Joe Maring/ Android Authority
Well, Apple has actually done it. After launching iphone 18 in 2024, this year’s apple iphone upgrade lifts by 8 to iphone 26. Not just is the brand-new name considerable, yet many thanks to Apple’s new Liquid Glass redesign, it’s additionally among one of the most extreme iphone updates we have actually seen in years.
While I really hope the entire Fluid Glass point remains much, away from Android, there are some components of iphone 26 that I in fact rather like. They aren’t extreme attributes, yet they’re points I would certainly like to see concerned Android– as cursing as that might seem.
Which iphone 26 attribute do you desire contributed to Android?
292 ballots
Flexible lock display clock
Among my favored updates in iphone 26 is unbelievably useless, yet I can not assist yet like it. The lock display clock currently immediately modifications in dimension to occupy all the vacuum above/around the topic of your lock display picture, and it effortlessly transforms from image to image.
What I especially like is just how, as alerts show up, the clock reduces a little with each brand-new alert card that appears, and after that increases once more as you swipe them away. It’s a lot extra responsive than anything on Android, and while it’s totally a visual touch, I assume it looks amazing– and I would certainly like to have it on my Android phone.
Revamped Phone application

For every one of the AI calling features Google has actually contributed to Pixel phones throughout the years, the Google Phone application itself looks quite antiquated. It’s not improperly developed or hard to utilize, yet it simply really feels obsolete and seeking a fresh layer of paint.
If/when Google rejuvenates the Phone application, I would certainly like to see the business take motivation from what Apple is making with its Phone application in iphone 26. As opposed to separated web pages for your current telephone calls, voicemails, and so on, the brand-new Phone calls web page teams whatever with each other in an actually smart means.
Your favored calls are pinned on top of the application for very easy gain access to, while the Recents timeline not just reveals current telephone calls you have actually made or gotten, yet additionally any kind of voicemails you have. It places a lot even more info on the display at the same time, and it’s definitely much better than Google’s Phone application– or any one of the various other supplier phone applications on Android today.
Additional controls for boarding passes

As a person that got on an aircraft in 2014 much more times than I can count, I understand the value of a great electronic boarding pass. Boarding come on Apple Budget and Google Budget are both strong nowadays, yet iphone 26 is making Apple’s variations also much better.
Currently, boarding come on Apple Budget consist of a couple of extra controls not formerly readily available. My favored choice is the “Share Trip Tracker” switch, which enables you to swiftly share your trip with a get in touch with, and if they have an apple iphone, it’ll stand for them as an Online Task. My mama continuously asks me to share my trip information with her whenever I take a trip, and having something similar to this on Google Budget boarding passes would certainly make my life 10 times much easier.
I additionally value the brand-new choices for watching an airport map or tracking your baggage straight from your boarding pass. They’re points you can currently carry out in various other applications, yet having them appeared for you right by your boarding pass simply makes good sense.
Computer animated cd art work on the lock display

Returning to the lock display for a minute, I definitely like that iphone 26 currently allows you see computer animated cd art work from Apple Songs on the lock display. Apple Songs is loaded with lovely computer animations for many cds, and just having the ability to see them with the Apple Songs app open is a damn embarassment.
While not a needed attribute whatsoever, it would certainly make me so delighted to see Android do the same right here, although I visualize applying it would certainly be harder. Apple Songs, Spotify, and Tidal all have computer animated cd covers, and they all have Android applications, so there would certainly be resources to draw from if Android ever before included real-time cd art work to the lock display. And hi, perhaps it would certainly motivate YouTube Songs to lastly jump on the computer animated cd art work train.
Making use of factors for in-person mobile repayments

I’m a huge charge card individual, with money back and directs spread throughout several various cards and accounts. However typically, I never ever believe to retrieve my charge card incentives, so they usually rest ignored for months (otherwise years) each time.
iphone 26 presents the capability to promptly retrieve your money back/points when making use of Apple Pay face to face, which I assume is superb. While I conserve my Chase and Amex factors for traveling redemptions, it would certainly be fantastic to spend for coffee or lunch utilizing my Discover or United States Financial institution money back. It’s a reasonably tiny attribute and one I undoubtedly would not utilize regularly, yet it would certainly still be fantastic to see Google Budget on Android use something comparable.
Excellent musicians replicate …
Robert Triggs/ Android Authority
As Picasso as soon as claimed in a quote Steve Jobs was notoriously motivated by, “Excellent musicians duplicate; fantastic musicians swipe.” Every person duplicates every person in the mobile technology globe, and it’s something we have actually seen time after time– whether it’s Apple duplicating something from Google or the other way around.
While I assume what we have actually seen of iphone 26 thus far greatly fades in contrast to Google’s Android 16 update (particularly, Android 16 QPR1), it is very important to offer Apple credit rating wherefore it solved with this year’s apple iphone software program. I’m absolutely not a follower of whatever Apple finished with iphone 26 (seriously, what is happening with Fluid Glass), yet I’m quite excited with the attributes stated right here– and I want to see them all make their means to Android earlier instead of later on.