iOS 16 doesn’t have much to worry about with Android 13

Opinion: A tale of two updates

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Google IO 2022confirmed thatAndroid 13was on its way to smartphones, and soon tablets, with a focus on refinements this time, rather than major features.

There was plenty to digest - from the surprise announcement of thePixel 7 and 7 Proto a hint towardAR Glasses. It’s understandable that this year would be more muted for Android.

Especially withAndroid 12bringing a major redesign of the look and feel to theoperating systemin 2021, called Material You. But it makes us wonder whatApplehas for its sleeve foriOS 16, rumored to debut atWWDCon June 5.

Refinements versus features

Apple has done the same in the past withiOS 9andiOS 12. Both major releases were focused more on optimizing features and fixing bugs across the operating system.

In 2009,Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopardwas released with its advertising slogan being ‘No new features’. Bold, but correct in hindsight.

But the battle for helping a customer decide as to which smartphone they’re going to buy has only gotten fiercer. It’s not just hardware improvements that matter, but substantial features or improvements to existing ones that can help the day-to-day workflows of many.

I’m of the opinion that iOS is almost reaching a point where any new features may bring confusion to casual users who only want to use the camera and some apps, while iPadOS would benefit from a total redesign, due to it still looking like an oversized iPhone in some parts.

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iOS 16 could bring simplicity to some existing features. Having a better Control Center, found when you drag from the top right of the screen, could benefit from more customization. Having automation commands from the Shortcuts app, or third-party apps taking advantage of this, could help cut down the apps we try to reach each day.

Being able to change the flashlight icon on the lock screen would also be a help, as it’s a button that could better be used for a favorite contact, or launching Apple Music.

The little touches across iOS 16 could make a big difference, and could help widen the gap further for anyone on the market for upgrading their phone, or being tempted to change from Android or iOS.

Regardless, Apple has a unique opportunity this year atWWDCto cater to the casual and power users at the same time with iOS, while possibly hinting towards its own efforts with AR.

WithGoogleIO 2022 concluding, WWDC looks to be another battlefield that could make some direct hits on Android 13 already.

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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