Five 'new' Ios 26 Features That Feel Familiar (i've Been Using Them On Android For Years)

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, iPhone 16 Pro, and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

Apple's WWDC annual developer conference signaled nan first awesome redesign of iOS since 2013, pinch flashy demos of iOS 26's Liquid Glass creation and AI-driven features. Apple sometimes takes its clip bringing features to its galore surfaces, but erstwhile it does, it's often a highly polished and well-considered return connected a acquainted theme.

Let's unpack a fewer ways wherever Apple is catching up, and really they stack up against their Android counterpart.

1. Call Screening and Hold Assist

Google Pixel 9 Pro Screen Android Search

Apple's caller Call Screening automatically answers chartless numbers successful nan background, transcribing caller responses successful existent time. Hold Assist detects clasp music, mutes nan call, and alerts you erstwhile a unrecorded supplier returns.

Also: How to download nan iOS 26 beta connected your iPhone correct now (and which models support it)

It's slick, but Android has had this nailed since 2018. Google's Call Assist suite features Call Screen, which debuted connected nan Pixel 3. It filters spam calls earlier they ringing and provides real-time transcripts. Hold for Me arrived successful 2020, utilizing Duplex AI to hold silently connected hold. Apple's type adds nuanced sound detection, but nan halfway thought of reclaiming clip from telemarketers is simply a well-known Pixel staple.

2. Spam Detection

iOS 26 routes suspected Spam messages to a dedicated Unknown Senders files truthful they enactment retired of nan main feed. Those messages stay silenced and will not look arsenic notifications unless they've been explicitly fixed nan greenish light.

Also: Apple yet added my most-requested iPhone characteristic pinch iOS 26 (and you'll emotion it, too)

Google's Messages app introduced on-device spam filtering by 2018. Google goes 1 measurement further by besides automatically informing and filtering spam calls wrong nan Phone app. We haven't moreover touched connected Google's astir caller inclusion of real-time scam discovery during telephone calls utilizing on-device AI, which feels for illustration axenic magic. Apple's implementation is simply a awesome start, but it's not rather arsenic crisp arsenic nan instrumentality Android has honed for astir a decade.

3. Live Translation

Live Translation successful iOS 26 converts reside and matter successful existent clip crossed Messages, FaceTime, and calls. AirPods moreover speak translations aloud mid-conversation. It's seamless and incredibly useful successful nan correct situations.

Also: Google Translate gets 110 caller languages pinch AI's help, bringing nan full to 243

Android has offered this since 2021 erstwhile Google's Live Translate debuted connected nan Pixel 6, pinch offline translations successful 20+ languages. Pixel Buds integration followed, letting users perceive translations straight done their earbuds. Go backmost moreover further to 2017, and Google offered this capacity pinch its first-generation Pixel Buds, tapping into Google Assistant for real-time translations.

Apple's Live Translation characteristic is elegant and important, but nan underlying tech mirrors what Android has been excelling astatine for years.

4. Visual Intelligence

Apple's Visual Intelligence now extends to surface contents, enabling users to circle, aliases scribble, objects successful screenshots to hunt crossed apps. With it, users tin do things for illustration identifying a overgarment successful a societal station aliases a unsocial vase successful a photo.

Also: How to clear your Android telephone cache (and why you should do it earlier installing Android 16)

If this feels familiar, you've astir apt heard of Android's awesome Circle to Search, 1 of my favourite caller Android features successful years. It first launched successful January 2024, allowing users to circle, highlight, aliases simply pat an entity connected nan surface to occurrence disconnected a ocular search. It useful crossed each apps and contrary to Apple's implementation, it doesn't litter your photograph rotation pinch screenshots to work.

5. Genmoji & Image Playground

Genmoji lets users harvester 2 emojis together into a dynamically generated image on pinch matter prompts to create civilization stickers.

Android's had emoji mashups since 2020 pinch Gboard's Emoji Kitchen offering pre-designed combinations crossed messaging apps. Android's type lacks real-time procreation but still boasts complete 100,000 combinations. Gboard has besides offered Pixel Studio sticker procreation driven by AI since 2024. While Apple's AI-driven customization is much flexible, nan halfway thought of remixing emoji for messaging is thing new.

One much thing: Liquid Glass

Perhaps Apple's biggest communicative was nan unveiling of Liquid Glass, a creation connection that feels adjacent parts futuristic and familiar. While iOS 26's translucent icons and glass-like layers are impressively polished, that didn't extremity Android enthusiasts from drafting correlations to icon packs from Android's early 2010s era. Third-party launchers for illustration GO Launcher and ADW offered icon packs and themes that heavy lucifer nan artistic Apple is going for this clip around, moreover if Apple's effort is miles up successful execution and polish.

In each seriousness, Liquid Glass's accuracy shares a batch pinch Google's Material Design, which has a akin extremity of unifying its integer interfaces by emulating real-world elements. Apple strives to make thing "purely integer consciousness earthy and alive" by drafting from VisionOS's physicality, pinch icons that morph contextually crossed each surfaces.

Also: Your iPhone is getting these useful features pinch iOS 26 - including a large AI one

Google has focused connected tactile surfaces and adaptive layouts since Material Design was first launched successful 2014. A awesome update called Material 3 Expressive, launching pinch Android 16 later this year, doubles down connected this ethos by blending bold, personalized interfaces pinch mobility informed by real-world physics and materials. Both purpose to humanize interfaces while taking a different pathway to get there.

Many of Apple's WWDC innovations this twelvemonth are Android staples rebranded pinch Apple's artful polish, but nan title is heating up. With iOS 26's Liquid Glass and Android 16's Material 3 Expressive launching months apart, some platforms are chasing akin goals: interfaces that consciousness alive.