Apple announced its bold new iOS 26 redesign at WWDC 2025 last night – but just how bold is it, exactly?
As has become the norm when discussing a new mobile OS, the internet has swiftly filled up with Android fans pointing out that several of iOS 26’s new features have been borrowed wholesale from Google. Often these features had rolled out onto Pixel phones many years ago.
Of course, inspiration flows both ways in the two horse race that is the modern mobile OS scene. But there are undoubtedly some iOS 26 features that we could turn to right now on our Google Pixel 9 phones, not to mention several of its predecessors. Here are a few that caught our eye.
Gemini Live and Circle to Search
It’s an accepted fact that Apple has pretty much bungled its AI implementation, but iOS 26 suggests that it’s getting there. Slowly.
Still, the new Visual Intelligence features show up some familiar elements. In particular, the ability to use Apple Intelligence to understand what’s on the screen and provide contextual assistance is very similar to Google’s Gemini Live and Circle to Search tools, the latter of which has been lighting up Pixel phones (and non-Pixel Android phones) since January 2024.
Apple
Call Screen
Imagine if iOS could intelligently screen your calls for you? Now it can with Call Screening. It will gather information from an incoming caller then supply you with the information so you can decide if you want to talk to them or not.
That’s great, but such a facility has been available on Google’s phones since the Pixel 4 in 2019 in the form of Call Screening. Even the name is similar.
Hold for Me
Here’s another Phone app feature that Apple has belatedly brought over from Google’s Pixel phones to iOS 16. Hold Assist will monitor when you’ve been placed on hold, and will then notify you when a live person rejoins the call at the other end.
It was a super-useful feature when it appeared on the Google Pixel 5 in late 2020 as Hold for Me, and it’ll likely be a super-useful feature when it appears on the iPhone 17 in late 2025.
Live Translate
Apple announced a new Live Translation feature for iOS 26, and as the name suggests, it’ll let iPhone users translate text and audio on the fly.
The name Live Translation suggests something else, too. Google launched its own similar Live Translate feature with the Pixel 6 back in 2021.
Apple
Google Maps Timeline
At WWDC 2025, Apple announced a new Apple Maps feature called Visited Places. It sees the app securely logging all the places you’ve visited, creating an automated personal timeline.
Talking of timelines, Google launched its Google Maps Timeline feature – formerly known as Location History – for Pixel and other Android phones about a decade ago. It made the feature device-specific (and thus more privacy-focused) in December 2024.
Wrist gestures
Stepping away from iOS 26 and into the thematically linked world of watchOS 26, Apple is introducing an intuitive wrist-flick gesture to quickly dismiss notifications.
Handy – but Pixel Watch (and Galaxy Watch) wearables running Wear OS have had gesture control for a while now. What’s more, on Google’s platform you can also shake your wrist to go back or cancel and action, open the app and settings menus, and more.
