With the introduction of iOS 17, Apple presented some interesting functions and updates for its latest iPhone operating system that have been missing from the competitor Android. We will show and explain the four most exciting of them to you. Apple rarely has any real must-have improvements compared to Android. But iOS 17 has a few practical functions the competition has so far lacked.
Whenever a new version of Android or iOS is released, it’s always interesting to see if one side could benefit from the features of the other. Whether you’re firmly in the Android camp or across the fence, the reality is that there are times when Apple releases something we’d like to see on Android. At first glance, there isn’t much to look forward to with iOS 17, as it’s more of a refinement update. However, Apple introduced some things that we would like to see in Android 14 or Android 15.
Create Live Stickers From Individual Photos
One of the hidden features added to iOS 16 was the ability to “stand out” your subject from a photo and then paste it into another app. Samsung “borrowed” this feature with One UI 5.1, but Apple improved it even further with iOS 17. When you find a photo that you want to use as a sticker, all you have to do is long press on the subject. Then a context menu will appear, allowing you to “Add a sticker”.
From there, it will be placed alongside all the other stickers on your smartphone for quick and easy access without messing around with anything else. iOS 17 also allows different effects to be applied to these stickers, and you can use them to react to other messages or send them as standalone stickers. We don’t expect Google to add this to Gboard soon, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung integrates it into One UI 6 or One UI 6.1.
Built-In iOS Password Manager
If you don’t already use a password manager, you absolutely should, even if it’s just the one offered by Chrome or Safari. The problem with not using a password manager like 1Password is that sharing your passwords securely is not always easy. Apps like 1Password and Bitwarden offer family plans and the ability to create family vaults. With it, anyone can access Netflix’s password without you having to send it through messages in plain text.
iOS 17 aims to simplify password sharing by allowing you to create a group of users who can add and edit passwords and passkeys. Unsurprisingly, this is just an upgrade to Apple’s iCloud Keychain, with the company claiming that transfers are “end-to-end encrypted”. As Google continues improving its Chrome password manager, this is one of those features we’d like to see implemented sooner rather than later.
New Stand-By Mode With iOS 17
One of the more exciting features of iOS 17 exists in various forms on Android. Standby mode turns your iPhone into a bedside clock, but it does more than tell the time. When you connect your MagSafe-compatible iPhone to a charger and rotate the smartphone to landscape mode, your display is transformed to show you the time, widgets, and more.
You can even make your iPhone look like a smart display and show your favorite photos. With One UI 5, there is already a version on the best Samsung phones. And while most of the market owns Samsung smartphones, Standby mode would be a welcome addition to any of the best always-on-display Android smartphones.
Apple’s Latest Update Focuses On Mental Health
Google and other smartphone manufacturers are working to help you enjoy the world around you instead of always having your eyes on your smartphone. That’s where features like Digital Wellbeing come in, while Apple is betting on its feature, Screen Time. iOS 17 and watchOS 10 take it further by releasing a new Journal app later this year.
At its core, Journal is a digital journal app that can be filled with photos, songs, location data, and more. The app can also prompt users if they forget to write about a recent trip and offers writing suggestions. It might not seem like a big deal, but keeping a journal can greatly impact mental health. A study published by the National Library of Medicine states, “Positive-affect journaling (PAJ) can be an effective intervention for reducing psychological distress, increasing well-being, and improving physical function in medical patients. PAJ can integrate into routine medical care to improve quality of life.”
And while that’s a minor cheat, the Mindfulness app has been updated in watchOS 10 with the ability to log emotions and moods. The information is then stored in the Health app on the iPhone and iPad so that you can reflect and provide relevant information if you need to contact a healthcare professional.
Will Android Respond Soon?
Gone are the days when we had to wait for a whole new operating system to get new features on Android phones. One of the great things about Android is that Google can build many of the features outlined above into its various apps. Then you could update those apps without waiting another year for Android 15. We hope Google pays attention to what’s happening in Apple’s closed world.
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