Brand new iPhone options that Android already has

For some motive, folks prefer to take sides on issues that actually don’t have to have sides in any respect. You’re a fan of iPhones? Cool. You’re extra comfy with Android telephones? Use it in good well being.

But we dwell in a aggressive society, and so the one firm that produces iOS-based telephones and the myriad manufacturers that make Android-based telephones all the time really feel that they should clarify why their product is extra spectacular, extra versatile, safer, extra enjoyable, and extra no matter than those powered by the opposite OS. As a consequence, every time an organization introduces a function that’s new to its OS, it proclaims it as progressive, fantastic, and by no means seen earlier than. Anyone who has attended or watched a product introduction — from Apple, Google, or Samsung — is aware of what I’m speaking about.

Apple is arguably the largest offender right here, with a historical past of taking its time to develop a function that different corporations had been fast to leap on as successfully beta-testers. You can virtually set your watch to the Twitter takes and memes about how iPhone customers are all the time late to the celebration of concepts they may assume are wholly new if taking Apple at its phrase.

And right here we’re once more. Apple is introducing its newest cellphone line, the iPhone 14, and the most recent model of its working system, iOS 16. There are numerous enhancements and new options that will likely be both helpful, enjoyable, or each. And actually, many of those options are coming to older iPhone fashions, whereas some are restricted to the brand new iPhone 14 {hardware}.

But whereas Apple touts all of them as all new and all nice, a few of them are — both utterly or in some vogue — already acquainted to Android customers. Here’s a listing of no less than a number of the options that Apple is now providing however that Android has had for some time.

Multiple stops in maps

You are in your approach dwelling after visiting your Aunt Bea, and also you out of the blue understand that if you happen to take a brief facet journey, you’ll be able to cease in at one among your favourite bookstores. Don’t need to get misplaced? Now, in iOS 16, you’ll be able to rapidly add the handle of the bookstore to your journey agenda and get instructions that may allow you to cease there after which discover your approach again dwelling.

It’s a really useful function that Android has had since round 2017. Apple Maps has actually come a great distance since its disastrous launch 10 years in the past, however the potholes within the path alongside its growth have been like this instance — requiring a long-overdue filling at every replace.

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  iOS 16 now enables you to add stops alongside your route.
  
  

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  Android has allow you to add stops for some time.
  
  

Email: schedule, undo, remind later, and follow-up

In iOS 16, if you happen to hit “Send” on an e mail and out of the blue understand you place the mistaken particular person’s title on it, you now have 10 seconds to vary your thoughts and undo the ship (assuming the opposite particular person can also be utilizing iOS 16). You also can schedule an e mail to be despatched anytime you want or use Remind Later to remind your self of an e mail you don’t need to take care of instantly.

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  The Undo Send on the backside of the display screen enables you to change your thoughts — in case your recipient additionally has iOS 16.
  
  

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  The Mail app can remind you to learn an e mail.
  
  

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  You can now schedule an e mail to exit if you need it to.
  
  

Gmail has had an unsend since about 2018, however you get a alternative of 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds to vary your thoughts (you’ll be able to set the time in Gmail’s internet app). You also can Snooze an e mail so it’ll pop up later and schedule an e mail to be despatched if you need it.

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  You can cease an e mail earlier than it’s despatched by hitting Undo.
  
  

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  If you don’t need to take care of an e mail instantly, you’ll be able to Snooze it.
  
  

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  You can schedule an e mail so it’s despatched later.
  
  

Apple Live Captions

iOS 16 has added Live Captions, which provide real-time transcription for movies, audio, and dialog. This is a particularly helpful function, not just for folks with listening to disabilities however for anybody who wants to trace a dialog.

In truth, Android has had a Live Caption operate since 2019 and presently gives speedy translations for these captions in a number of languages (though the accuracy of these translations will most likely not dwell as much as these of a human translator). But hey, even when Apple is as soon as once more late on this, it’s actually a win for accessibility — and for watching movies together with your cellphone muted if you’re too lazy to choose up your earbuds.

Haptic suggestions on keyboard

Typing on a cellphone nonetheless largely sucks in 2022, and a part of that’s from the shortage of suggestions you get whereas tapping. Not each enter gadget must have the suggestions of a mechanical keyboard, however it’s good to know if you’ve really typed a letter on an onscreen board. As a consequence, iOS 16 has now launched haptic suggestions on its onscreen keyboard. Android has had it for just about so long as we will bear in mind.

The foremost distinction right here is that it’s a must to allow haptic suggestions in iOS 16; in Android, it’s mechanically enabled on most telephones (however you’ll be able to disable it if you wish to). Let’s chalk this one as much as the “How has it taken this long?” tally of options, and we’ll remember to sing from the rafters that iPhone customers now fortunately have this primary performance.

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  iOS 16 now provides haptic keyboard suggestions.
  
  

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  Android’s Gboard keyboard makes use of haptics by default.
  
  

Shared libraries

iOS 16 will quickly allow you to create shared photograph libraries — known as the iCloud Shared Photo Library — based mostly both on a date or on who’s within the images. You can share your photograph library with as much as 5 folks. (Apparently, this function gained’t instantly ship when iOS 16 does, so chances are you’ll want to attend a bit.) Google Photos enables you to share your total library — based mostly on a beginning date or on who’s within the images — with a single companion.

Always-on show

Okay, this one’s a biggie. One of the various options launched on the latest Apple occasion is an always-on show, which is able to solely be obtainable on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Always-on shows allow you to look on the time and widgets and get different useful information even when the cellphone is asleep. It’s one thing Apple Watch customers have had entry to because the Series 5, however Apple is simply placing it within the iPhone now — and gating it to the fancier Pro fashions.

This is one thing that Android telephones have had for the higher a part of 10 years. It’s a function that Google actually put within the forefront with Android 12, the place it made the always-on show present a enormous digital clock by default when the cellphone’s display screen sits at relaxation. Meanwhile, all this time, each iPhone has simply been a dull black rectangle till it’s touched or when a notification is available in.

That being mentioned, at this level, Apple’s new always-on show on iPhone is extra customizable and information dense than what you see on Android telephones, with widgets, pictures, and many colour. And certain, an always-on show goes to empty somewhat extra battery than maintaining the display screen completely off, however in most telephones, it’s a trivial quantity. We’re joyful that we’ll quickly see a couple of much less black mirrors sitting on desks and tables, devoid of life and character.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Phone health app

The Apple Watch is a well-liked solution to measure your health — however if you happen to had been an iPhone person who didn’t have a watch, you couldn’t use the official Apple Fitness Plus app (though you may, after all, use any of the third-party apps on the market). Now you should use the Apple Fitness Plus app whether or not or not you’re utilizing an Apple Watch.

Google’s official Fit health app has just about all the time been obtainable for Android telephones, whether or not you utilize a watch or not. (Of course, you may argue that there are few Android-compatible watches which can be price worrying about until you’re a Samsung fanatic…) It comes bundled with Pixels, whereas Samsung consists of its personal Health app. And whereas a cellphone is not going to observe your coronary heart fee or temperature with out the help of a wearable, it’s nonetheless good for anybody to have the ability to get a primary estimation of steps walked, energy burned, and so on.

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  Apple’s Fitness app can now be used with out a Watch.
  
  

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  Android’s Fit app has by no means required an related gadget.
  
  

Lock display screen widgets

This is definitely a reasonably bizarre one. iOS 16 now lets you add as much as 4 widgets to your lock display screen (offered the app developer provides one).

Android 4.2 supplied lock display screen widgets about 10 years in the past however, for no matter motive, determined to take them away once more in Android 5.0. So whether or not we should always rely this or not is as much as you.

Perhaps Apple’s largely clear observe file of sitting on concepts till they’re totally baked (Siri and authentic HomePod, however) will pan out right here, and lock display screen widgets will change into a key mainstay of most iPhone customers’ habits. Or, perhaps it’ll simply be one other odd quirk solely used and beloved by a few of us weirdos — , like how common widgets are within the first place.

Crash detection

Apple’s presentation on September seventh generally felt like a lesson in “Why you should be scared,” with its seeming emphasis on options that might summon assist if you happen to had been misplaced within the wilderness, let you know if you happen to had been having a coronary heart assault, or name emergency companies if you happen to had been in a significant automotive crash. This final function — automotive crash detection — is now obtainable within the new iPhone 14 telephones in addition to within the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8.

Pixel telephones have automotive crash detection as effectively; Google added it to the built-in Personal Safety app again in 2019.

High-megapixel digital camera sensor with pixel binning

A greater digital camera is the rationale many individuals select to improve to a more moderen cellphone mannequin, and for years, many producers had been dead-set on utilizing 12-megapixel sensors whereas performing as many software program tips as computational images may enable. Major gamers like Google and Samsung have lately began upping the decision of their foremost digital camera sensors to round 40 or 50 megapixels — not as a result of all of us want large picture information, however as a result of capturing all that data and sizing it right down to a “normal” picture round one thing like 12 megapixels helps with artifacts like low-light noise. It’s a part of the most recent software program ways being utilized to make our tiny smartphone sensors over-perform and rival what some devoted cameras can do (in the best state of affairs).

This approach known as pixel binning: taking close by pixels on a high-resolution sensor and mixing them to enhance picture high quality at a decrease decision. It’s a genuinely helpful function if you happen to don’t want the native decision of the high-megapixel sensor, although it’s removed from new tech. Even the Nokia 808 PureView did this to a point again in 2012. It’s additionally not a magic trick that fixes every thing — you’re nonetheless reliant on the standard of the picture sensor and the processing pipeline.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Now Apple has this function within the 48-megapixel foremost digital camera of its new iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max — confidently throwing round phrases like Quad-pixel and Photonic Engine. It sounds thrilling as a result of Apple is superb at making issues sound thrilling, and it might very effectively be a major generational enchancment. Though we should always take into account that, as soon as once more, others had been right here first — Huawei, Samsung, and plenty of others dabbled with high-res sensors for years. We’ll see if Apple and its knack for slow-burn growth actually set it aside from the pack.