Apple asserting Android options years after Google shipped them is a story as outdated as time, however that doesn’t make it any much less enjoyable to level out every time it occurs. This yr’s WWDC felt particularly Android-y — not helped by Siri primarily sitting this yr’s bulletins out whereas Apple put its new Liquid Glass design language entrance and heart.
The imitation goes each methods: Android is launching its model of iOS’ Reside Actions and is following Apple’s lead by including extra customization choices to fast settings tiles. Nonetheless, I couldn’t assist noticing a string of latest options from Apple’s the keynote that I’ve positively seen someplace earlier than. Not that Apple would ever admit to borrowing them.
Name Screening and Maintain Help
Display screen Name dates again to Android 12, and Pixel telephones have supplied a model of the function even longer. Earlier variations required you to manually invoke the function, however on the Pixel 7 and newer you possibly can have it mechanically reply and display screen incoming calls more likely to be spam. Apple’s model launching with iOS 26 picks up mechanically.
Display screen Name is one thing I actually miss once I transfer from Android to iOS, so so long as it really works fairly properly, I believe it’s going to be a welcome function on the iPhone.
Maintain help is one other acquainted cellphone function. Google’s model debuted in 2020 on Pixel telephones after which began trickling out to the remainder of the ecosystem final yr. The function works a lot the identical means as it’ll on iOS 26: as a substitute of getting to remain on the road and hear to carry music, you possibly can put your cellphone down and also you’ll get an alert when a human is able to discuss to you.
It’s tremendous useful! I discover myself being pushed to work my issues out with web-based customer support chatbots greater than on the cellphone currently, however within the uncommon occasions once I want to carry it’s normally for an unreasonable period of time. I’ll take it.
Translations! On the cellphone app
Current Samsung telephones already provide dwell language translation that’s baked into the cellphone app that appears quite a bit like what Apple unveiled this week. They each present real-time, spoken translations from the caller’s language to the recipient’s and vice versa. Don’t count on to have a prolonged, nuanced dialog utilizing both of those options, however not less than Samsung’s model is succesful sufficient for its meant use: quick, transactional exchanges like reserving a desk or a resort room.
In each instances, translations prolong to messaging, too. Samsung’s model will provide to tailor your messages to totally different writing kinds in an effort to keep away from sounding too informal on the fallacious time. May turn out to be useful!
Suggesting actions based mostly on what’s in your display screen
Google has been chasing the entire “utilizing contextual consciousness to floor data” for the reason that daybreak of time — or not less than since 2012. Identical with looking what’s in your display screen, courtesy Google Lens. Within the generative AI period, this has prolonged to Circle to Search, which makes use of intelligence to try to higher determine what it’s you’re trying to find. Now, Apple is providing a model of this based mostly on screenshots.
On telephones with Apple Intelligence, you’ll see some new choices once you take a screenshot. If there’s a time and date on the display screen, it’ll counsel making a calendar occasion. You may as well circle, er, spotlight one thing on display screen to seek for it.
Apple’s model at all times begins with a screenshot, which is intelligent. People who find themselves unaware of the brand new function will doubtless discover it pop up in a spot they’re already accustomed to. Google’s Circle to Search requires distinctive navigation, normally double tapping the deal with on the backside of the display screen. Personally, I’m nonetheless coaching myself to make use of that gesture relatively than simply opening a brand new tab and typing out a search in Chrome. I doubt I’m alone.
Tabbing between photograph and video recording within the digicam app
iOS 26 shakes up the digicam app UI by hiding a lot of the capturing modes by default besides for 2: photograph and video. The remaining seem once you scroll to the left or proper, so you possibly can nonetheless discover your portrait or panorama choices. However the easy video / photograph dichotomy calls to thoughts the toggle between these two choices on Pixel telephones.
Within the Pixel digicam app, it’s a standalone toggle, so it’s at all times in attain it doesn’t matter what mode you’re capturing in. However I recognize that each choices put this core performance entrance and heart. And hey, if you wish to flip your common photograph right into a panorama, you possibly can at all times use AI after the very fact. Proper??
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