What is up with copying email addresses and numbers?

[Sxr71]

When I copy a email address it adds the string “mailto:” in front of it. When I paste it into the mail app it doesn’t even recognize it. What is its point then?

I cannot edit it in the address bar. Because the whole thing turns blue. What kind of stupid “smart” feature is this? Why can’t they leave what I copy alone?

Also in notes if I try to edit a number it again considers it as one big block of numbers because it sees it as a phone number. It is not a phone number. Stop underlining and messing with my numbers. This attempt at seeming smart is just making using this OS a real pain.

What am I doing wrong? How do I disable all this superfluous nonsense? I wish they would just leave my copy board alone.

 

[twintin]

I cannot edit it in the address bar. Because the whole thing turns blue. What kind of stupid “smart” feature is this? Why can’t they leave what I copy alone?

Are you refering to the Safari address bar ? Edit works for me if I tap 3 times.

 

[Sxr71]

Are you refering to the Safari address bar ? Edit works for me if I tap 3 times.

To two different situations.

One is to paste an email address directly into the email address field of a new email on the email app. Or if to paste it anywhere else. Why does copying a email address add the “mailto:” prefix.

Once that happens it turns the whole thing into “mailto:abc@xyz.com” and the whole thing turns blue and it won’t let you select a cursor point to edit it out. What’s worse is that even the built in email app will respond with something like “the address does not appear to be a valid email address”. Why does it prefix my email addresses if even the built in email app doesn’t recognize what it is? Why won’t they leave my email addresses alone and let me copy it verbatim?

The second place is within notes (or anywhere) if i copy a string of numbers it underlines the whole thing and won’t let me place a cursor within it to edit it or even let me copy it. If I do copy it, it will prefix “tel:” to it.

I just want this “smart” recognition of email addresses and phone numbers to end. Also stopping this prefixing. Because it won’t let you insert a cursor to remove the prefix. It’s just such a headache.

 

[liftedpsd2010]

I have a problem where if I click an email address to email I write the whole email and the send button is greyed out so I have to copy the body of the email into a new email and copy the address into that email. Sucks

 

[Böhme417]

The same thing occurs on windows machines. It sounds like you’re copying the email link, which would cause it to open a mail app when clicking/tapping it. Instead, you need to make sure to select the text itself.

 

[simonsi]

Why does copying a email address add the “mailto:” prefix.

It probably isn't adding it, the originator of the link put the mailto: tag in there so a single click will open the link and open your mail client with the email address already entered as the addressee.

When you copy, it is copying the link, including the mailto: tag

Two different sets of people trying to help with your life and, together, failing Lol

 

[SigEp265]

This happens to me in iMessage. When someone sends me their email. I copy and paste it ... It has mailto: in front of it.

 

[NoBoMac]

What others have said re: copying the email link value from a web site etc. vs. selecting and copying the text.

That said, I have never had issue with pasting a mail link value and being able to remove the "mailto:" before the address turns blue.

 

[Sxr71]

The same thing occurs on windows machines. It sounds like you’re copying the email link, which would cause it to open a mail app when clicking/tapping it. Instead, you need to make sure to select the text itself.

Yes I agree. However it won’t let you just copy the text without copy the actual link itself. So it will paste as “mailto: abc@xyz.com”.

Which is a small pain. However it will not let me put a cursor in it to delete the prefix. It will keep selecting the link instead.
[doublepost=1523579914][/doublepost]

It probably isn't adding it, the originator of the link put the mailto: tag in there so a single click will open the link and open your mail client with the email address already entered as the addressee.

When you copy, it is copying the link, including the mailto: tag

Two different sets of people trying to help with your life and, together, failing Lol

Ha ha. Yes you are right. That is exactly what happens. I guess it isn’t terrible in that case.

However when it comes to the misrecognition of phone numbers in notes it is extremely difficult to deal with. I have you literally switch back and forth between apps and type it in.

I don’t know how it got into notes that way. The number is not a phone number. Copying it is a nightmare. It will copy it as a phone number link. If I try to edit it in the destination it will not let me place a cursor into it at all. If I type other numbers into that note it will treat them as a phone number link as well.
[doublepost=1523580005][/doublepost]

The same thing occurs on windows machines. It sounds like you’re copying the email link, which would cause it to open a mail app when clicking/tapping it. Instead, you need to make sure to select the text itself.

On windows it’s never a problem to select the text without “smart” interference as it is in iOS.
[doublepost=1523580073][/doublepost]

What others have said re: copying the email link value from a web site etc. vs. selecting and copying the text.

That said, I have never had issue with pasting a mail link value and being able to remove the "mailto:" before the address turns blue.

I may need to figure out your touch technique.

 

[NoBoMac]

You're doing it wrong.

Pretty simple, only catch is you need to select something before or after the email address, then adjust the selection box to contain only the address text. Hit the "Copy" option.

 

[Sxr71]

You're doing it wrong.

Pretty simple, only catch is you need to select something before or after the email address, then adjust the selection box to contain only the address text. Hit the "Copy" option.

This is different. It would be copying a link from iMessage for example.

 

[Apple blogger]

Tell me if I’m doing it wrong because I tried a lot of tines, but I could never recreate your “mailto” or “tel” bug/feature...

I Wrote down a random email ID in the notes, and copied it by long pressing>> select copy. And pasted it in the email “To” area..

I didn’t get any mailto.

Then I did vice versa. I opened an email out of my inbox and went into the address of a person, and copied it, again, by going into the name, and long pressing on the address and selecting copy. Then i pasted it into the notes app. I didn’t get any “mailto”...

I did that with even a number, I didn’t get any “tel”... however, regarding your other issue, that every number is identified as a telephone number, I suppose, they introduced that long long time back, and not recently... because, for you it might not be a number, but for someone else it might be.

If I’m wrong in recreating the problem, please tell me, so I can go the right way, and help you solve it. Cause, I didn’t get any issue in copy pasting any email or number.

 

[itsmilo]

This is different. It would be copying a link from iMessage for example.

you must be doing it wrong, i have always been doing it as described by the person above and it works fine for me

 

[Chazzle]

the whole thing turns blue and it won’t let you select a cursor point to edit it out.

Don’t hit enter or space before you edit out the prefix. It only turns blue after tapping enter or space.

 

[NoBoMac]

Tell me if I’m doing it wrong because I tried a lot of tines, but I could never recreate your “mailto” or “tel” bug/feature...

I Wrote down a random email ID in the notes, and copied it by long pressing>> select copy. And pasted it in the email “To” area..
[...]
If I’m wrong in recreating the problem, please tell me...

It all depends on where you are copying from.

In the case of mailto, as has been mentioned, for example, links on web pages to send an email to the page's owner has the html mailto construct. Click the link, Mail pops up with the address filled in. If you press-hold the link and do a "copy address", the mailto part comes with the adddress. Find a web page with a link for an email address and try from there.

In the case of tel, go to the Phone app and tap the info icon for an incoming call not in your contacts. Press hold the phone number and do "copy". Now paste the phone number somewhere and you should see the "tel:123-456-7890". Odd in this case, as again, the tel is an html construct to dial a number. I get this when I want to search a suspected scam/telemarketer call and paste the number into search engines.

Looks like Apple is webifying some of their core utilities.

(Add: if you press-hold copy the fake number above, it too will give you the tel tag, for testing purposes)

 

[Apple blogger]

It all depends on where you are copying from.

In the case of mailto, as has been mentioned, for example, links on web pages to send an email to the page's owner has the html mailto construct. Click the link, Mail pops up with the address filled in. If you press-hold the link and do a "copy address", the mailto part comes with the adddress. Find a web page with a link for an email address and try from there.

In the case of tel, go to the Phone app and tap the info icon for an incoming call not in your contacts. Press hold the phone number and do "copy". Now paste the phone number somewhere and you should see the "tel:123-456-7890". Odd in this case, as again, the tel is an html construct to dial a number. I get this when I want to search a suspected scam/telemarketer call and paste the number into search engines.

Looks like Apple is webifying some of their core utilities.

(Add: if you press-hold copy the fake number above, it too will give you the tel tag, for testing purposes)

I copied from the phone app, and the number you mentioned, and pasted it in notes. I didn’t get any tel...

 

[twintin]

I copied from the phone app, and the number you mentioned, and pasted it in notes. I didn’t get any tel...

That´s because, Notes like Safari hides it. Try paste it in an unformatted textfield like the addressbar in Safari and you will se it.

 

[Easttime]

Long time annoyance all right. The software is trying to be helpful, but is not yet smart enough. Sometimes interprets numbers as phone numbers too. I put up with it and fuss around with text editing, but it is an area that definitely needs cleaning up.

 

[BrianBaughn]

It seems to me it depends on where you're copying from as well as to.

Using iOS Mail app copying/pasting an email address is unnecessary as "New Mail Message" works fine.

 

[C DM]

It seems to me it depends on where you're copying from as well as to.

Using iOS Mail app copying/pasting an email address is unnecessary as "New Mail Message" works fine.

That's basically it, more or less as was suspected the last time this kind of thing was discussed: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/“copy-phone-number”.2072469/

 

[Apple blogger]

That´s because, Notes like Safari hides it. Try paste it in an unformatted textfield like the addressbar in Safari and you will se it.

Nope.. still don’t get it..