iOS 19 is rumored to pack probably the most vital person interface overhaul since iOS 7, with a streamlined visionOS-inspired design for the iPhone. Whereas I’m wanting ahead to seeing what these beauty modifications carry, I’m much more within the modifications Apple will carry to the iPhone’s performance.
As a former Android person, it’s arduous to not see the affect Google’s working system has had on iOS through the years. However regardless of Apple already bringing a ton of Android options over to the iPhone, comparable to default app choices and superior system customizations, there are nonetheless a variety of issues that Android simply does higher. Listed here are just a few software program options Apple must carry to the iPhone.
1. Correct audio sharing
Whether or not I’m working with a good friend or taking the metro with them, I like sharing the identical music queue to synchronize the vibe. iOS has lengthy supported audio sharing, but it surely’s restricted to AirPods and choose Beats headphones. So my good friend ought to be capable of join their earbuds to my iPhone to listen to what I’m listening to, whether or not or not they’re utilizing AirPods.
Conversely, my good friend’s Android telephone ought to be capable of acknowledge my AirPods and stream music to each pairs of earbuds on the identical time. It is a typical Apple ecosystem restriction designed to advertise the corporate’s personal gadgets. And, although I’m absolutely invested in Apple’s merchandise, the limitation downgrades my expertise when a good friend opts for a unique model. It’s irritating, as there aren’t any apparent technological constraints barring Apple from elevating the characteristic for all events concerned.
On Android telephones, customers can share audio it doesn’t matter what headphones they’re utilizing..
Foundry
2. Precise multitasking
Approach again after I used to rock a Samsung Galaxy Observe II with a 5.5-inch display screen, one of many useful options I actively relied on was the split-screen view, which let me function two apps on the identical time. Whereas I agree that smartphone shows are comparatively small for multitasking, generally you do have to open two apps aspect by aspect for fast reference.
At this time, Apple sells 6.9-inch iPhones with processors many occasions quicker than the Galaxy Observe II’s Exynos chip. But, because of its complicated philosophy, Apple refuses to carry Cut up View and even Slide Over to iOS. On the very least, I want iOS 19 would help Android-style floating chat bubbles so we might shortly open, reply to, and dismiss levitating chats whereas performing different duties.
3. A greater keyboard
Whereas the iPhone helps all kinds of third-party keyboards, arguably none of them work in addition to the one which comes together with your iPhone, and it’s excessive time Apple added some overdue options to its inventory keyboard. The principle one I miss from my Android telephone is the built-in clipboard, which helps you to retailer a number of snippets of copied data, comparable to textual content and pictures, so you’ll be able to paste them into apps as wanted. In the meantime, iOS nonetheless limits its customers to a single copied merchandise, which is inconvenient for all however the easiest makes use of, and a mere software program replace can repair that. And whereas we’re at it, an optionally available quantity row for the default keyboard is lengthy overdue as nicely.
4. Private always-on show
Apple has lastly taken a lot of the shackles off the Dwelling Display, Lock Display, and Management Heart, letting customers personalize them in all method of the way. Regardless of that, nonetheless, the always-on show characteristic continues to merely mirror the identical setup on the Lock Display. Whilst you can personalize it in very primary methods, comparable to turning off the wallpaper and hiding notifications, you’ll be able to’t do a lot else to customise it by itself.
In the meantime, most Android telephone manufacturers enable customers to design always-on views from scratch, letting them add distinctive widgets based mostly on their wants. For instance, on Samsung Galaxy telephones, customers can change the clock, add their very own wallpaper, set their very own widgets, and pin memos for fast entry. I’d love to have the ability to do the identical on my iPhone.
The choices for the iPhone’s always-on show are very restricted.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Within the period of highly effective AI techniques, Apple evidently nonetheless has no concept what it’s doing on this area. Whereas Apple Intelligence continues to be struggling to ship probably the most primary of guarantees, Android telephone producers are providing their prospects spectacular AI perks with built-in chatbots and highly effective picture creation instruments.
With iOS 19, Apple must take a extra adventurous route and discover deeper AI integrations. Assuming the brand new Siri arrives in September, future replace have to go additional with how Apple Intelligence integrates with the telephone—Android already has issues like a built-in wallpaper generator, real-time conversations with Google’s Gemini Dwell, and superior picture manipulation instruments, so Apple has a variety of catching as much as do.
6. Class-based notification system
With iOS 18, Apple tried to repair its notification mess by counting on AI. Apple Intelligence can scan alerts, summarize them, floor precedence ones, and filter out the remaining. Whereas that is undoubtedly a step ahead, it doesn’t actually repair the underlying core downside.
This isn’t the primary time Apple tried to repair notifications, however the resolution is true below its nostril: Android’s channels, which divide notifications into granular classes that may be individually turned on and off. This would supply customers with higher management over the alerts they obtain and solely let the vital stuff by means of.
The iPhone lastly permits RCS, however Apple doesn’t make it seamless.
Petter Ahrnstedt
7. RCS that works with everybody
Apple elevated texting with RCS help in iOS 18, which introduced iMessage options comparable to learn receipts, high-quality media, and extra to green-bubble conversations. Nonetheless, in contrast to Google, Apple adopted a carrier-dependent method, requiring each service suppliers to help it so as to ship and obtain RCS messages.
Whereas nearly all of related U.S. carriers are actually suitable with RCS, worldwide markets are nonetheless far behind. So, even when your service helps the protocol, you continue to received’t be capable of get the advantages of RCS when texting most of your worldwide pals. Apple might deal with this by heading the Android manner and offloading the service to its cloud infrastructure, but it surely has made it clear that it received’t do this. As a substitute, we’re caught with an inferior service.
8. Charging time estimation
Android customers have identified precisely when their telephones will hit 100% for years, and we have been hopeful Apple was releasing the same characteristic this 12 months. A hidden iOS 18.2 beta characteristic revealed that Apple is engaged on a brand new characteristic referred to as Battery Intelligence that estimates how lengthy it can take the iPhone’s battery to cost absolutely based mostly on the battery remaining and the charger getting used. Nonetheless, it didn’t seem in iOS 18.2, 18.3, or 18.4, and doesn’t seem like a part of iOS 18.5.
On condition that Apple hasn’t formally introduced the characteristic as a part of iOS 18, it’s arduous to foretell when or whether or not it’ll truly materialize, however we’re hopeful it’s coming in iOS 19. However Apple clearly took discover of Android telephones which have supplied the same perk for years, and I hope Apple will get it proper by the point iOS 19 debuts.
If you cost an Android telephone, you know the way lengthy it can take—that’s not the case with iOS.
Foundry
9. App cache administration
It is a area of interest gripe, however one factor I fondly bear in mind about my Galaxy Mini is how usually I cleared sure apps’ cache as a result of telephone’s restricted storage. Whereas new iPhones now provide not less than 128GB of storage, clearing an app’s cache can nonetheless turn out to be useful.
For instance, the Threads app on iOS occupies lower than 100MB of storage for the app itself, however its cached knowledge on my telephone has surpassed 3GB. The one option to reclaim this vital disk portion is to delete the app and reinstall it. Nonetheless, this additionally zaps something you could have personalised or saved slightly than merely purging pointless content material. A easy “Clear Cache” button in iOS 19’s storage settings would deal with this situation.
