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15 new features in iOS 14 that Android has had (much) longer

This article indicated 15 new features in iOS that were actually existed in Android long time a go but introduced by Apple first time.
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Apple typically holds two major events a year, one focused on hardware, while the company with Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) presents new software each time. Apple announced iOS 14 along with the new macOS Bug Sur, and we took its detail review here. However, some of its features are already found in Android long ago. In this article we will look at 15 new features in iOS 14 that Android has had long before.

15 new features in iOS

15 new features in iOS that are not new to Android

15 new features in iOS – 1. Change default email and browser app

You can hardly call this an ‘announcement’, because Apple did not announce it during its livestream, but you can now choose a default app for your browser and email. Understandably, Apple didn’t announce the feature onstage, as all viewers would be more likely to “Finally!” shout, then applaud. The extra freedom for Apple users is in any case good news for both the users and the app developers.

 2. Widgets on the home screen

It had already been leaked before , but today it’s also official. iOS has had its own version of the widgets we’ve known in Android since 2008 for a while, but Apple’s operating system didn’t allow adding widgets to the home screen. Widgets were previously only part of the ‘Day view’, which is a panel for which you swipe completely to the right from the home screen.

15 new features in iOS

Apple now understands with iOS 14 that widgets can also be useful on the home screen, although the size you can set for the small utilities is limited. Widgets can be small, medium or large, so you cannot drag and drop the size to any size you want. Hopefully we can expect that new improvement with iOS 15.

3. App Library

It’s time. The iOS home screen is no longer an uncluttered mountain of applications spread over different panels. The last page on the home screen is now called the ‘App Library’ and it collects all your apps in different categories. Apple itself automatically and depending on the apps proposes the names of categories as it has been doing for some time for folders in iOS. The only problem with the App Library is that the panel can only be found as the last panel of the home screen, but luckily you can now remove panels so you don’t have to scroll endlessly.

15 new features in iOS

4. App suggestions in App Library

Not only can the App Library come up with names for categories, but it also suggests itself which app you need. That’s a feature we know from the Pixel Launcher ‘s app drawer . Maybe iPhones in iOS 15 can suggest which apps you want in your application dock but it is not available yet. 

5. Picture-in-picture display

Android apps have long worked with a picture-in-picture (PiP) display that lets you continue working on your phone and watch a video at the same time. Apple looked at it and saw that it was good, and this one is part of the new iOS 14. Apple even lets you adjust the size of the PiP frame, and we’re secretly jealous of that.

15 new features in iOS

15 new features in iOS- 6. Wind Down mode

Apple hasn’t even bothered to choose a different name for this feature. We know the Wind Down mode from Digital Well-being . Google has already renamed the function Bedtime mode and it puts your phone in Do Not Disturb and prepares you for a good night’s sleep.

7. Apple Translate

We don’t have to tell you which app we’re thinking of when we look at Apple Translate. Apple comes with on-device translation, but Apple’s translation solution only supports 11 languages. Furthermore, the company comes with other functions that we already know from Google Translate .

15 new features in iOS

8. Bicycle navigation in Apple Maps

As with Apple Translate, the company has also come out quite late with its Apple Maps app. From the beginning, Apple had to go a long way to keep up with Google Maps , and the result is that you can only now calculate cycling routes with the application. Apple Maps will also alert for speed cameras .

9. Keyboard voice input

On the Gboard on Pixel devices, you can type by voice message, but Apple is now catching up with its new voice input. However, in a quick comparison on Twitter, we see that Apple’s speech recognition works less smoothly compared to Google’s recognition. Whether the recognition is just as accurate is still the question.

15 new features in iOS

10. Translate websites and save passwords with Safari

Safari for iOS comes with a series of new features, as it is now possible to translate an entire web page at the touch of a button. This is a function we have known for much longer from the Chrome app. A second functionality lets you save passwords in the browser, and Safari also lets you know when a password is insecure.

11. App Clips

Android has long had the Instant apps . These are smaller versions of apps that you can use without requiring an installation. The app opens immediately when you need it and it contains the most important functionalities from the original. Huawei recently announced its own version of this feature for Huawei Mobile Services with the Quick Apps , and now Apple is also announcing the App Clips. The question is whether Apple has succeeded in getting more developers enthusiastic about this functionality than Google has done.

12. Siri’s compact display and phone calls

Google is already rolling out the compact display of the Google Assistant to a small group of users , but the function has now also been announced for Siri in iOS 14. Siri will now take up less screen space when it helps Apple users. In addition, phone calls no longer take up the entire screen when you work on your iPhone. There is now a small pop-up notification and you can accept or decline a call.

13. MacOS apps based on iPad apps

Apple is making it much easier to create apps for macOS based on iPad apps, and in the future the company wants to make even more efforts to make it easier for developers. Simpler applications based on the mobile apps are thus becoming more important for macOS, and earlier we saw Google bet on Android apps for ChromeOS .

14. Mirror selfie camera

It may sound absurd, but it was not yet possible in the camera app of iOS to view a selfie in the viewfinder as the photo is actually taken. Many camera apps for Android therefore mirror the image, and that is now also possible in iOS 14.

15. Safari Tabs, Extensions, Privacy Tools

We previously discussed the improvements to Safari for iOS that remind us very much of Chrome, but Apple is doing something similar to Safari for macOS. First of all, there is real-time translation of entire web pages, but Apple also introduces the dynamic tabs from Chrome that you can drag and drop to your heart’s content. In addition, it is easier for developers to convert extensions from other browsers – read ‘Chrome’ – to Safari.

Finally, the browser can count on new privacy functions that let you see which websites follow you while surfing. Apple is also adding privacy features for extensions at the same time, as you can also discover compliant extensions. Furthermore, you can have extensions automatically closed or only enabled for specific websites.