Apple Finally Added These iOS 27 Features. Android Users Wonder What Took So Long
Apple Finally Added These iOS 27 Features. Android Users Wonder What Took So Long
https://www.pcmag.com/news/apple-added-these-ios-27-features-android-users-wonder-what-took
Publish Date: 2026-06-12 12:04:00
Source Domain: www.pcmag.com
CUPERTINO—We love a cheeky mention of a major Silicon Valley beef. There is none more famous and enduring than the one between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Some of it is made up, sure, and perpetuated by those of us keeping the rivalry alive. And then developer conference season comes in fast, bringing with it all the reminders of who is playing catch-up with whom.
This week at WWDC, Apple showed us how it reworked the entirety of Apple Intelligence and Siri from the ground up. Many of the features showcased during the presentation reminded me of abilities I’ve already been actively using on the Pixel 10 Pro with Google’s Gemini. At the end of the day, it’s good news that Apple Intelligence is leveling up, especially as the rest of the industry barrels full steam ahead into this current agentic era. But I couldn’t help noticing the similarities. Here are a few that stand out.
Natural Language Shortcuts
(Credit: Apple)
I got to demo Apple’s newest Describe a Shortcut feature at WWDC. It seemed all too familiar the moment I started pawing at it on iOS and iPadOS. Then I realized this feature follows much of the ethos behind Gemini’s “help me create” in Google Home, which offers ideas for automations based on patterns in your smart home usage.
However, Apple’s feature extends beyond the smart home. Because the company controls the hardware, the software, and the app-level APIs, it can daisychain all those bits together to offer a little more flexibility for automations that you can’t get on Android.
Faster Wi-Fi-to-Cellular Transitions
Apple says iOS 27 will enable “smoother handoffs” between Wi-Fi and cellular networks—that it will know when to log off your flight’s Wi-Fi once the plane has landed. iOS 27 does this by detecting weak networks or poor backhaul, then switching back to cellular without waiting for connectivity to time out.
Google has been honing Adaptive Connectivity for a few generations on the Pixel. One of the…
