From dyanmic lockscreen wallpapers to Visual Intelligence, Android has had several features from iOS 26 for a while now, with Apple playing catch up.
Apple unveiled iOS 26 at WWDC 2025 back in June, with the beta version available to download following the event. The stable version of iOS 26 will be available in a few weeks as a free update for all compatible iPhones, with the iPhone 17 series being among the first phones to run the new OS. Like every new mobile operating system, iOS 26 introduces several new features that competitors may want to adopt. That’s the usual cat-and-mouse game we’ve witnessed for years between Apple and Google, the two giants behind the most popular mobile operating systems.
While both companies keep taking inspiration from each other, Android users have had access to several features iPhone users will discover once they install iOS 26. The list includes dynamic wallpapers, Visual Intelligence support, Call Screening and Hold Assist, spam detection and unknown sender screening, and Live Translation support in Messages, FaceTime, and the Phone app.
iOS 26 delivers arguably the biggest design makeover since iOS 7. Termed Liquid Glass, the new design brings translucent elements to every menu and button, giving the user interface a fresh coat of paint. One of the best places to showcase the glass and light effects is the lock screen — thanks to the new dynamic wallpapers.
After the update, users will experience new effects when setting their wallpapers. First, the San Francisco font displaying the time will change its size automatically — depending on the elements in the background. The typeface will also adapt its size when notifications come in. Additionally, the software uses AI to turn 2D images into 3D experiences. Well, Google’s Pixel phones received Cinematic wallpapers in June 2023, allowing users to turn their 2D pictures into 3D images. Moreover, the new clock design with dynamic wallpapers looks eerily similar to Xiaomi’s implementation on HyperOS 2.
