But we live in a competitive society, and so the only company that makes iOS-based phones and the myriad brands that make Android-based phones always feel the need to explain why their product is more spectacular, more versatile, more secure, more fun, and something more than what is powered by the other operating system. As a result, every time a company introduces a new feature to its operating system, it heralds it as innovative, great, and never seen before. Anyone who has attended or watched a product launch — from Apple, Google, or Samsung — knows what I’m talking about. Apple is arguably the biggest offender here, with a history of taking the time to develop a feature that other companies have rushed to use as effective beta-testers. You can almost set your watch to the downloads and Twitter memes about how iPhone users are always late to the party of ideas they might think are brand new if they take Apple at its word. And here we are again. Apple is introducing its latest phone line, the iPhone 14, and the latest version of its operating system, iOS 16. There are plenty of improvements and new features that will be either useful, fun, or both. And indeed, many of these features are coming to older iPhone models, while some are limited to the new iPhone 14 hardware. But while Apple touts all of this as all new and all great, some of it is—either completely or in some way—already familiar to Android users. Here’s a list of at least some of the features that Apple now offers, but that Android has had for a while.
Multiple stops on maps
You’re on your way home from visiting your Aunt Bea, and you suddenly realize that if you take a short side trip, you can stop at one of your favorite bookstores. Don’t want to get lost? Now, in iOS 16, you can quickly add the address of the bookstore to your travel itinerary and get directions that will allow you to stop there and then find your way home. It’s a very handy feature that Android has had since 2017 or so. Apple Maps has certainly come a long way since its disastrous launch 10 years ago, but the potholes along the way along its development have been like this example — requiring a late fill in every update. Grid view
iOS 16 now lets you add stops along your route. Android lets you add stops for a while.
Email: schedule, undo, remind later and track
In iOS 16, if you hit Send on an email and suddenly realize you put in the wrong person’s name, you now have 10 seconds to change your mind and unsend (assuming the other person is also using iOS 16). You can also schedule an email to be sent whenever you want, or use Remind Later to remind yourself of an email you don’t want to deal with right away. Grid view
Undo Send at the bottom of the screen lets you change your mind — if your recipient also has iOS 16. The Mail app can remind you to read an email. Now you can schedule an email to go out when you want it.
Gmail has had unsend since around 2018, but you have the option of choosing 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds to change your mind (you can set the time in the Gmail web app). You can also snooze an email to appear later and schedule an email to be sent when you want it. Grid view
You can stop an email before it is sent by pressing Undo. If you don’t want to deal with an email right away, you can snooze it. You can schedule an email to be sent later.
Apple Live subtitles
iOS 16 has added Live Captions, which offer real-time transcription for video, audio, and conversations. This is an extremely useful feature, not only for the hearing impaired, but for anyone who needs to follow a conversation. In fact, Android has had a Live Caption feature since 2019 and currently provides instant translations for those subtitles in multiple languages (although the accuracy of those translations probably won’t match that of a human translator). But hey, even if Apple delays once again on this one, it’s definitely a win for accessibility — and for watching videos with your phone on silent when you’re too lazy to pick up your headphones.
Tactile feedback on the keyboard
Typing on a phone is still mostly crap in 2022, and part of that is due to the lack of feedback you get when you type. Not every input device needs to have the feedback of a mechanical keyboard, but it’s nice to know when you’ve actually typed a letter in an on-screen panel. As a result, iOS 16 has now introduced haptic feedback to its on-screen keyboard. Android has had it for as long as we can remember. The main difference here is that you have to turn on haptic feedback in iOS 16. On Android, it’s turned on automatically on most phones (but you can turn it off if you want). Let’s discuss it with the “How did it take so long?” list of features and we’ll be sure to sing from the rafters that iPhone users now have this essential feature. Grid view
iOS 16 now offers haptic keyboard feedback. Android’s Gboard keyboard uses haptics by default.
Shared libraries
iOS 16 will soon let you create shared photo libraries — called iCloud Shared Photo Library — either by date or by who’s in the photos. You can share your photo library with up to five people. (Obviously, this feature won’t ship right away when iOS 16 comes out, so you might have to wait a bit.) Google Photos lets you share your entire library — based on start date or who’s in the photos — with one partner.
Always on screen
Okay, this is a big one. One of the many features showcased at Apple’s recent event is an always-on display, which will only be available on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Always-on displays let you glance at the time and widgets and get other useful information even when the phone is asleep. It’s something that Apple Watch users have had access to since the Series 5, but Apple is only putting it on the iPhone now — and reserving it for the fancier Pro models. This is something Android phones have had for the better part of 10 years. It’s a feature that Google really pushed with Android 12, where it made the always-on display show a giant digital clock by default when the phone’s screen is at rest. Meanwhile, all this time, every iPhone was just a lifeless black rectangle until you touched it or a notification came through. That said, at this point, Apple’s new always-on display on the iPhone is more customizable and denser than what you see on Android phones, with widgets, images, and lots of color. And sure, an always-on screen will drain a bit more battery than keeping the screen completely off, but on most phones, that’s an insignificant amount. We’re glad we’ll soon see a few less black mirrors sitting on desks and tables, lifeless and characterless. iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on screen. Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Fitness app for phone
The Apple Watch is a popular way to measure your fitness — but if you were an iPhone user who didn’t have a watch, you couldn’t use the official Apple Fitness Plus app (though you could, of course, use any of the third-party apps out there outside). Now you can use the Apple Fitness Plus app whether you’re using an Apple Watch or not. Google’s official Fit fitness app has almost always been available for Android phones, whether you use a watch or not. (Of course, you could argue that there are few Android-compatible watches that are…
