS 10, iPadOS 13, macOS 10.12, or later.
Hope that makes sense!
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