Apple on Monday at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) unveiled the new iOS 14 and a redesigned iPhone home screen with new widgets, and other Android-borrowed features.
While many of the iOS 14 features might feel new for Apple iPhone users, most of the features are already familiar with users of Android devices.
Here are all of the new Apple iOS 14 features that Android already had.
Widgets
With the iOS, the home screens of the revamped iPhone and iPad will include widgets, which let users see information like the weather on the home screen at a glance. Prior to iOS 14, iPhone users could only have apps on the iPhone home screen. Widgets, which contain more information and are more functional than app icons, have been a mainstay feature on Google’s Android since its inception in 2008.
App Library
Another part of Apple’s redesigned home screen is an App Library that organizes apps into groups and lists. With the new home screen in iOS 14, users can also “hide” apps from their main home-screen. This is similar to Android’s app drawer, already in existence long before.
App Clips
Apple’s App Clips let users preview “small parts” of apps quickly without downloading them. Google introduced a similar feature, Instant Apps, in 2016. Instant Apps gives apps their own URL so users don’t have to download an entire app, except they really want to download it.
Translate
With iOS 14, Apple introduced a new Translate app that is designed for use in real-time conversation. As of March 2020, Google’s 14-year-old dedicated translate app could already transcribe conversations in eight languages in real time.
Picture-in-picture
Apple also announced a new picture-in-picture feature coming to iOS 14, which will allow users to be able to watch a video while using other apps. The video will shrink and be able to float anywhere on the screen. It can also be swiped away and the video’s audio can still play. While the audio doesn’t continue to play if the video is swiped away, Android phones already have the ability to float videos over other apps.
Apple Maps cycling directions
The updated Apple Maps app will provide ways to travel in a more eco-friendly fashion in iOS 14 and WatchOS 7. The dedicated Cycling option will help users find bike paths while taking into account elevation, whether the route a user takes is busy or quiet, and if a user will encounter any stairs. While Google Maps doesn’t factor in stairs, there has been the option to select “cycling” since 2010.
Wind Down mode
Apple also announced a Wind Down mode for iOS 14 that helps users get ready for bed. The feature, which works for iPhone and Apple Watch, let users set a desired bed time and wake-up time, and puts the phone into Do Not Disturb mode. There are also options to add shortcuts for meditation or playing relaxing music. While Google does not have a dedicated app for this, there had been a way to set up a bed time routine through the Google Home app for long.
