Making my app worse because of macOS privacy protections

a year ago

Apple introduced a new macOS feature that alerts users when an app programmatically reads the general pasteboard without user input.
Developers can test this behavior using a Terminal command: `defaults write <your_app_bundle_id> EnablePasteboardPrivacyDeveloperPreview -bool yes`.
Link Unshortener triggers an alert on launch because it checks the pasteboard for URLs to auto-fill in new windows.
The new alert lacks options to always allow access, explain why access is needed, or avoid permission requests on first launch.
The author decided to remove the auto-fill feature from Link Unshortener to avoid the negative user experience of the alert.
A new System Settings section will allow users to manage pasteboard permissions, but the alert itself is minimal and unhelpful.
Apple may introduce a new `Info.plist` key to specify reasons for pasteboard access, similar to other privacy-related keys.
The alert's existence forces tradeoffs between security and usability, leading to reduced app functionality.
Other apps may face worse issues if they rely heavily on pasteboard access as a core feature.
Enabling the feature globally caused problems in apps like Google Chrome and Safari, leading to inconsistent behavior.

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