IssueTracker

You can already copy text in the browser by using menu->more->select text but we should
be able to long press any text in Android and copy it.

Indeed, this feature is on my most wanted list. I want to be able to long press
individual words, links, pictures, email addresses, and phone numbers to get a copy
option.

this should really be multiple bugs. I'm taking it to mean that the browser should have better copy/paste. The
correct solution for the browser is unlikely the to be the correct solution for all text in Android. Also, on phones
with a physical keyboard, you can hold the shift key and use the trackball to select text precisely.

Why should it be any different?

Cut and paste is cut and paste. Words, sentences, links, pictures, email addresses,
phone numbers, etc. are the same no matter what application they reside in. A
consistent interface would be ideal.

I believe that copy/paste should be a basic platform function and available to all
applications, not just the browser.

Ex. Someone sends me a link in the Android mail client. I want to be able to hold my
finger down on the link and have a context menu pop up with a copy option. Then, I
should be able to paste that where ever text is permitted to be entered. I believe
that interface should be consistent across all apps.

It sounds like you have a clear vision of how things should work. Feel free to submit a change to the framework
to demonstrate how this might be implemented.

Text should be selectable not only in areas where text can be entered, but anywhere
there is text. Ex. quoted text in a Gmail reply.

Unfortunately, I don't really have the time right now to study the code. Just giving
the perspective from an everyday user who wants to do things quickly and easily.

If you think what I suggest is wrong or difficult, I'd like to hear what you think
would be best because I am really missing some better integrated copy/paste
functionality.

I hate to say it, but the iPhone implementation is actually pretty damn good. The
undo where you shake the phone is cool but seems inconsistent from what I've seen.
Not sure if I like that.

Anyway, would love it if similar features landed in Android. :)

@Neil and others
The iPhone ad is what prompted me to submit this ticket.  I love nothing more than
showing off my G1 to shush some over hyping iPhone user. Simple things like "yeah I
can send picture messages" or "does your phone have a metal detector too" hahaha.

But I can stand having any iphone user best us with their nifty copy paste abilities.

Cause lets face it.. android based phones are better in pretty much every other
aspect... not to mention Open Source!!!

Cut/Copy/Paste needs to be more integrated with the core apps.

- Should be able to copy text and pictures at the same time from the browser or any
other applicable app
- Should be able to long press to initiate cut/copy/paste
- Screen should continue to scroll when nearing edges so copying can be done with
things initially off-screen
- Should be available for use in emails, calendar, and any other applicable Google
apps
- Not sure if this is already possible, but developers should be able to integrate
functionality into their apps
- Lastly, rip off Apple's idea and allow the initially selected area to be resized
and make that area more discernable (when it's good, it's good - doesn't matter who
did it first)

Has this been implemented?

There's no system-wide copy/paste in 2.0 as described here. In 2.0, the text selection
can be driven by touch, the d-pad, or the trackball -- but other than that, there's no
significant change.

I agree. Object/text selection is a weak point in many areas of the android OS.

Yes, copy/paste must be at least as functional as iPhone and be available anywhere
there is text. Even Windows Mobile 6.1 on my Motorola Q9m was much better.

As a newcomer to Android (as of one week!) cut/copy-and-paste has been an immediate
gripe. Running Android 1.5 on an HTC Hero - so no keyboard - I found I couldn't
select a URL in an email viewed using the gmail widget and copy it into the browser.

I'm quite surprised that universal copy-and-paste isn't a fundamental part of
Android. Coming from Win Mobile 6 and having been hugely impressed by everything else
on the Hero, this seems to be a major let-down. It was a feature I used regularly on
my old TyTN...

Plus this is exacerbated by the lack of integration between the email and phone
applications.  If you send you me your phone number in an email, I should not be
required to get out a pen and paper, write the number down, and then manually dial it
with the phone app.  Either click on the number to dial (state of the art in
blackberry circa 2000), or at least allow me to cut and paste the phone number
between email and the phone app (a poor manual workaround, but better than pencil/paper)

Cut, paste and copy should be native in the platform and common across all apps - but
at least start with basic simple missing use cases.

danieldruker: Click on the number to dial should work. Could you provide some more details about which email
app you're using, and what the phone number looks like?

Using the corporate / exchange email client.  See bug 36910261 which details the problem
and how it works in blackberry...

http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=4575

On the Droid, sometimes a cursor appears when i press shift.
But when pressing the dpad nothing happens.
Usually i have to retry selecting a few times before i get it right.
This issue is starting to annoy me, please fix this.

This enhancement is much needed.

Folks,

When it became clear to me that the basic copy/paste functionality was practically
non-existent on the Droid I have had for the last 30 days, it was hard to believe.  
I replaced a Palm PDA/Phone device with the Droid and had the expectation that
surely a Google product would cover the essentials.  So here I am trying to clean up
my manually imported Outlook contacts on the Droid by having to open contact notes,
hand write information on a piece of paper and then hand key it into critical
contact fields so that I can actually use the information in the new Android contact
format. Unbelievable.  When you combine this fundamental with the lack of Outlook
contacts ongoing synchronization, I have stepped back 12 years to my 1st Palm
handheld (which had copy/paste and contact sync).  I have got to believe that vast
majority of business people who have Android and need a PDA on their phone, feel as
disappointed as I do. Could someone in product management please wake up?  

Next in line is memos/notes sync - a hell of a lot of people use lists to organize
work and don't want to use a micro keyboard to maintain those lists.  The IPhone is
not the only competitor involved here - millions use other PDAs like Palm.

Gary Satterfield
888 854-9444 ext 3

Gary, not to belittle your point (because copy and paste is important), but rather than
hand-write these notes on paper and transferring to their respective fields, can't you
modify the contacts' information online at http://www.google.com/contacts ? These
should then update in your phone automatically.

I agree 100% with Gary's comments -- but would go even further.  I am SO astonished
that there are SO many basic deficiencies in the design and implementation of Android
on smartphones to date.  I really can't be "sympathetic" in regard to Google's
problems with implementing any number of basic features which Windows Mobile has had
for YEARS !
(And that doesn't mean I like the WinMo platform, nor does it mean I don't see many
of the benefits of Android) But why should I be sympathetic when small software
development companies making 3rd party "apps" to "fix" what was left out of Android
do a much better job than Google -- which has hundreds, if not thousands of times the
resources and money !!

Is it intentional that the Droid (now running Android 2.0.1) which supposedly "DOES"
virtually everything:
(1) Has a ridiculously simplistic implementation of Voice Command
(2) Has no Bluetooth Voice Dialing
(3) Has the most limited and convoluted version (if you could even call it that) of
Cut/Copy/Paste
(4) Has no feature whereby one could copy and paste a Calendar appointment to another
time/date.
(5) Has no audible notifications for each incoming message in Gmail (only the first
generates an audible notification)  This is absurd !  (Why is NitroDesk, the maker of
Touchdown (Android exchange client)able to do this correctly but Google, a
multibillion dollar software conglomerate can't ????)
(6) Has no way to upload from the built in browser !!  Is this disabled intentionally
??  (Is the model here to have us spend hundreds of dollars buying Android apps from
3rd parties to fix all the deficits of the OS so that we will feel 'invested' and
stay with Android ?? )
(7) Has a supposed "built-in" suite of Google mobile products: but has: (a) a Gmail
client in which one can't copy and paste from the body of a received message (b) a
Gmail client which can't deal with a huge number of attachment types nor get
notifications properly (as above)nor get header information (c) a Calendar in which
one can't copy and paste appointments (d) No Google Docs client w. sync (e) no Tasks
support --- ETC, ETC, ETC.......

I obviously could go on and on -- but I don't need to -- there are thousands of bug
reports and enhancement requests already posted --
But sadly, almost no comment or committment by Google as to when, if ever, these
"BASICS" will be addressed !!

According to my handset, I'm running Android 2.0.1 -- it doesn't say BETA v. 0.1

I guess I've been duped again -- that the usual cycle of waiting for 3 or 4 major
version upgrades of an OS will take place with Android before these things get done -
- little did I know that I'd be starting from square one in 2009 and that Google is
reinventing the wheel from scratch rather than learning from and implementing the
work of competitors.

[Comment deleted]

"OlliTech" aka "Eddie":

(1) This is not a "flame" war -- or, for that matter, a "war" of any sort.  My
comments are (a) hardly "naive" (b) supported by fact, not "opinion" (c) supported by
tens of thousands of other users and (d) do not merely address some peculiar,
idiosyncratic features that I, alone, desire.

(2) I don't misunderstand anything about what is going on in the mobile OS
development arena.  Google's "release" of Android to the public as "Open Source" was
a business decision made in Google's own self-interest.  Google is a publicly traded
company with shareholders (of which I am one) -- i.e., a BUSINESS. They aren't
developing a product out of the pure "goodness of their heart" for the "community".  
The decision to go the open source route is a calculated business decision.  
Furthermore, whether going the open source route benefits the end user, in this case,
is yet to be determined. Also, Google may, at any point in the future, change the
nature of its involvement with Android and the development of Android.

(3) Whether or not an OS is truly "free" in terms of its cost, value, utility, etc.
to the consumer end-user is also debatable.  The fact is, the consumer may pay the
same "cost" for a device running one OS that is "free" as they do for one that was
not "free".  John Q. Public may care little whether the Droid he bought for $ 199.00
is running an "open source" OS as compared to the HTC "Imagio" (just an example)
running WinMo 6.5 for $ 199.00.

(4) We, the end users, have every right to expect our devices will perform well. It
isn't a "blessing" -- I bought and paid for the device and I pay for its use every
month.  It isn't put in the advertising campaign (by the carrier) as a selling point
that we are blessed by getting a "free" OS on our smartphone.  

(5) The fact is:  an OS for whatever device comes to market at whatever point in time
it arrives facing competition from whatever else is out there at that time.  Whether
or not it was "ready for prime time" will be determined by the marketplace.  But, one
would hope that companies developing operating systems would have studied the lessons
of history and incorporated the results of such studies into their efforts.

(6) I could continue this discussion "ad infinitum" with you or anyone else -- but I
won't -- I will leave you to have the last word if you so desire.  My requests, such
as wanting to know every time I get a new email or wanting to copy and paste from the
body of a received email in a straightforward manner or wanting to be able to dial my
phone via my bluetooth headset and the like are obviously so problematic for whoever
is behind this code and obviously so personal to me that all of the other tens of
thousands of people wanting the same features must also be dreaming, not "counting
their blessings"  and also letting out the frustrations from their "dead-end" lives.

Oh -- and my last word:  I just hope that every time I report a "bug" or make a product
"enhancement" request that I would receive a response from an agent of Google telling
me "go build your own OS" --

nawells1

This has to be one of the best post that i have had the pleasure of reading. And as
an end user I very much agree with what you said. I just thought as new phones and OS
comes out they should be able to do what was done in the past plus new things added
to make it better.

 I should have waited and and seen what it was like before I jumped in. Kind of
missing my Black Berry now. Oh well i guess I will never learn.

I would like to add my 2 biggest concerns...which have both already been mentioned.

Ability to copy/paste from gmail.  I regularly want to copy sections of emails and
paste them to either notes, browser windows, etc.  There is currently NO support for
doing so and this is a huge flaw.  Its a pain.  Please address this immediately.

Improve copy/paste in browser.  Right now you have to hit Menu > more > select text
and then choose the text to be copied.  Aside from there being too many steps (why
not just press and hold???) there is currently no way to adjust where the selection
starts once you touch the screen.  If you miss with your finger, too bad...start
over.  Secondly, you cannot select more text than what appears on the screen.  If the
text you wish to copy runs beyond the visible screen you cannot select it.  As your
finger nears the screen edge, the screen should scroll down to allow you to continue
selecting more text.  Please address both of these issues.

Need copy/Paste to work at least as good as in WinMo. Copy/paste calender appointment
is essential as well.

Copy/Paste should be implemented at least in all basic Google applications. This is an
essential and basic feature for any PIM.

copy/paste should work from anywhere on the phone period!!!  It is after all supposed
to be a handheld computer.

Hi,

I just got a NexusOne, switched over from a Blackberry (BB user for 5 years now), and
I'm not switching back. I like what Android has so far, and it's potential. However,
for business use it's just not there, but I want to help get it there.

Copy/Paste doesn't work everywhere it needs to---that's pretty clear.
Seems like the last 10+ posts have all been rants, b*tching and moaning about iphone
vs android and how things are done over at Google.

I'd like to get this thread back to where it needs to and provide a clear
requirements/AC for developers to build into Android natively what needs to be done.

So utilizing the last good reply from Neil, allow me to restate, hopefully clear
acceptance criteria:

AC1: GIVEN: A user is reading a site in any web browser
     WHEN 1:  He/She can hold down finger down on a link
     THEN 1 Have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
     WHEN 2: He/She can hold down finger on a word and
     THEN 2: Have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
     WHEN 3: He/She can hold, then drag across part of, or set of words, sentences  
     THEN 3: and after letting go have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
   
AC2: GIVEN: A user is reading a site in any email (forward, reply, any quoted text)
     WHEN 1:  He/She can hold down finger down on a link
     THEN 1 Have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
     WHEN 2: He/She can hold down finger on a word and
     THEN 2: Have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
     WHEN 3: He/She can hold, then drag across part of, or set of words, sentences  
     THEN 3: and after letting go have a context menu pop up with a copy option.

AC3: GIVEN: A link or text has been selected and engaged by copy function and user
has cursor on where he/she wants text copied,
     WHEN 1:  A user selects the menu button
     THEN 1: Native android menu (at the bottom) should display option allowing user
to paste copied text is permitted
     WHEN 2: A user holds down a finger on the location he/she wants text entered
     THEN 2: A context menu pops up allowing user to paste.

Goal should be to have no more than 2 clicks for any action.

Thank you.

Quick additional comment---what can we do to bump the priority of this up so that it
can be prioritized for the next release?

In addition to what Marko has specified:

- clever interface for modifying the start and end points of a selection.
- start and end points could be indicated with flags, little balls, arrows or
whatever. Then, they could be dragged about to extend or contract the selection. This
is important because selections can be difficult to get right with small screens and
big fingers.
- maybe even an auto-zoom during selection would be a good idea.
- would also like to see copy/paste for pictures. They could be pasted into e-mails
or MMS.

Good points on clever interface idea to handle small screen v big fingers Neil! (and
no..we are not the same person)

I'm almost 99% sure there are no patent issues (unlike multitouch gestures) so let's
just go ahead and ripoff the IPhone.
Also, I've included using the trackball as an input method. While i'd rather touch
across the screen, this does work well on BlackBerries (makes me realize the N1
should have an optical trackpad...)

I've updated AC2 to handle these scenarios---please add to/modify my update as needed
cause I'm totally doing this on the fly.

-------------------------------SELECT AND COPY ACTION-------------------------------

AC1: GIVEN: A user is reading a site in any web browser
     WHEN 1:  He/She can hold down finger down on a link
     THEN 1 Have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
     WHEN 2: He/She can hold down finger on a word and
     THEN 2: Have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
     WHEN 3: He/She can hold, then drag across part of, or set of words, sentences  
     THEN 3: and after letting go have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
   
AC2: GIVEN: A user is reading any email (forward, reply, any quoted text)
     WHEN 1: He/She can hold down finger down on a link
     THEN 1:  Have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
     WHEN 2: He/She can hold down finger on a word and
     THEN 2: Have a context menu pop up with a copy option.
     WHEN 3: He/She can hold, then drag across part of, or set of words, sentences
     THEN 3.1: and an design element pops up which allows the user to more accurately
select the start/end of the selection to be copy/pasted.
      Note 3.1a: One design idea can be the use of a mangifying glass like iphone,  
or zoomed in section where the selection has been initiated.
     THEN 3.2: and after letting go have a context menu pop up with a copy option.

AC2.1: GIVEN: A user is reading any email (forward, reply, any quoted text)
     WHEN 1: He/She can tap to a specific spot in the text area (email, forward,
quoted texted)
     THEN 1: Cursor should display and blink at start of text selection
AC2.11: GIVEN: Cursor should display and blink at start of text selection
     WHEN 1: User can press down on trackball and roll to select
     THEN 1: User release trackball, selection is copied
AC2.12: GIVEN: Cursor should display and blink at start of text selection  
     WHEN 2: User can press down on track ball
     THEN 2: A context menu pop up with a select option which user confirms
AC2.1121: GIVEN: User has selected "select" option
     WHEN 1: User can  roll trackball to select and when finished depress trackball
     THEN 1: Menu pops up confirming copy of highlighted selection


-------------------------------SELECT AND PASTE ACTION-------------------------------
AC3: GIVEN: A link or text has been selected and engaged by copy function and user
has cursor on where he/she wants text copied,
     WHEN 1:  A user selects the menu button
     THEN 1: Native android menu (at the bottom) should display option allowing user
to paste copied text is permitted
     WHEN 2: A user holds down a finger on the location he/she wants text entered
     THEN 2: A context menu pops up allowing user to paste.
AC3.1 GIVEN: A link or text has been selected and engaged by copy function and user
has cursor on where he/she wants text copied,    
     WHEN 1: A user taps a finger on the location he/she wants text entered
     THEN 1: A cursor is displayed and blinking
AC3.12 GIVEN: A cursor is displayed and blinking in the location where the user wants
the selection pasted in
     WHEN 1: A user can move trackball to select precisely locate where selection
should be pasted and presses trackball
     THEN 1:Menu pops up confirming paste of highlighted selection

[Comment deleted]

[Comment deleted]

I also feel a bit duped knowing how I laughed at iPhone users who couldn't cut and paste a couple
years ago. I wouldn't have even guessed that this would be missing on android, and with the latest OS,
to boot. Now here I am with a nexus one and cannot cut text from an email message to send to
someone else. Since I have clients whose email addresses and other contact info often can't be
disclosed, the device is near useless in the email department.

Hoping this is resolved soon.

Copying text from the browser is something I think people just assume any os will do.
I'm astonished that this phone can't copy text from a browser. Maybe I'm still in my 30
days trial and can return this phone. Simply amazing basic functionality like this
isn't included in the phone.

@ Andy #40

Basic browser selection has existed for sometime. this issue is more about
intelligent, one press selection of emails, phone numbers and addresses.

To select plain text from a web site....

Menu > More > Select Text > Drag finger to highlight text.

"Text copied to clipboard"

Thanks OlliTech...I didn't even know you can do that from the browser. I never read
manuals or anything--typically I figure everything out when it comes to UI just from
playing around. I had a G1 for a week (returned) and the NexusOne for a week and
still haven't found it.

If we can leverage the codebase for selecting in the browser and make it standard
across any text in any app and do it within 2 (ideally 1) click, that would be ideal.
My AC are probably heavily bloated now that I know this exists.

"Basic browser selection" is almost totally worthless as it currently exists.  One can
not specify the area of text selected with ANY degree of precision (nor does the
highlighted selection area scroll as one moves ones finger to drag the selection area).
One can not refine the area of text selected before it is copied -- and a HOST of
additional problems with the selection/cut/copy/paste process.  

I am going to completely agree here. The copy
and paste function on iPhone and iPod touch is
amazing. I wish wish wish my nexus One had the
same capability.

For example. I build custom PC's and I order and
have boxes shipped out almost every few days. I
get emails with tracking numbers but i cannot
click them and check my shipments tracking. Nor
can I copy it. Go to ups.com and paste it. Instead
I have to write it down and manually enter it. A
"Superphone" should clearly have this feature.
This is another reason why I use my iPod touch
often at home instead of my android phone for
web browsing, order tracking. And to place orders
and copy PayPal account names when not on my
pc

Pleaseadd copy/paste.    Thanks Google!  

I would LOVE to hear some sort of timetable on when this might happen.  I will need
to return my phone if it cannot copy/paste from an email.

This is a deal breaker for me and many others i imagine. I bought my Android HTC
Hero, which i am happy with in other respects, but I will switch back to BBerry or
move to Iphone because they do cut/paste

A clearer core copy/paste function is required. Make it happen please!

Anyone from google care to comment on how we get this to a high priority? like other
posters I feel duped this wasn't there and would certainly not have bought my phone
had i known about it. This bug along could be sending me back to windows mobile.

The Android copy/paste function is like running with your shoes tied together. I have the
Moto Droid and I love it, I love google/android as well....but the os needs a copy/paste
that's as good or better than iPhone. There's is the best touchscreen copy/pase hands
down and I hate it when iPhone people throw it out there cause there's NO doubt about it

Copy/Paste is poor on android if not for sheer implementation or the way its excuted then how about
unless you have a keyboard you cannot copy gmail text. I love android and I'm staying with it but a lot
of minor things need to be addressed just like 1.5 and although off topic fix the music player.

If you want this issue to get attention, please "star" it.

Android 2.1 has no implementation of Copy/Paste in emails. That is quite a big wtf.
So I'm voting for that one.

Support has been there since 1.5 but you have to have a hardware keyboard device in order for you to
Copy & paste emails which is very useful believe me.

LandOfTrill, that's not helping. I am adressing a software keyboard, obviously.

Missing this feature is kinda embarrassing when a colleague of mine checked my phone
and started comparing it to Iphone. He tried to do copy/paste and it can't be done in
the stock gmail app and doing it elsewhere is a bit of a pain. So please, listen to
your consumers. I still support android all the way. Please respond to our plea as soon
as you can guys.

Thanks

I think the best way to implement good copy-paste and cursor positioning is something
similar to the one on the iPhone (I think Apple really nailed it this time), but that
in concept should havejust been a common sense interface from the beginning of Android:

1.Some kind of magnifing glass to put the cursor just where you want it;

2.Some kind of gesture to initiate cut-copy-paste (double tap, long tap, whatever you
can come up with) anywhere on the screen where text or other sensible items are
present (this should work for any app, Google's or third party obviously);

3.Some kind of feature to be able to modify the selection (dots, little triangles,
whatever, at the edges of the selection that needs to be dragged around in order to
edit the selection).

4.(optional) Possibility to copy the selection keeping the same format as it were
originally (this could be useful only for html-email creation...).

I really hope to see this much needed improvement in the next release because right
now Android is lacking both a good touch based cursor positioning method and a truly
usable copy-paste utility.
Please Goggle make it happen!

I'm not sure about other phones but HTC Eris users are able to position the cursor and accurately copy
text using the trackball, but a touch solution would be considerably better and quicker if done properly.
Subscribed!

Hi,
choosing and editing text in emails and browsers is a very basic feature which
should have been thought and implemented in the OTA update atleast.
request Google to look into the same and atleast bring it in your next OTA update.

NexusOne - I find this to be quite annoying - especially in the browser and
ESPECIALLY in the Google Help Forums where hyperlinks in user posts are not
clickable. So, when a user puts a link in, I need to copy/paste it. It usually takes
me many tries to get even close to the text I want (can't tell if what I want
selected is selected - and even if it's not, as soon as the finger is lifted, boom -
a selection is made and it's done).
PLUS - the text that's copied (URLs) is almost always unusable without editing -
spaces or other characters are added in which the browser converts to %20-type codes.
WTF!?:!>!

I don't get what's up with the hyperlinks. I can
click on a link in this forum, and a link I get in an
email in gmail, but not in the notification emails
this forum sends me.

You can not image all the valuable time I have LOST due to the lack of a basic cut
and paste. I have an IPod and really am thinking about giving up the Moto Droid and
going back to it. Assuredly there is a fix in the works. (Yes I know about the
minimal capability.) Get with it guys and gals!!!!!!

If the HTC Desire can properly implement copy/paste, I'm sure Google can natively.

Does the Desire and the Sense UI have it?

Here's how this it's improved in the new Sense UI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=hkff8g-KtE4#t=03m32s
I hope that Google implemented something like that.

This is a completely necessary addition. Good suggestion to see how htc has imlemented it to give an
idea of what we're looking for.

I love the way HTC did it at sense 2.1 - please do something equal

Anrois os is prehistoric compared to windows mobile ... duped !!! So you geeky suckers
at android - DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ...esp copy and paste - Jeez you can do that in
every other OS ever made!!!!!

Dear Google: Is it patent issues what makes it take so long to develop a copy/paste
functionality for Android?

Just curious if there has been any progress POC code or anything similar done. It's
great to see it as assigned I was just wondering if anyone had been doing any hacking
to work on a global solution to incorporate a cut and paste framework? To me it would
seem to be a fairly detailed job because it would be something to include as a part
of 'input' rather than just for an application to application basis. Is there any
code started we could test?

For those who are jealous of the supposed support of cut/paste if you have a physical
keyboard, don't be. It works semi ok in browser (the shift+drag thing) but other apps like
email are lousy (you can only highlight about a line before it stops treating your finger
movement as "select" and starts treating it as "move the whole page".  It is very annoying
and impossible to use.

Google, please a little standard support throughout the UI please.

I hope everyone of you isnt just replying but starring the issue.

I think when you reply it also stars it

it didnt when I first replied afaik

I'm wondering if any of you has tried Better Keyboard's left-right-up-down cursor
arrows? Are they working for you? I'm so sick of the lack of android select that
I'll try just about anything.

I've been trying to get used to them but it's clunky to keep doing alt-shift-
whatever just to get to those keys. And it's nothing compared to a good bubble-
cursor.

count me in, this text selection needs fixing.

Would also like to see a magnified text when attempting to perform selection.

HTC has implemented copy/paste on the Desire but it lacks fundamental editing of the
text that is copied!

I can copy text from an email to use in another email. But I can't correct or change
the wording in the copied text. I find this to be a major lack of functionality
which I hope somebody wil fix soon.

One standard interface to implement copy/paste across the board could work as
follows:

- Add a "Copy/Paste" option to something like the standard "Share" menu that pops up
in various apps such as the camera one, where you can use bluetooth/gmail/etc.

- This will enable any application to avail of it by either using standard page text
copy/paste behavior or extend/modify it for images or any other drawables on the
screen. It could even be applied/customized to copy/paste songs from a music app,
files from a file browser, objects from a drawing package, etc., much like it works
on most desktop OS.

- In other words, copy/paste could be something like an "app" providing these
activities much like Gmail provides email, SMS provides messaging, etc.

- The default behavior provided with the "copy/paste" app could include the various
options to drag/resize/edit.magify etc. whatever could be useful.


My comment is based on being a Mytouch user and a very avid supporter of Android. I
have only tinkered with Android programming so I am very ignorant of implementation
details. I do have a software background...

This may have already been suggested since I have not reviewed all comments...

Copy/paste needs implemented at least as well as
iPhone or HTC Sense. Begin/end markers and
magnification.  

Adding my 2 cents. When copy/paste into browser windows (ie. user name & password)I
found that the copy/paste function worked, but as soon as I pasted the UN into the
first box, the window switched to the "next" window and of course I got an error
message because I hadn't inserted the password into the next box on the first window.
This is probably a bad description, but bottom line, the browser doesn't work right
when pasting.

In Comment no. 18, on Nov 18, 2009, danieldruker wrote: Click on the number to dial
should work. Could you provide some more details about which email
app you're using, and what the phone number looks like?

In Spain, phone numbers look like 928458701, i.e., just 9 digits, no parenthesis, no
hyphens, etc. Unfortunately Android 2.1 on HTC Legend does not recognize them as
phone numbers, so I cannot tap on them to make a call. This is quite inconvenient,
since there is no way to copy and paste the phone number into the dialer! Why??

 jfortes: Rewriting copy/paste is a goal for the next release. In the meantime, try this:
1) press menu, tap 'Select Text'
(alternatively, on devices with keyboards, hold the shift key)
2) use the trackball or the dpad to move the arrow to the beginning or ending of the text you want to select
3) click the trackball or the dpad center
4) use the trackball to select the text
5) click the trackball or the dpad center to copy the text to the clipboard

I would like to be able to copy from email/textfile and paste into the password field in wireless security on a HTC Tattoo....
The company I work for is using extremely long and complex passwords. It would be SO nice to be able to copy/paste....

almost a year and still no progress? what a shame

Please sort this, my nexus one has been returned after 14 days and a difficult phone call with the network. I'm still sticking with Android, but not the nexus one. In the absence of any explanation I perceive this as arrogance.
I have written regular expressions pattern matching, and the omission seems quite trivial, since the email program recognises non-uk numbers:
999 999999
(999) 999999
but doesn't recognise 01473 222 222.
I heard it's coming soon, but to wait past your cooling off period, and be stuck for two years with a "smart phone" that requires me to write down numbers was too much of an act of faith in Google.
Oh, the phone is otherwise fantastic.

Well have copy paste in browser. And it works really well for me. From phone
numbers to entire paragraphs.

Its copy paste in emails we desperately neeeeed

Browser/WebView

too much steps for copy and paste that make it virtually useless, unless you yourself is a machine to do this kind of repetitive job or you can have a tool like autohotkey to automate it

Just got the droid X and like a fool, I would have never imagined that cut and paste was not there?  Like buying a car and forgeting to check if it has a reverse!  I have had windows phones and BBs, not to mention computers from back in 1980.
What scares me is, this is not the kind of capability that you "add on top" like a cool new media player or game, to work seemlessly with all apps, it had to have been designed in from the start.  I suspect if they finally ship it in an update, every app that wants to take advantage of it will have to be rebuilt (re-purchased, re-installed).

On froyo in emails you can copy text but have to hit menu key/more/select text. You get a tiny mouse pointer which can be moved by touch or trackball... not as fancy as iphone though

I agree copy paste experience should be available everywhere and should be easy to handle

Droid X user as of yesterday.

Copy/paste for non-editable text fields could use two main things:

1) Long-press to bring up that 'Edit text' context menu already available in a text entry field, just remove the paste field. Menu > more should still be an option for people who don't want to change, but why press twice when you can only press once.

2) I need to be able to change my selection before the text is copied. Text entry fields have a nice, resizable, highlighted area than must be pressed on again to bring up the context menu where coping is an option.

HTC Desire has a very good copy and paste feature. Its very much like the iphone. Google should get this in their code.

This only works in the gmail mailclient on android, not on the normal email client (the yellow enveloppe instead of the red one).

I add my voice to the desire to have better copy and paste functionality.

Not being able to copy and paste out of an email is inexcusable. The
iphone was ridiculed two years ago for this. Blackberrys have had this
for years. Hopefully 2.2 will have this in a fully functional module.

Copy/paste in emails is released in 2.2 - though rather unelegantly implemented - not touch-friendly.

Really depressing it won't do what a two year old iphone will do.

@tjensen00
But then again it isn't two years old yet.
They're still working hard on it, and you gotta admit, iPhone fans didn't have copy-paste functionality for years.

Why has google disabled cut/paste in droidx OS,
this makes it a dysfucntional business tool when compared to other devices, it obviously was intentional b/c it works in some areas on the device and not others, are they worried about copyright issues on web pages?  
in my case these are my OWN web pages for dev that I want to parse and buck to my team.
is there a work around or is it best to return the device?

this current miss- (ing)feature of copy and paste in the current os (2.2) keeps me from switching from htc sense to a pure vanilla experiance :(. the only sense thing i'm using is the great(er) copy and paste inclusion ...

What about the lack of "undo" when typing? I've had the Droid 2 for a week and initially imagined there were text editing controls I had to learn. What a disappointing device for e-mail composition with the limitations on copying, pasting, and un-doing accidental deletes of text. I agree with the post equating asking whether basic editing functions exist on a smart phone to asking asking if a car has reverse gear.

odelightsoul: undo while typing is a different feature request. Please file a new issue to track this.

I believe Undo is issue 36913735

I just purchased an ANDROID X and I am amazed at how WEAK the email client is in version 2.1. I am hearing that version 2.2 is still not handling the copy and paste issues, in addition to having the individual account level signature profile manipulation capabilities, among other weaknesses here.... Is there any light at the end of this tunnel? I mean, if I cannot copy and paste blocks of information, objects, etc., from web or email, then this device is close to useless to me! This should be standard issue. Back to the Blackberry for me, unless someone knows of a fix. This is a deal-breaker!

Copy and Paste for any platform is determined by the application, and not the OS.  Try highlighting (on a desktop) the File menu option text, or your browser window's title.  Have you tried copy-pasting text from the app store for those who think it's universal on the i* devices?

K9, stock gmail on 2.2 both feature copy-paste function in the context menu.  At worst case, you can reply to the message and copy from there (since it's an editable field).

The problem with holding anywhere to begin selecting text is that apps / web pages (especially interactive HTML and Flash) may use a long hold for other functions.  It's not prevalent right now, but what will happen if someone releases an HTML-based document editor or a game that requires holding in a specific spot for a while (for example, those reaction tests.  You hold down a button and let go when a light changes, then repress when it changes back)?  The long press will trigger the "select text" and (to the browser) will/should not detect that you're holding it as it's expecting you to select the Cut-Copy-Paste menu).

I actually like it being in the context menu because it's not in the way, and honestly, you're probably not going to use c&p very often without replying to the message anyway.

That said, the actual copy-pasting does need to be improved.  I vote for a multitouch copy paste -- you press on the beginning and the end of the text, and let go when you're done.

sorry... you lost me android! After waiting for ages to get the update from sony ericsson for my X10 I have no plans to wait eternally for a simple copy paste to be implemented...

good bye android...
and all the best to everyone for waiting hopefully to get this implemented...

sorry... you lost me android! After waiting for ages to get the update from sony ericsson for my X10 I have no plans to wait eternally for a simple copy paste to be implemented...

good bye android...
and all the best to everyone for waiting hopefully to get this implemented...

sorry... you lost me android! After waiting for ages to get the update from sony ericsson for my X10 I have no plans to wait eternally for a simple copy paste to be implemented...

good bye android...
and all the best to everyone for waiting hopefully to get this implemented...

let alone the texts! why should copy text alone be there as option? why can't I copy images or whatever is there on the page? like a simple select all will do, then if needed we may can edit in google docs? but why we're so handicapped for this basic function? I don't know what was going on with the implementation team?

please don't advertise your OS a smartphone OS! It's a shame for smartphone Os' to lack basic functionalities like proper copy/paste and uploads in the browser(yeah yeah its there in Froyo, but I am not going to get it anyway)

sorry... you lost me android! After waiting(still waiting for 2.1) for ages to get the update from sony ericsson for my X10, I have no plans to wait eternally for a simple copy paste to be implemented...

and whoever consider this as a rant/bitch/moan against Google/Android, I've paid around 700$ to get my X10! when you pay such amount for a smartphone and which lacks these basic functions... I'm speechless...

good bye android...

and all the best to everyone for waiting hopefully to get this implemented...
hopefully this will get implemented by 2025 with android verio 10.5 butter cup

Stop being such a drama queen. Its not Android or Googles fault that you bought a phone made by a company that refuses to update. You made a poor choice in selecting your phone, end of story.

Simply request, but may be difficult to implement.

Apple has now done it!

Brilliant post this, and i must applaud , all who have posted, relevant and poignant, my take on this ? seems Google and the Android developers were too busy behind their programming desks, for them to realise that they needed to have a gauge on the existing software,

maybe under the assumption that it being a "free" platform, some development should  after all, be left to the worldwide developer's community?

its in poor spirit really, and not commensurate with the brand and goodwill that is Google , Android , 2.2 or whatever , this is a massively under deveopled product, more so in my opinion, than Apple's phone OS, (I am not a fan of Cupertino's products,  vastly over rated and expensive)- case in point , it took Apple to become the laughing stock of the world's phone users to implement , some level of multi tasking and copy , paste functionality in its system ,
Google's situation being worse, - as it slept through entirely while millions laughed at glaring ommissions on its competitors,

anyway, these are issues that have plagued big name products for years, it is physically impossible for a developer to seek and implement all suggesstions that are expected to emerge

On HTC Sense phones, copy and paste works really well

Yep, HTC Sense it s good implementation of copy paste, i just rooted my desire because i didn't need all the heavy Sense, i really like the Vanilla version, but it is a big no no not to have copy/paste

GOOGLE WE NEED IT :)

I have posted a more general proposal in issue 36922684 at:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=12290

I found this discussion only later.

Looks like this is fixed in Gingerbread: http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.3-highlights.html

What I would like to see:
 - make the keys on the keyboard slimmer in order to avoid hitting the wrong key the whole time if you have normal or large sized fingers (here iPhone has perhaps a better designed slimmer key to lessen the occurrance of this) I have the HTC Desire.
 - make the volume toggle/btn on the left hand side of the phone better/more sensitive.
 - make a docking station available for the HTC Desire and similar phones.
 - more internal space on the phone so I do not need to move my apps to SD card the whole time.
 - I am glad to hear that a native cut/copy-paste function is in dev!

This was fixed in 2.3, improved in 3.0 and 4.0.

Thank you for the feedback. We're closing this issue as Obsolete.
If it is still observed in the latest Android release, please open a new issue in https://goo.gl/TbMiIO along with a reference to this issue.