iOS 14 is Apple’s new operating system update, released by the apple company this Monday (22), during WWDC 2020. However, it is possible to notice some similarities between the new features for the iPhone and already existing functions in Android, such as the possibility of inserting widgets on the home screen and an app library.
Other well-known features of Google’s system, such as the Translator and a screen to check app permissions before downloading them from the Play Store, also look like iOS 14 functions possibly inspired by Android. Check out the following list for a comparison between Apple’s system features and those already on Android.
1. Widgets
The widgets are already old and known from Android, which makes it possible to insert them on the main screen since the first versions of the operating system. On iOS, before the recent update, the widgets could only be seen in the “Today” view of the iPhone. The difference now is that they can be added to the home screen and the user can change their format by increasing or decreasing the size – a function similar to that already offered by Android.
Apple widgets can be found in the “Widget Gallery”, a folder similar to the Android menu. The big difference between the two tools is the function called “Smart Stack”, offered by Apple in the new update. With the use of the tool, iOS 14 shows widgets that you think are relevant throughout the day: if you read the news in the morning, the Apple News widget will appear during that moment, giving way to another one that you use later in the afternoon or evening, for example.
2. App library
The App Library is a new feature of iOS 14 that automatically organizes applications in folders of similar categories, such as social networking apps, productivity, recently downloaded, most used, etc. Previously, iPhone owners could access the apps from their phone only from the home screen pages – which is not the case with Android, which always offered a separate section where users could check out all apps, while the home screen is customized to display only what the person thinks is useful. Android also allows users to rearrange applications in their folders as they wish.
3. App Clips
Apple’s App Clips and Google’s Operating System Android Instant Apps have the same functionality, as both provide the user with part of the experience of an application without the need to download it. With Instant Apps, you don’t need to download an entire app to get a specific function that’s only needed for a moment.
Presented in the last WWDC, the App Clips has a similar function to the feature released in Android 7 (Nougat). The main difference is that while Instant Apps is available on the Play Store to try apps before downloading them, Apple App Clips proposes to summarize the proposal of an app in up to 10 MB to use it in the day-to-day running without the need for installation, either to order food through the app from a new restaurant or to unlock the use of scooters and bicycles.
4. Standard applications
iOS 14 will allow users to change standard e-mail and browser applications. This means that if you prefer to use a browser other than Safari, you can choose to open incoming links automatically by resetting it to the default browser for your iPhone. Android has been offering the default app-switching service for some time, and you can switch Chrome to another browser of your choice from your phone settings.
5. Translator
Translate, Apple’s new translation application, is very similar to Google Translator, even in the functions offered. Google Translator offers features that include real-time audio transcription and conversation options, which recognizes and translates sentences to the target language, in addition to the translation of passages in text format.
With Translate, Apple offers the same instant translation feature as Google Translator. The main difference, however, is related to the number of languages supported by the platform, as Apple’s Translate supports 11 languages for translation and Google Translator has over 100 languages available. Both tools also have support for offline translation.
6. Picture in Picture
The Picture-in-Picture feature is now available from Android 8 (Oreo), allowing users to watch videos while using other phone functions. A small window with the video appears on the screen at a time when users can access other services or applications. The concept of PiP is not new but has only now been introduced in iOS. Also, in iOS 14, Apple allows you to hide the player from the video on the phone screen if you only want to listen to the audio.
7. App Store Permissions
Permissions on Android appear as pop-ups on the screen as soon as an application is downloaded and installed on the phone, giving users the option to choose which permissions the application is willing to accept. However, the permissions can be viewed before downloading the app, more precisely from the “About the app” section when you search for an app on the Google Play Store.
Apple, taking into account user privacy issues, now also allows users to use the same feature in iOS 14, allowing users to view application privacy summaries on the App Store before downloading them.
8. Notification of Empty Passwords in Safari
The tool that warns when user passwords have been compromised was announced by Chrome in 2019. The browser password checker sends alerts when a password for a known Google login has been violated and is no longer secure. In iOS 14, a similar feature has been added to Safari, which can send notifications when a password is no longer secure, in addition to reporting how websites visited on the web treat your privacy and track users.
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