iOS 19 is rumored to pack essentially 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 adjustments deliver, I’m much more within the adjustments Apple will deliver to the iPhone’s performance.
As a former Android person, it’s onerous 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, resembling default app choices and superior system customizations, there are nonetheless numerous issues that Android simply does higher. Listed below are a number of software program options Apple must deliver to the iPhone.
1. Correct audio sharing
Whether or not I’m working with a buddy 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 buddy ought to be capable to 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 buddy’s Android telephone doesn’t care whether or not I’ve AirPods or another model of earbuds—it might probably stream music to each pairs of earbuds on the identical time. Limiting audio sharing to AirPods is a typical Apple ecosystem restriction designed to advertise the corporate’s personal gadgets. And, though I’m absolutely invested in Apple’s merchandise, the limitation downgrades my expertise when a buddy opts for a distinct model. It’s irritating, as there aren’t any apparent technological constraints barring Apple from elevating the function for all events concerned.
On Android telephones, customers can share audio it doesn’t matter what headphones they’re utilizing..
Foundry
2. Precise multitasking
Method again once I used to rock a Samsung Galaxy Notice II with a 5.5-inch display, one of many helpful 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 must open two apps facet by facet for fast reference.
In the present day, Apple sells 6.9-inch iPhones with processors many instances sooner than the Galaxy Notice II’s Exynos chip. But, because of its complicated philosophy, Apple refuses to deliver 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 along 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 info, resembling textual content and pictures, so you may 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 effectively.
4. Private always-on show
Apple has lastly taken many of the shackles off the Residence Display screen, Lock Display screen, and Management Heart, letting customers personalize them in all method of how. Regardless of that, nonetheless, the always-on show function continues to merely mirror the identical setup on the Lock Display screen. When you can personalize it in very primary methods, resembling turning off the wallpaper and hiding notifications, you may’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 methods, Apple evidently nonetheless has no thought what it’s doing on this area. Whereas Apple Intelligence continues to be struggling to ship essentially 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 must 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 Stay, and superior photograph manipulation instruments, so Apple has numerous 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 correct beneath its nostril: Android’s channels, which divide notifications into granular classes that may be individually turned on and off. This would offer customers with larger management over the alerts they obtain and solely let the necessary 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 resembling learn receipts, high-quality media, and extra to green-bubble conversations. Nevertheless, not like Google, Apple adopted a carrier-dependent method, requiring each service suppliers to help it to be able to ship and obtain RCS messages.
Whereas the vast majority of related U.S. carriers are actually suitable with RCS, worldwide markets are nonetheless far behind. So, even when your provider helps the protocol, you continue to received’t be capable to get the advantages of RCS when texting most of your worldwide associates. Apple might tackle this by heading the Android approach and offloading the service to its cloud infrastructure, but it surely has made it clear that it received’t try this. As a substitute, we’re caught with an inferior service.
8. Charging time estimation
Android customers have recognized precisely when their telephones will hit 100% for years, and we had been hopeful Apple was releasing an identical function this 12 months. A hidden iOS 18.2 beta function revealed that Apple is engaged on a brand new function known as Battery Intelligence that estimates how lengthy it’ll take the iPhone’s battery to cost absolutely based mostly on the battery remaining and the charger getting used. Nevertheless, 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 function as a part of iOS 18, it’s onerous to foretell when or whether or not it’ll really materialize, however we’re hopeful it’s coming in iOS 19. However Apple clearly took discover of Android telephones which have supplied an identical perk for years, and I hope Apple will get it proper by the point iOS 19 debuts.
If you cost an Android telephone, you understand how lengthy it’ll take—that’s not the case with iOS.
Foundry
9. App cache administration
This can be 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 at the least 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 technique to reclaim this vital disk portion is to delete the app and reinstall it. Nevertheless, this additionally zaps something you will have customized or saved somewhat than merely purging pointless content material. A easy “Clear Cache” button in iOS 19’s storage settings would tackle this situation.
