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It’s that time of year again when Google and Apple reveal the first details of their next big mobile software update. This year it’s Android 15 and iOS 18. Usually, by the time an announcement is made, leaks are already pouring in. , rumors and previews that reveal much to expect. This year is no exception.
What we know about iOS 18 is limited to various rumors and reports about what updates are coming. According to these reports, iOS 18 will be one of Apple’s biggest software updates, adding entirely new AI features and possibly even a redesign of iOS.
The Android 15 developer preview gave us an official glimpse of what’s changing, and it seems much more modest in comparison. So far, Google has delivered a number of new features, such as satellite connectivity, but the main focus seems to be on small changes behind the scenes. It’s useful, but it’s not something people will get excited about.
But it’s nothing to worry about.
iOS 18 seems like a big upgrade
Apple isn’t a company that jumps on bandwagons for the sake of it. It’s no wonder, then, that Apple, like his Google, didn’t rush to add a slew of AI-powered features to his iPhone. There’s still a lot of machine learning going on behind the scenes, but features like Magic Editor and automatic transcription aren’t on the iPhone.
Not yet, anyway, as iOS 18 may be about to change everything. Apple has been touting its AI ambitions for a while now, but so far there aren’t any AI-enabled features available to iPhone users. Therefore, the fact that they appear in his iOS 18 is itself a big problem. But there are reports that iOS 18 could be one of them. Apple’s biggest iOS update ever — suggests there’s more to come.
As for the AI itself, there are rumors that it will be added to the various apps that are already on your phone. Examples we’ve heard include AI being able to automatically generate playlists for Apple Music or create slides for Keynote. There are also rumors that Apple is using large-scale language models to train Spotlight search functionality.
Examples we’ve heard include AI being able to automatically generate playlists for Apple Music or create slides for Keynote.
The idea with this new Spotlight is that you can go beyond just launching an app and doing a basic web search to answer more complex questions and toggle specific functionality between apps.
We’ve heard that iOS 18 may be partially redesigned to include transparent design elements used in VisionOS and Apple Vision Pro headsets. Rumor has it that this won’t be a complete redesign of iOS, but it could be the beginning of a broader visual change that could debut in 2025 or 2026. Considering it’s been more than a decade since Apple last made a major visual change to iOS, it’s about time Apple gets a makeover before iOS 7 is released.
Other big updates we’re looking forward to include a new, better version of the Siri voice assistant, also long awaited, RCS support in the Messages app for more secure cross-platform messaging, and home screen Includes customization improvements, hearing aid modes, and more. AirPods etc.
Needless to say, there’s a lot going on, and so far we may have only scratched the surface of what iOS 18 may have to offer.
In comparison, Android 15 feels a little calmer.
The launch of Android 15 couldn’t be more exciting. This may be due to Apple’s inherent popularity over Google, but it’s also because Android 15 doesn’t seem all that appealing at this early stage.
Android has some good things, but the most important one is satellite connectivity. This is one of the key areas where Android smartphones lag behind the iPhone, which is nearly two years away from offering this feature. With Qualcomm’s attempt to launch its own satellite SOS system completely failing, it’s up to Google to fill the gap, and the sooner the better.
The expired “Find My Device” network and the rumored return of lock screen widgets are other examples of Google trying to catch up with Apple. While these are definitely helpful, Apple still managed to dominate in these areas.
But beyond that, the most exciting Android 15 upgrade we currently know of is pretty meager compared to what iOS 18 has in store. Other small improvements like improved privacy and security, greater efficiency in apps, further improvements to foldable and flip phones, new notification cooldowns and providing edge-to-edge display as standard for app developers. Behind-the-scenes efforts to ensure alignment.
These aren’t bad updates by any means. In fact, the security and app efficiency improvements could be a huge help to anyone who can upgrade to Android 15. But they’re not the most exciting upgrades in the world. Certainly nothing compared to the possibility of Apple launching its own generative AI image editing software (something similar to Magic Editor).
But the quality of life updates behind the scenes are just as important as the big flashy features. Perhaps even more so because time and resources are spent making sure the software runs as best as possible. At least make sure it works better than Android 14.
But it feels like Apple’s updates have caught up.
iOS 18 is big, but there’s one thing you can’t ignore. Many of the features we heard about are already available in other products. Or, at least, Apple’s competitors have something similar, if not exactly identical.
While Android’s last major UI redesign was the release of Android 12 in 2021, Google has been updating and changing how Google Assistant works and features over the years. This often means adding additional features, but in recent years, especially with the Google Pixel series, many of those features have leveraged Google’s AI developments.
To say that Google is investing heavily in AI is an understatement. Google’s efforts have certainly increased over the past few years as chatbots and other user-facing AI tools have grown in popularity, but essentially Google is starting a new endeavor from its second home. Although he has not yet returned to home base, he is in a better position than players who are still at first base or who have not yet stepped up to bat.
The truth is that if Apple hadn’t spent years ignoring certain parts of iOS (Siri is a great example), iOS 18 wouldn’t be as impressive as it seems at the moment. is. However, that’s not to say Apple could have invested its resources elsewhere. The truth is you never know.
conclusion
If rumors are to be believed, your iPhone could benefit significantly from upgrading to iOS 18. Android smartphones, on the other hand, operate normally and users may hardly notice any difference unless they specifically go looking for them.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Android will have a bad year, especially considering Google is already ahead of Apple in many areas such as AI. Apple is said to be in talks to use Google Gemini on the iPhone and may not be ready to release an Apple-made chatbot anytime soon.
Unless Android 15 is released and turns out to be a complete disaster, it doesn’t matter how feature-rich that software actually is compared to iOS 18. Sure, it would be great to get a lot of features that Android lacks. , and also some new stuff, but it’s not the kind of thing you need to feed all the time. Especially if you’re a Pixel owner who can take advantage of features regularly provided by Google.
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