Cupertino, CA — Every year around this time, our smartphones are always a reminder that they are ready for change.
This is because Apple and Google have announced updates to the operating systems that power iPhones and Android phones. Soon, we’ll be adding design tweaks and new features, new learning content, to the software that powers the device.
On Monday, Apple announced the next version of the iPhone operating system, iOS 16. Includes new features such as a redesigned lock screen and the ability to edit text messages.Last month, Google Android 13It features a streamlined wallet app for storing important documents such as credit cards and vaccine records. The two companies also said they are improving their apps for sending text messages.
The new iPhone and Android operating systems will be available on mobile phones as free updates this fall.
Apple and Google often come with a highfalutin language and promise to update these software. “Today we’re pushing the platform more than ever,” Apple CEO Timothy D. Cook said in a pre-recorded video of the event announcing the new software. ..
But in reality, many changes, especially the ability to retroactively edit text, are gradual improvements that feel like they should have happened long ago. The most notable updates to look for are:
Apple is overhauling the iPhone lock screen
Apple said it’s making changes to the first thing everyone sees when using the iPhone: the lock screen.
Previously, you could only change the lock screen wallpaper. However, with iOS 16, iPhone users can customize their lock screen by choosing from a variety of clock fonts and colors. You can also pin a “widget”, which is basically a shortcut to apps such as mobile phone calendars and fitness data trackers, on the lock screen.
These customizations will help you adjust your phone to fit our lifestyle. Keep in mind that the new software will allow iPhone users to create a large number of custom lock screens for different scenarios.
For example, you can display an office building wallpaper on your work-only lock screen and include a calendar widget that shows your upcoming meeting appointments. Your personal time lock screen may display dog wallpapers and exercise widgets. The idea is that people will be able to switch lock screens throughout the day to better adapt to their needs.
Google’s wallet app catches up with Apple
Pandemics have accelerated the use of mobile purchases as many people have moved to contactless digital payments to keep them out of cash. Apple has been a powerful provider of electronic payments for over five years using Wallet software for the iPhone. This allows you to buy credit cards and carry important documents such as boarding passes and health data.
Google, struggling to market mobile payment technology, took this opportunity last month to dig deeper into payments on Android 13.For years, the Google Pay system has been tough Delayed Apple payment system Few Android users understood how to use the technology.
Last month, Google renamed its digital payments app Google wallet.. The company has simplified the technology by embedding a shortcut to the wallet in the Android lock screen. We also plan to extend the software beyond credit cards to documents such as boarding passes, movie tickets, and Covid-19 vaccination certificates.
Google and Apple are extending messaging apps
Anyone who has ever sent a text message over the phone is familiar with the so-called green bubble and blue bubble digital divide.
When you send a text message from your Android smartphone, it will appear as a green bubble on the recipient’s screen, often pixelating and distorting your photos and videos. This is because green bubble messages are sent over the telephone company’s network and the image quality is automatically degraded.
In contrast, blue bubble messages sent between iPhone users go through iMessage, Apple’s proprietary messaging service that maintains the high-quality look of photos and videos.
Using Android 13, Google is trying to create its own blue bubble experience.The company incorporates a technology called in messaging apps Rich communication services, You can send high resolution images and large files. You can also create group conversations, much like the latest messaging apps.
Apple, on the other hand, has made changes to iMessage that allows iPhone users to edit or recall messages after sending them. Retroactive message editing, avoiding strange autocorrect typos and accidental pocket text confusion, has long been a feature people have wanted.
Both companies are enhancing user privacy
Nowadays, software updates aren’t complete unless big tech companies declare that they care about our privacy. This is because technology companies want users to share their personal data securely, especially as European regulatory agencies are cracking down on this issue.
Not surprisingly, Apple and Google have said they will provide more protection for user data on the following operating systems:
Apple has long allowed iPhone users to give family and romantic partners permanent access to their location data, but if intimate relationships go wrong, such data sharing Said that it can be controlled more deeply. Its new software feature, Safety Check, allows users to quickly identify and revoke access to such data, thus protecting information from abusers.
Google said it will give users more control over the data they share with third-party apps. In the next version of Android, you can also give access to specific photos instead of the entire camera roll. This is a safeguard against malicious apps impersonating photo editing software.
The conclusion is
If you feel that many of these tweaks have been delayed for a long time, that’s why. As smartphone hardware upgrades are becoming more and more gradual, so is software, but it’s not surprising.
