Will One UI 8 finally address Samsung’s clipboard history privacy concerns?

With rumors of One UI 8, built on Android 16, emerging, many users wish Samsung would finally address a persistent issue: the clipboard history. For years, Samsung users have voiced concerns about how One UI handles copied text. When you copy something on a Galaxy device – be it a snippet of text, a link, or critically, a password from a password manager – it gets saved to a clipboard history. This history doesn’t automatically clear. Sensitive information, like complex passwords meant to be temporary, can remain stored in plain text indefinitely unless manually deleted.

This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a privacy risk. As user OicitrapDraz pointed out on Samsung’s community forums, “I copy passwords from my password manager all the time… How is it that Samsung’s clipboard saves everything in plain text with no expiration? That’s a huge security issue.” If a phone is lost, stolen, or even just borrowed by someone while unlocked, this stored history could expose sensitive credentials.

Many users initially think switching keyboards might solve the problem. Trying alternatives like Google’s Gboard, however, reveals the issue runs deeper. The clipboard functionality is integrated into the One UI system itself. Regardless of the keyboard app used, copied items still land in Samsung’s persistent clipboard history.

This behavior has been documented across multiple One UI versions and devices, stretching back years, as seen in discussions on platforms like Reddit. User TheTxoof described it bluntly years ago as “hot garbage” after discovering password manager credentials lingered. Even recent posts show users discovering this behavior on brand new devices like the Galaxy S24 Ultra. So it’s clear that a lot of users aren’t okay with this.

What’s interesting is that Google itself brought a change with Android 13 to automatically delete clipboard history after an hour. Yet for some odd reason, Samsung has chosen to stick with its own implementation of keeping clipboard history intact.

That said, a Samsung mod recently acknowledged the issue and confirmed that it’s a system-level feature and stating they would pass the concerns along. But I’m confident that Samsung is already aware of the issue, however, decided not to act on it. 

So, will One UI 8 be the update where Samsung finally introduces better clipboard management? It’s hard to say. Given the amount of feedback floating around online, the wise choice for Samsung would be to change how it handles clipboard history. But since the company hasn’t tackled this glaring issue for years, let’s perhaps not hold our breaths for any change this time around either.

Featured image credit: Impossible-Sand-5849 / Reddit