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While WWDC contained some truly successful announcements this year, iOS still tends to be the biggest takeaway for consumers at Apple’s annual developer conference. And with iOS 14, we see Apple borrow more than ever from its biggest competitor to its mobile operating system, Android. iOS 14 really does seem to intend to hit parity with the Google platform, and while that is undoubtedly driven by the desire to bring more features and functions to Apple smartphones, and make people buy them, too there is a real argument to argue that this is a good thing for Android too. As the two platforms become more similar, Android is likely to begin to benefit from a greater awareness among ordinary consumers that their phones can do things like use home screen widgets or set a different default browser. It may not sound like much, but I think these changes could lower the barrier of entry for customers looking to switch platforms in the future.
I’m not going to make a complete list here of all the iOS changes that came from Android, in part because it’s too much to briefly discuss in an editorial (you can find that list here), but mostly because Apple has already. It is clear that there are smaller, more numerous changes that were not discussed during the WWDC keynote. Any list at this point would simply be incomplete, and I’ve already seen a couple of other features that were overlooked during the iPad segment. Apple is also integrating more iOS features into other sections of the ad, such as a Digital Wellbeing-style Wind Down mode that was announced in the Apple Watch segment (and Apple even took the same name). Either way, many features familiar to Android users have just been announced for iOS, though some of them are particularly important.
An app drawer with any other name would smell so sweet.
Among the most notable changes is a relaxation clearly similar to that of Android when it comes to default apps. Apple tends to rule iOS with an iron fist, and the company doesn’t really like the idea of third-party apps replacing their own experience. anywhere. If Apple does something, Apple wants you to use their version of that thing, and it will make your life more difficult if you don’t. Certain apps like Safari and the built-in email client are forced on you in some circumstances no matter what you do, but Apple is changing that starting with iOS 14 or at least iPad OS 14. (The company was unclear, though It looks like it may be coming to both.) Just like Android, you will soon be able to configure third-party apps like email and browser defaults.
Android users are also familiar with the idea of home screen widgets and an app drawer that prevents their home screen from getting too crowded. These changes are long overdue for iOS, which has otherwise stuck with the dump everything design on the 2007 home screen. Other minor changes like on-device processing for voice dictation, the redesign of Siri Assistant-esque, Apple’s Google Translate clone and Instant applications App Clips are inspired by Android (or Android rips, depending on your cynicism).
App Clips or Instant Apps: the name does not matter, it is about functionality.
Again, there is nothing bad about this. Google has taken many features from Apple over the years as well, and smartphones are reaching a platform maturity level that makes changes like these inevitable. There are many ways to do a specific workflow well, and we’ve mostly found the best ways to do it. Convergence is only the result of best practices, and it is good for consumers. Frankly, as I see it, these changes could be the best thing that ever happened to Android.
Android as a platform has a slightly higher barrier to entry for use than iOS. Many of the things it does are more complicated than iOS. Some people see that as a benefit, others see it as an inconvenience. That depends on your own judgment, but it is indisputably an obstacle for some customers to remove it. But the more Android features iOS adopts, the more Apple informs its customer base about those features, preparing them for functionality and progressively educating them on more complicated workflows. For example, the idea of replacing third-party apps with third-party apps and what that implies is a very different way of thinking for customers who are unfamiliar with it, and Apple has decided it’s time for people to learn about it. . Ditto for Apple’s new App Clips, Siri-like redesign of the Assistant, an app drawer, and all the other changes one can draw a line with for Android. The fact that Apple will take this next year to teach all of its iPhone-using customers about these features is probably the best thing that can happen to Android.
In 2021, most iPhone users picking up an Android device for the first time may feel a little more at home. They don’t care if Apple or Android did something first. By teaching them how to use these changes, Apple is making it easier for iPhone users to switch to Android, and that’s probably the biggest favor Apple could do for Google.
