Reddit App has Been Copying Clipboards, Promises to Release Fix

The iOS Reddit app has been the latest to have been caught copying users’ clipboards. Following the beta test of iOS 14, users have begun being notified when a third-party app has been copying clipboard information. Typically, notifications have appeared after each keystroke, this has been evident when using the Reddit app as well.

After claims that users have been experiencing these notifications, a Reddit spokesperson released a statement to The Verge. When asked about the claims, the spokesperson said: “We tracked this down to a codepath in the post composer that checks for URLs in the pasteboard and then suggests a post title based on the text contents of the URL.”

Twitter user Donald Morton recorded his experiences when using the Reddit app on iPhone.

UPDATE: Seems like Reddit is capturing the clipboard on each keystroke as well 😕

Seeing the notification come up just as much. pic.twitter.com/nzbElmRG2a

— Don 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 urspace.io (@DonCubed) July 2, 2020

Thankfully, the Reddit app will be releasing a fix in the coming weeks. “We do not store or send the pasteboard contents. We removed this code and are releasing the fix on July 14th,” the spokesperson told The Verge.

Reddit is the latest to be caught copying clipboard contents whether intended or not. Since the release of the iOS 14 beta, several apps have been found to have been doing the same. Only a few short days ago, The Weather Network app was discovered to be reading clipboard information. The company released a statement saying it has since removed the code which causes the issue from taking place.

Other sites such as TikTok, Canada Post, New York Times, Fox News, and more have also been the subject of this matter. Many have since responded and quickly issued an update.