It’s not all copycat features. In some cases, Apple makes it better for iPhone users.
Apple finally previewed what’s coming to iOS 18 at its annual developer conference keynote. The iPhone’s next major software update will roll out later this year, featuring plenty of AI infusion—Apple Intelligence—plus other quality-of-life improvements across the platform. It’s all excellent news for iPhone users, even if Android wielders have heard it before.
In some cases, iOS 18 is playing catchup to its Android competition. But iPhone users seem excited about what’s coming—there were many cheers in the keynote audience—and so-called copycat features mean more parity across mobile platforms, which means less of a Sophie’s Choice whenever shopping for a new smartphone. Here are some new features coming to the iPhone with iOS 18 and how they compare to those already on Android devices.
Custom icon placement is no longer limited to Android users with time to burn. At WWDC 2024, Apple announced that iOS 18 would finally let you place app icons wherever you want on the Home screen, freeing them from the stringent rail it was on before. You can move apps to either side of the screen with space in the middle to highlight a subject on your wallpaper.
iOS 18 users will have access to tinted icons—something the Pixel Launcher has done since Android 13. The iOS 18 developer beta shows that the color accents pick up based on your wallpaper and system theme. And if you don’t like the color Apple picks for you, you can adjust it to something else.
If you’ve read any tech blog in the past few years, you know that Google had RCS first—and won’t stop reminding us about it. It even took out a giant advertising campaign to hone in on the message.
Still, even though Apple quietly announced RCS support this week during its developer conference, Google doesn’t get its victory lap. Apple did not devote any fanfare to its acquiescing to the mobile protocol. On the plus side, messages between iPhones and their green bubbles will be able to share features like high-resolution photos and Tapback animations later this year.
