iOS 15 vs Android 12: Which OS platform brings the most changes this year?
Apple unveiled the iOS 15 update at the WWDC 21 keynote a few hours ago and there are some notable changes coming to your iPhone. Apple is taking care of the issue of the notifications this time along with more focus on privacy as well as personalization. It’s not a massive leap on par with iOS 14 but there’s enough to make the common iPhone user take notice. That can also be said about Android 12.
Google’s annual upgrade to Android saw a massive overhaul in design more akin to iOS 14 last year. On Pixel devices, you can see the change that Google is trying to bring to its Android lineup. Google has also doubled up its privacy efforts this year along with a few smarter additions to the base OS. On the whole, there’s a lot of stuff in Android 12 to look forward to.
If you love a good old-school Android vs iOS debacle, head down to see which OS has more to offer this year and how do they affect you.
iOS 15: More like “iOS 14S”
With iOS 15, Apple isn’t changing much about the iPhones this year. Instead of bringing headlining features like widgets from last year, the focus is more on little things to make life easier. Apart from a new still wallpaper and redesigned notifications, the interface mostly remains unchanged.
– Apple has taken the liberty to work on notifications this year. Users can now group their notifications under different profiles such as DND, Driving, Work, Home, and more. You can choose from one of these and ask iOS to notify you from only those apps that you want. Unimportant app notifications can now be hidden and scheduled to be shown as a summary of all notifications at a certain time. The notification UI is now more akin to Android this year.
– A derivative of this notifications thing is Focus. It is similar to Profiles from Android and lets you stay in control of your device. If you have enabled DND, your contacts on iMessage will be notified of your DND status when they send you a message.
– FaceTime gets upgrades in the form of background noise reduction, portrait mode effects in video calls, and a new grid view for group calls. SharePlay allows iPhone users to listen to Apple Music or watch Apple TV together while on a call. Moreover, Android users can now also participate in FaceTime calls with FaceTime links via a web browser.
– Safari gets a makeover with smarter tab management this year. The search bar now rests at the bottom and you can swipe on them to switch to the next.
– The camera app can now scan text from photos to copy it in other apps or save as notes. Spotlight search now shows up images and web information that are relevant to your search topic. Siri works offline too and you can expect faster command execution. Shared With You now shows up all links and media shared by your friends on iMessage at one place.
– Lastly, App Privacy Report allows tracks all access to your phone’s data from all installed apps. Users can also see the accessed domain name as well as what sensors were used in those scenarios. Mail Privacy Protection hides IP addresses to improve security.
Android 12: A proper feast for eyes
Android 12 is more of a visual overhaul this year than ever with some necessary privacy additions baked in. Here are some of them.
-The biggest noticeable change with Android is the Material You design theme. Android 12 looks unlike any other custom skin this year, with massive widgets and beautifully laid out notifications shade. Whether it’s the lockscreen, AOD, or the homescreen, your phone will base its accent colours around the wallpaper’s colours. There will be several colour-based themes instead of Dark and Light. The Material You design will be limited to the Pixel devices.
– There will be easier access to services like Google Pay and Home controls from the notification shade. Google Assistant will now be accessible via double-pressing the power key.
– Google promises faster performance with Android 12. There will be a reduction of CPU time by 22 percent and newer animations will help enhance the experience to another level. Android TV remote is now baked into the system by default. The Chrome browser can now suggest vulnerable passwords and use Google Assistant to quickly change them with a secure one.
– Privacy takes centerstage in Android 12. There is a new Privacy Dashboard app similar to iOS 15 that reports what apps are using your personal details via the on-device sensors. This one does not track websites like iOS 15. Privacy Indicator makes its way to Android to notify you of device sensor access while using an app.
– Google is also livening up its camera algorithms to make it fair for users of all colours. Improvements in exposure, lighting and details can be expected with future updates.
Supported devices
The iOS 15 update is coming to all iPhone 6S models and newer, including the iPhone 7 series, iPhone 8 series, iPhone X, iPhone XS series, iPhone XR, iPhone 11 series, iPhone 12 series, iPhone SE (1st and 2nd Gen), and iPod Touch 7th Gen.
Android 12, on the other hand, will come to Pixel 3 series, Pixel 3a series, Pixel 4 series, Pixel 4a series, and Pixel 5. Additionally, it depends upon Android partners as to which of their devices they want to support with Android 12. Some of the big names participating in the beta include OnePlus, Xiaomi, Asus, Oppo, Realme and more.
