diff --git a/org.kde.desktop/TextArea.qml b/org.kde.desktop/TextArea.qml
--- a/org.kde.desktop/TextArea.qml
+++ b/org.kde.desktop/TextArea.qml
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 import QtQuick.Templates @QQC2_VERSION@ as T
 import org.kde.kirigami 2.4 as Kirigami
 import org.kde.qqc2desktopstyle.private 1.0 as StylePrivate
+import "private" as Private
 
 T.TextArea {
     id: controlRoot
@@ -45,12 +46,45 @@
     selectionColor: Kirigami.Theme.highlightColor
     selectedTextColor: Kirigami.Theme.highlightedTextColor
     wrapMode: Text.WordWrap
+    hoverEnabled: !Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode
     verticalAlignment: TextEdit.AlignTop
 
     // Work around Qt bug where NativeRendering breaks for non-integer scale factors
     // https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-67007
     renderType: Screen.devicePixelRatio % 1 !== 0 ? Text.QtRendering : Text.NativeRendering
-    selectByMouse: true
+
+    selectByMouse: !Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode
+
+    cursorDelegate: Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode ? mobileCursor : undefined
+    Component {
+        id: mobileCursor
+        Private.MobileCursor {
+            control: controlRoot
+        }
+    }
+
+    onPressAndHold: {
+        if (!Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode) {
+            return;
+        }
+        forceActiveFocus();
+        cursorPosition = positionAt(event.x, event.y);
+        selectWord();
+    }
+
+    Private.MobileCursor {
+        control: controlRoot
+        selectionStartHandle: true
+        property var rect: control.positionToRectangle(control.selectionStart)
+        x: rect.x
+        y: rect.y
+    }
+
+    onFocusChanged: {
+        if (focus) {
+            Private.MobileTextActionsToolBar.controlRoot = controlRoot;
+        }
+    }
 
     Label {
         id: placeholder
diff --git a/org.kde.desktop/TextField.qml b/org.kde.desktop/TextField.qml
--- a/org.kde.desktop/TextField.qml
+++ b/org.kde.desktop/TextField.qml
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import QtQuick.Templates @QQC2_VERSION@ as T
 import org.kde.kirigami 2.4 as Kirigami
 import org.kde.qqc2desktopstyle.private 1.0 as StylePrivate
+import "private" as Private
 
 T.TextField {
     id: controlRoot
@@ -46,11 +47,42 @@
     selectionColor: Kirigami.Theme.highlightColor
     selectedTextColor: Kirigami.Theme.highlightedTextColor
     verticalAlignment: TextInput.AlignVCenter
+    hoverEnabled: !Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode
 
     // Work around Qt bug where NativeRendering breaks for non-integer scale factors
     // https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-67007
     renderType: Screen.devicePixelRatio % 1 !== 0 ? Text.QtRendering : Text.NativeRendering
-    selectByMouse: true
+    selectByMouse: !Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode
+
+    cursorDelegate: Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode ? mobileCursor : undefined
+    Component {
+        id: mobileCursor
+        Private.MobileCursor {
+            control: controlRoot
+        }
+    }
+    onFocusChanged: {
+        if (focus) {
+            Private.MobileTextActionsToolBar.controlRoot = controlRoot;
+        }
+    }
+
+    onPressAndHold: {
+        if (!Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode) {
+            return;
+        }
+        forceActiveFocus();
+        cursorPosition = positionAt(event.x, event.y);
+        selectWord();
+    }
+    Private.MobileCursor {
+        control: controlRoot
+        selectionStartHandle: true
+        property var rect: control.positionToRectangle(control.selectionStart)
+        //FIXME: this magic values seem to be always valid, for every font,every dpi, every scaling
+        x: rect.x + 5
+        y: rect.y + 6
+    }
 
     Controls.Label {
         id: placeholder
diff --git a/org.kde.desktop/private/MobileCursor.qml b/org.kde.desktop/private/MobileCursor.qml
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.kde.desktop/private/MobileCursor.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+/*
+ *   Copyright (C) 2018 by Marco Martin <mart@kde.org>
+ *
+ *   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *   it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public License as
+ *   published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or
+ *   (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *   GNU Library General Public License for more details
+ *
+ *   You should have received a copy of the GNU Library General Public
+ *   License along with this program; if not, write to the
+ *   Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
+ *   51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  2.010-1301, USA.
+ */
+
+import QtQuick 2.1
+import org.kde.kirigami 2.5 as Kirigami
+
+Item {
+    id: root
+    width: 1 //<-important that this is actually a single device pixel
+    height: Kirigami.Units.gridUnit
+
+    property Item control
+
+    property bool selectionStartHandle: false
+    
+    visible: Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode && ((control.focus && !selectionStartHandle) || control.selectedText.length > 0)
+
+    Rectangle {
+        width: Math.round(Kirigami.Units.devicePixelRatio * 3)
+        anchors {
+            horizontalCenter: parent.horizontalCenter
+            top: parent.top
+            bottom: parent.bottom
+        }
+        color: Qt.tint(Kirigami.Theme.highlightColor, Qt.rgba(1,1,1,0.4))
+        radius: width
+        Rectangle {
+            width: Math.round(Kirigami.Units.gridUnit/1.5)
+            height: width
+            anchors {
+                horizontalCenter: parent.horizontalCenter
+                verticalCenter: parent.bottom
+            }
+            radius: width
+            color: Qt.tint(Kirigami.Theme.highlightColor, Qt.rgba(1,1,1,0.4))
+        }
+        MouseArea {
+            anchors {
+                fill: parent
+                margins: -Kirigami.Units.gridUnit
+            }
+            preventStealing: true
+            onPositionChanged: {
+                var pos = mapToItem(control, mouse.x, mouse.y);
+                pos = control.positionAt(pos.x, pos.y);
+
+                if (control.selectedText.length > 0) {
+                    if (selectionStartHandle) {
+                        control.select(Math.min(pos, control.selectionEnd - 1), control.selectionEnd);
+                    } else {
+                        control.select(control.selectionStart, Math.max(pos, control.selectionStart + 1));
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    control.cursorPosition = pos;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+    
diff --git a/org.kde.desktop/private/MobileTextActionsToolBar.qml b/org.kde.desktop/private/MobileTextActionsToolBar.qml
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.kde.desktop/private/MobileTextActionsToolBar.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+/*
+ *   Copyright (C) 2018 by Marco Martin <mart@kde.org>
+ *
+ *   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *   it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public License as
+ *   published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or
+ *   (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *   GNU Library General Public License for more details
+ *
+ *   You should have received a copy of the GNU Library General Public
+ *   License along with this program; if not, write to the
+ *   Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
+ *   51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  2.010-1301, USA.
+ */
+
+pragma Singleton
+
+import QtQuick 2.1
+import QtQuick.Layouts 1.2
+import QtQuick.Window 2.2
+import QtQuick.Controls @QQC2_VERSION@
+import org.kde.kirigami 2.5 as Kirigami
+
+Popup {
+    id: root
+
+    property Item controlRoot
+    parent: controlRoot ? controlRoot.Window.contentItem : undefined
+    modal: false
+    focus: false
+    closePolicy: Popup.NoAutoClose
+
+    x: controlRoot ? Math.min(Math.max(0, controlRoot.mapToItem(root.parent, controlRoot.positionToRectangle(controlRoot.selectionStart).x, 0).x - root.width/2), controlRoot.Window.contentItem.width - root.width) : 0
+
+    y: {
+        if (!controlRoot) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        var desiredY = controlRoot.mapToItem(root.parent, 0, controlRoot.positionToRectangle(controlRoot.selectionStart).y).y  - root.height;
+
+        if (desiredY >= 0) {
+            return Math.min(desiredY, controlRoot.Window.contentItem.height - root.height);
+        } else {
+            return Math.min(Math.max(0, controlRoot.mapToItem(root.parent, 0, controlRoot.positionToRectangle(controlRoot.selectionEnd).y + Math.round(Kirigami.Units.gridUnit*1.5)).y), controlRoot.Window.contentItem.height - root.height);
+        }
+    }
+
+
+    visible: controlRoot ? Kirigami.Settings.tabletMode && (controlRoot.selectedText.length > 0 || controlRoot.canPaste) : false
+
+    width: contentItem.implicitWidth + leftPadding + rightPadding
+
+    contentItem: RowLayout {
+        ToolButton {
+            focusPolicy: Qt.NoFocus
+            icon.name: "edit-cut"
+            visible: controlRoot.selectedText.length > 0
+            onClicked: {
+                controlRoot.cut();
+            }
+        }
+        ToolButton {
+            focusPolicy: Qt.NoFocus
+            icon.name: "edit-copy"
+            visible: controlRoot.selectedText.length > 0
+            onClicked: {
+                controlRoot.copy();
+            }
+        }
+        ToolButton {
+            focusPolicy: Qt.NoFocus
+            icon.name: "edit-paste"
+            onClicked: {
+                controlRoot.paste();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+    
diff --git a/org.kde.desktop/private/qmldir b/org.kde.desktop/private/qmldir
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.kde.desktop/private/qmldir
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+ 
+singleton MobileTextActionsToolBar 1.0 MobileTextActionsToolBar.qml
+DefaultListItemBackground 1.0 DefaultListItemBackground.qml
+MobileCursor 1.0 MobileCursor.qml
+FocusRect 1.0 FocusRect.qml