Apple’s WWDC 2025 was packed with innovation—but it also came with a healthy dose of catch-up. While Android users have enjoyed some smart features for years, iOS 26 finally levels the playing field, borrowing some of Android’s most beloved tools and giving them that signature Apple polish.
From smarter search to call screening and real-time translation, here’s a look at all the Android-style features making their way to iPhones this year.
🔍 Visual Intelligence (a.k.a. Circle to Search for iOS)
If you're familiar with Google Lens or the recent Circle to Search feature on Android phones, Apple's new Visual Intelligence will feel instantly familiar.
In iOS 26, users can:
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Take a screenshot or pause any app view
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Tap and hold to identify text, objects, places, or even unknown products
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Ask questions directly based on what's on screen
Powered by ChatGPT, this AI feature is deeply integrated into the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series, offering context-aware answers and enhanced visual analysis.
📞 Call Screening and Spam Detection—Finally!
For years, Google Pixel owners have enjoyed letting Google Assistant screen their calls, showing a live transcript before answering. Now, iPhones get their turn.
With iOS 26, iPhones can:
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Auto-answer unknown calls
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Ask for the purpose of the call
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Show the response in real-time on the lock screen
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Let you decide whether to take or ignore the call
Alongside this, iOS also introduces enhanced spam filtering for texts. Suspected spam messages will be routed to a dedicated “Unknown Senders” folder—muted by default so they don’t disrupt your day.
🌐 Live Translation Across the OS
Apple is also upgrading its translation game. With iOS 26, Live Translation isn’t limited to Safari or Translate—it’s now available system-wide.
You can now:
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Translate messages in real-time inside iMessage
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Get live subtitles during FaceTime calls
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Translate speech on the fly during phone calls
Android has offered similar features for years via Google Translate and Live Caption, but now iPhone users can enjoy seamless, multilingual communication without installing third-party apps.
🤖 Apple’s Catch-Up Game, But Smarter?
While iOS 26 brings features that Android users will recognize, Apple adds its own twist—with deeper integration, AI enhancements via Apple Intelligence, and a strong focus on privacy and user control.
It may have taken a few years, but with iOS 26, Apple users can finally stop asking, “Why doesn’t my iPhone do that?”
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