Android 15 is coming and it has already been confirmed that Google will copy an important feature of the iPhone: emergency satellite communication.
Apple first added it to the iPhone 14 and has already proven that it can help save lives when cellular service is unavailable. Hopefully, this means that Android users who need help will be able to get it no matter where they are.
Both platforms have helped each other take advantage of each other’s features over the years, improving in the process. Emergency satellite communication is far from the only feature that Android has copied from the iPhone, but it definitely won’t be the last. And we have some ideas about which iPhone features should be next on Google’s list of potential Android updates.
Lock screen widgets are said to be returning in Android 15, after being removed when Android 5 was first released. The downside is that it looks like lock screen widgets will be tied to the Pixel tablet’s core mode, meaning Android phone users may be missing out on a feature iPhone users have had since the release of iOS 16…
iPhone lock screen widgets are much more limited than home screen widgets, but they offer a way to see useful information at a glance and without having to rely on notifications. Calendar events, weather, upcoming alarms, daily fitness progress, etc. It’s another way to avoid unlocking your phone and risk being distracted by some other app. Considering Android used to offer this feature, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t return, and not as a tablet exclusive.
Standby mode
iOS 17’s Standby Mode is a way to turn an iPhone into a customizable smart display when it’s plugged in. That way you can see multiple photos, widgets, or useful information at a glance, as long as you don’t plan on using your phone anytime soon. Standby mode activates whenever the phone is plugged in and in landscape mode, and it’s something Google should implement on Android phones.
Google Pixel phones already have a similar feature called Stand Mode, but this depends on the user having one of the two types of Pixel Stand wireless chargers. And even then, I find that its implementation is not exactly perfect. Therefore, Google should follow Apple’s lead and offer a revamped Stand Mode for all Android phones, regardless of the type of charger they are using.
Free hands
Apple Handoff is a system that allows you to close what you are doing on one Apple device and have the opportunity to continue right where you left off on another, with support for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It’s about time Google had something similar, allowing you to work from an Android device on a completely different machine.
Google announced a Handoff-like feature called Push in 2021, which was compatible with Android and ChromeOS, but we haven’t heard anything like it since. So it’s time for Google to get to work and add the feature to Android, although ideally, it would expand beyond ChromeOS to devices like Windows as well.
Check-in
Apple made a big push into personal security in recent years, including launching the Check-In app for Messages in iOS 17. This lets you check in with friends and family, automatically letting them know you’ve arrived at your destination. No danger. It also allows a chosen contact to track your location and device settings, such as battery life and cell signal, in real-time.
It’s an incredibly useful feature that I’ve already said should be cross-platform when Apple adds RCS support to iPhones later this year. Because some things are too important to restrict to a single platform. Naturally, that cross-platform integration would work much better if Google already had its compatible system on Android first. At the very least, Android needs something so that users can enjoy the same security features as iPhone users.
name drop
Google has already made great strides with its version of AirDrop in recent years. It integrates with Windows and then merges with Samsung’s Quick Share. But Apple hasn’t exactly been sitting on AirDrop and has offered a ton of updates as part of iOS 17, including proximity-based NameDrop. Simply put two iPhones together and you can securely share contact information with people you meet.
Android could use something similar because, in my experience, Quick Share is not always convenient to use. Especially if you extend proximity-based functionality to include file sharing and support for Windows devices in the process. I can’t tell you how convenient it would be to be able to connect my phone to my laptop and link them for quick and easy file sharing.
And frankly, I’d be surprised if Apple doesn’t plan to announce a similar feature for macOS 15 at WWDC 2024.
Hide my email
Considering that Google operates one of the largest email platforms on the planet, it’s surprising that it hasn’t yet offered some kind of private email address system. It’s no secret that email spam is a problem, and there’s no shortage of ways bad actors can get their hands on that information and bombard you with who knows what.
Apple realized this and launched ‘Hide My Email’ a few years ago, designed for the Sign-in with Apple and iCloud+ services. The idea is that you can generate what are essentially throwaway emails to services and sites you may not trust, and Apple will forward those messages to your inbox. And if you get something nasty, you’ll know where it came from, based on the address it was sent to, and you can delete that specific recording address to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
It’s exactly the kind of thing Gmail desperately needs, on Android or off. Heck, Google might even include some benefits in the Google One subscription, as it desperately needs new decent benefits after the death of Google VPN.
SharePlay
SharePlay is great for enjoying media with your friends over the Internet because you can’t always be in the same room. The idea is that you can all use FaceTime to listen to music and watch movies and television shows in perfect sync. Naturally, being a FaceTime system, it’s only available to groups of people with iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs.
But there’s no reason why Google couldn’t implement a similar feature on Android. Considering that Google Meet is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, there is a chance that it will be available with the same type of restrictions that Apple has imposed. Effectively allow everyone to join shared media, with streams synced automatically, regardless of which phone or desktop system they use.
But it will probably depend on Google getting Android up and running and not killing it off after a few years before it can expand like that.
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