Every year, around Apple WWDC time, I like taking off my Android geek and fan cap, putting it aside, and enjoying what our friends-slash-rivals from Cupertino are doing for their users. While a few years back, I mayve taken pleasure in conversations about which OS was remarkable, these days Im mellower and more pragmatic.
Universal search
Ugh, why …
Thats why I have a good time seeing WWDCs primary keynote. I expect Apple to implement a couple of features that Ive been desiring on Android for many years, and to include a few ingenious and obvious options that I never understood I needed now cant get out of my head. With that in mind, Ill show you the 18 iOS (and iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS) includes that I want to see on Android one day quickly.
Ugh …
We currently had this and this and this and all of this in the Google app and widget on Android, however they were eliminated towards the 2nd half of 2019 and havent come back because. In the meantime, iOS 14 just leapfrogged Android with a universal search bar that introduces apps, finds files and contacts, filters through individual notes, opens sites, and brings up responses to weather and maps and other basic questions. Helpful for Apple. And no, Assistant does not count; its just an awkward method of doing something that can and need to be finished with a couple of taps.
When I did this in 2015, a great deal of arguments were made about how Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, LG, Sony, or other OEMs had currently executed a few of the features. Or how a third-party app or a custom ROM might do them. Yes, technically, thats all real. However when I talk about Android here, I indicate stock Android. An alternative being available for one brand– or ROM or app– is not universal. Samsung had a dark mode before stock Android, but most third-party devs didnt take it seriously up until Android executed it for all. Yes, Im conscious your Android phone may already have some of these alternatives, but I d like to see them there for all Android users.
App Store shared IAPs and subscriptions
Presently, the Play Store Family Library supports sharing of bought apps, games, books, motion pictures, and TV shows. Plenty of apps utilize in-app purchases or memberships for their paid designs, and those cant be provided to your substantial other, kids, or parents.
Widget stacks and clever stack
Theres likewise a “Smart Stack” that surfaces the widget you require based upon your context (time, location, activity) utilizing on-device AI. It seems like Googles At a glimpse widget for Pixels, but with plenty of additional oomph given that its not limited to a few types of information.
If you utilize a local music gamer, a streaming service, an audiobook app, and a podcast player, you can have a single stack of audio widgets. Oh what I d offer to have this on Android!
PIP reducing and resizing
Picture-in-picture arrived in Android with Oreo, but hasnt changed much ever since: drag, expand, close. Theres the pledge of freeform windows on Android, but its still a developer function therefore far not as beneficial or elegant as PIP. Apple just implemented PIP in iOS 14, however is offering two extra functions from the start: pinch-to-zoom to resize the drifting window and an easy way to minimize it off the screen then bring it back.
Sending out voice messages with Siri
Restricted location and contact sharing with apps.
Threads in group messages.
Google when had a good travel planning app called Trips that it closed down in favor of a website. The majority of the functions were maintained in the web version, but one was let go: the downloadable travel plans and guides. Now Apple is including guides in its maps app and has actually made them easy to save and download for offline usage, i.e. ideal for travel.
In contrast, Apple simply included the capability to send a voice recording on iMessage through Siri, and Im sure itll work better than whatever hacky collection Google currently has with WhatsApp. Theres no reference of playing these notes, however I would not be shocked if Siri gets that prior to Assistant ever does.
The app will also contextually recommend controls or scenes in the early morning, night, or when you get home, and itll appear recommended actions when you initially set up a new gadget. In contrast, we still do not have any kind of automation in the Google Home app or in Assistant.
iOS 14 better group conversations in iMessage with plenty of enjoyable functions, but a really beneficial one stuck out. Instead of revealing replies like WhatsApp or Telegram do, Apple will display these as Slack-style threads. No more going scrolling up and down to see and follow the conversation who responded to what; you just tap the primary message and get whatever that followed in a floating view. Granted, this desire is more of a particular messaging platform one instead of an Android one, but it stuck with me.
Maps biking and downloadable guides.
The brand-new biking features in Apple Maps are fascinating too. Sure, theyre limited to a couple of cities, but I like how thoughtful the application is with bike courses, elevation (Google has those in a couple of cities too, not all), plus street busyness and cautions for high inclines and stairs. As far as I can inform, Google does not use the latter alternatives in any city.
Personal privacy continues to be a big talking point in both Apples and Googles OS updates, and iOS 14 is no various. The very first feature that struck me was the option to share an approximate location with apps, which would be great for searching for nearby restaurants or stores, or finding some locally-specific material without offering away your precise place.
Powerful and ubiquitous App Clips.
Apples Home app continues to run laps around Googles. The app is a genuine control panel for things youve set up around your house (and not simply a half-baked faster way to some features for some item types just, while others are mysteriously missing out on however reveal up in other locations). With iOS 14, Apples Home experience is getting better.
A much better wise home experience.
With App Clips, Apple is essentially copying Instant Apps, a feature thats been on Android for years, but making it more useful from the outset. That suggests you might use a bike sharing service or get on a public train by scanning a code and authorizing a payment, all without downloading the services app.
Google Assistant still does not play great with these. It doesnt let you listen to received audio clips from any messenger, and just supports sending them with WhatsApp– no Google Messages, Telegram, or any other service.
The 2nd is much more interesting and wasnt mentioned at the keynote: you can now deny access to your contacts to third-party apps, however utilize your keyboard to type individual names and get their phone address, number, or email address to share. Its a targeted autofill that happens ultimately only and on-device show the app what you actively type and send, not your full address book. Cool.
Less tracking from apps & & websites
Theres no denying that Apples car key demonstration with BMW was among the highlights of WWDC. In it, the business revealed a virtual secret for your car that lets you unlock the door and begin the engine with your iPhones NFC chip, which works up to 5 hours after your phones battery is dead. The secret can be shared with your contacts too, and you get to pick whether they have complete gain access to or a restricted profile that restricts how quickly they can go or how loud the stereo can be set at. It reminded me a great deal of my Nuki smart door lock and its temporary and limited shared virtual crucial features.
More Carplay app types.
With every version, iOS and Android are becoming more powerful and more similar, however theyre also still diverging in a few ever-shifting ways. Apple continues to do fascinating things for its mobile platforms, things that will ideally ripple through to our side one day, simply like numerous of Googles Android modifications have actually made their way to iOS and its larger community throughout the years.
. Continuing with the privacy theme, both sites and apps will be better scrutinized in iOS 14. For sites, Safaris brand-new personal privacy report shows cross-site trackers and can also block them. For apps (looking at you, Facebook), devs will need to ask for your permission before they can track you across other apps and sites to serve you much better advertisements. Neither Chrome nor Android use that level of control.
Presently, Auto supports third-party messaging, music, and (some) mapping apps. Carplay had a comparable scope, however has now added support for third-party parking, EV charging, and fast food-ordering apps.
WatchOS things.
Ugh, why …
Apple is also putting privacy front and center in app listings on the App Store, so that prior to you even download a brand-new piece of software on your phone or tablet, you understand what to expect: which data is used to track you across apps & & services, which part of that data is linked to you, and which part is gathered however in an anonymous way. In the meantime, devs have to self-report this, and theres no telling what takes place if they lie, but its a fantastic primary step towards more transparency from them.
I keep telling my Android Police associates that Android tablets arent that bad and simply do what I need them to do. Be it all the Pencil functions or the new app UIs that make a much better usage of the larger screen, Apple knows what its doing with its slabs.
iPadOS UI and Pencil enhancements.
On the Play Store, you can already see an apps needed authorizations, however the details is fairly hidden and not necessarily useful. You can weed out the most violent of apps (why does an easy utility app request access to whatever on my device?) if you know what youre doing, however youre still left in the cold as far as the apps personal privacy policy and gibberish terms.
Smooth Airpods device changing.
Comparing Apple Watch to Wear OS is downright agonizing, so Ill just state I actually liked the idea of the shareable watch faces (some Wear OS apps like Facer and Pujie attempted that, however the function is absent on the platform level), the brand-new workout tracking abilities for dance and core training, and the automatic hand-washing detection. Use OS just recently added a hand-washing function, however you either have to manually open it or rely on the notification.
App personal privacy details in the App Store.
We know Google is dealing with letting our phones change drivers licenses and passports, but for many individuals, car keys are utilized and required daily, making them a more enticing product to digitize.
tvOS multi-user and house controls.
We already had this and this and this and all of this in the Google app and widget on Android, but they were removed toward the second half of 2019 towards havent 2nd back since. In the meantime, iOS 14 just leapfrogged Android with a universal search bar that introduces apps, discovers contacts and files, filters through individual notes, opens sites, and brings up responses to weather and maps and other general concerns. With App Clips, Apple is essentially copying Instant Apps, a function thats been on Android for years, however making it more beneficial from the outset. For apps (looking at you, Facebook), devs will have to ask for your authorization before they can track you across other apps and websites to serve you better advertisements. Be it all the Pencil functions or the new app UIs that make a much better use of the larger screen, Apple understands what its doing with its pieces.
Ugh …
AirPods already play with Apple devices much better than most Bluetooth buds ever could with Android– the only ones that come close are those with Fast Pair and there are only a model or two offered. Now, AirPods need to also switch effortlessly between iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches (if theyre set with the same iCloud account), so you can put down your phone, select up your iPad, start playing something, and the buds will immediately know to get their audio from there. Its like Bluetooth Multipoint, but on another level and with more than 2 devices.
Im currently jealous of correct multi-user assistance on Apple TV, which in contrast, is a discouraging experience on Android TV. And now Apple has gone and added its Arcade gaming service to it, so specific gamers can easily continue where they ended in each video game, a boon for roommates, buddies, or families. There are likewise enhancements to clever house controls, which are only available by means of Assistant on Android TV– if it works– and the choice to send your Apple television audio to 2 AirPods to enjoy your material without keeping the whole home awake.
Controllable and shareable automobile keys.
