This cross-device clipboard application resolves the copy-and-paste issues I frequently encounter on my Mac.

      I've lost track of how many times I've copied something important, then copied something else before pasting it, only to find that the initial item was erased. It's a minor annoyance, but it occurs frequently enough to be bothersome. Recently, I discovered ClipboardAI, which piqued my interest as it surpasses Apple's default clipboard by maintaining a searchable history of copied items.

      Rather than overwriting the last item you copied each time, ClipboardAI retains a searchable log of text, links, codes, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, and images across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. This means that a previous item won't vanish simply because you've copied something new.

      It efficiently saves, organizes, and retrieves clips

      ClipboardAI employs on-device AI to categorize copied materials into links, codes, emails, addresses, phone numbers, text, and images. Users have the option to create collections for frequently reused content, such as research links, templates, travel information, or saved snippets.

      The value of the keyboard extension

      The keyboard extension is what gives the app its greatest utility. It can display up to 20 recent clips in any iOS text field, allowing you to paste previously copied items without needing to exit Messages, Mail, Slack, Safari, or any other app.

      The app can also summarize copied text, generate link previews, identify languages, provide translations, convert lists into checklists, and solve mathematical expressions or unit conversions. Some features will see frequent use, while others may be more situational.

      Importance of privacy

      Given that clipboards often contain sensitive data like passwords, codes, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and copied messages, privacy is crucial for applications like this. ClipboardAI ensures that AI functions remain on-device, stores clips locally using SwiftData, and avoids analytics, advertisements, third-party SDKs, and servers managed by developers.

      Additionally, the app handles sensitive clips differently from standard copied items. It can identify passwords, API tokens, credit card numbers, and social security numbers, blurring them by default. Passwords can automatically disappear after 60 seconds, and sensitive clips will not appear in the keyboard extension unless the user modifies that setting.

      Syncing is done through the user's personal iCloud account and is optional. The free version offers automatic capture, categories, search functionality, and up to 10 saved clips. The Pro version provides unlimited clips, iCloud sync, the keyboard extension, AI functionalities, and collections, with a 7-day trial option and a $24.99 one-time purchase for lifetime access.

      Not everyone requires a clipboard manager, but if you frequently lose copied links, codes, notes, or addresses multiple times a week, ClipboardAI could be a valuable alternative to Apple's built-in clipboard.