AirDrop works between iPhones that are next to each other. It’s less help when the other iPhone is somewhere else, or its owner only accepts AirDrop from contacts. For a link, an address, a code or a paragraph, emailing yourself is a lot of steps for something you want to paste in five seconds.
Copy text from iPhone to iPhone
Paste on your iPhone, tap Copy on your iPhone. A shared clipboard that works in any browser.
Clipboard
Press ⌘V / Ctrl+V anywhereClips are visible to devices on your Wi-Fi for 30 minutes. Avoid sending passwords.
On your network
liveThe quick way, with fdrop
- 1
Open fdrop.cc on both devices
Safari on the iPhone, Safari on the iPhone. Same Wi-Fi, no login.
- 2
Paste on the iPhone
Copy the text, open fdrop.cc in Safari and tap Paste, or type it in and tap Send.
- 3
Copy on the iPhone
The text appears under Clipboard within a few seconds. Tap Copy and paste it wherever you need.

Other ways, and their catch
Universal Clipboard
Copy on the iPhone and paste on the iPhone. It works when both are signed into the same Apple ID with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Handoff turned on.
Good: Nothing to open: copy and paste as usual. Catch: Same Apple ID only, so it can’t send text to someone else’s device, and it times out after a couple of minutes.
WhatsApp or Telegram to yourself
Send it to your own chat (Message yourself in WhatsApp, Saved Messages in Telegram) and open WhatsApp or Telegram on the iPhone.
Good: You probably have the app already. Catch: Needs the app signed in on both devices.
Email it to yourself
Attach it (or paste it) in an email to yourself and open the email on the iPhone.
Good: Works on every device. Catch: Lots of steps for a quick copy, and it clutters your inbox.
Good to know
- Clips hold up to 50,000 characters and disappear after 30 minutes. Anyone on the same Wi-Fi with fdrop open can see them, so don’t send passwords on shared networks.
- Pasting a screenshot instead of text uploads it as a file, so images work the same way.
Questions
How do I copy text from iPhone to iPhone without a cable?
Open fdrop.cc on both, paste on the iPhone and tap Copy on the iPhone. Universal Clipboard is the main built-in option, with the limits listed above.
Is there a length limit?
Up to 50,000 characters per clip, which is about 20 pages of text. Longer than that, save it as a file and send the file.
Do the iPhone and iPhone need to be on the same Wi-Fi?
Yes for the clipboard: clips show up on devices that share your internet connection, like home or office Wi-Fi.
Why not just use Universal Clipboard?
Use it when it works. fdrop helps when the iPhone isn’t nearby, is signed into a different Apple ID, or isn’t showing up, and it gives you a link you can open anywhere.
Who can see what I paste?
Only devices on the same internet connection with fdrop open. Clips are deleted after 30 minutes, and you can delete your own sooner.