5 iOS 18 Features That Android Users Got First

Apple announced iOS 18 at the WWDC 2024 this week and as traditions go, people started the classic iOS vs Android comparisons the moment the new features of the iOS 18 version were revealed in front of the world. There is a running joke that iOS tends to bring features that have been available to Android users for a while, and the iOS 18 announcements do little to change that perception.

While there is a long list of features that Android could claim to have brought first to the market, we are looking at the five key iOS 18 features that have been around for a few years on Android and will finally be available to iPhone users later this year.

5 iOS 18 Features That Apple Is Bringing After Android Already Had

Customise Home Screen

When Apple started talking about customising the home screen, having the wallpaper spread across all the screens on the iPhone, it really felt like a case of deja vu. After all, these customisation options have been available on Android for many years and Apple is making it sound like a new invention. iPhone users will be able to change the size of the icons, and even move them to the bottom of the screen, which is also nothing new.

Game Mode

To be honest, iPhones have been heralded as one of the best machines for gaming, and there is very little to argue with that claim. Even then, Apple feels the need to bring its own version of the game mode for iPhone users, which it says, will completely block out the background activities and ensure you get the best gaming performance from the iPhone. It will be interesting to see what improvements the iOS 18 version of game mode brings for iPhone users.

Locked or Hidden Apps

This is another security feature that Android users have got through third-party apps mostly, not so much from Google but it still counts on their side. Apple is offering this feature via Face ID, Touch ID or passcode for iPhone users, allowing them to hide certain apps in a secret folder. Apple generally flaunts and prides itself on privacy, so we are not sure why the company took so many years to bring a feature like this for its users.

RCS Messages

This development will surely please Google which has put all its efforts to push Apple to bring the messaging standard to iOS. You could say that Apple did its best to not really talk much about RCS openly but still showed it as a part of its slides during the keynote. RCS is basically Google’s push for an SMS-free messaging future that is claimed to be far more secure, versatile and now interoperable, thanks to EU regulators pushing Apple to bring this change.

Photos Layout

Google Photos has mastered the need to keep people happy by giving them the ease of organising photos based on date, relevance and occasion in some cases. Apple Photos is finally getting its long overdue upgrade with iOS 18 that looks to fix those limitations of its previous version. You will soon see new options like Recent Days, People and Pets and other collections that the Photos app will help compile without your nudge.