iOS 19 is jerked to pack the most significant user interface overhaul since iOS 7, with a streamlined visionos-inspired design for iPhone. While I look forward to seeing what these cosmetic changes bring, I am far more interested in the changes Apple brings to iPhone’s functionality.
As a previous Android user, it’s hard to not see the influence that Google’s operating system has had on iOS over the years. But despite the fact that Apple has already brought a wealth of Android features to iPhone, such as Standard App Settings and Advanced System adjustments, there are still a lot of things that Android just does better. Here are a few software features that need to bring to iPhone.
1. Correct sound sharing
Whether I drive with a friend or take the subway with me, I like to share the same music queue to sync the mood. iOS has long supported audio sharing, but it is limited to AirPods and selects beats headphones. So my friend should be able to connect their earplugs to my iPhone to hear what I’m listening to, whether or not they use AirPods.
Conversely, my friend’s Android phone doesn’t care if I have AirPods or another brand of earplugs – it can stream music to both pairs of earplugs at the same time. It is a typical Apple ecosystem limitation intended to promote the company’s own devices. And even though I’m fully invested in Apple’s products, the restriction of my experience downgrades when a friend chooses another brand. It is annoying as there are no obvious technological limitations that prevent Apple from raising the function of all parties involved.
On Android phones, users can share audio, no matter what headphones they use ..
Foundry
2. Actual multitasking
Way back when I used to rock a Samsung Galaxy Note II with a 5.5-inch screen, one of the practical features I was actively trusting were the Split-Screen display that let me serve two apps at the same time. While I agree that smartphone screens are relatively small for multitasking, sometimes open two apps side by side for quick reference.
Today, Apple sells 6.9-inch iPhones with processors many times faster than the Galaxy Note II’s Exynos chip. Because of its complex philosophy, Apple refuses to bring Split View or even slip over to iOS. At least I wish iOS 19 would support Android-style floating chat bubbles so we could quickly open, answer and reject levitative chat while performing other tasks.
3. A better keyboard
While iPhone supports a wide range of third -party keyboards, none of them work as well as the one that comes with your iPhone, and it’s high time Apple added some overdue features to its storage keyboard. The most important thing I miss from my Android phone is the built-in clipboard, which allows you to store multiple excerpts of copied information, such as text and images so you can insert them into apps as needed. Meanwhile, iOS still restricts its users to a single copied item that is impractical for everyone except the simplest uses, and a pure software update can solve it. And while we’re at it, an optional number row for the standard keyboard is long too late.
4. Personally always-on-screen
Apple has finally taken most of the springs from the Home screen, locking screen and control center and lets users personalize them in all kinds. Despite this, the always-on-display function continues by simply mirroring the same setup on the lock screen. While you can customize it in very basic ways, such as turning off the wallpaper and hiding messages, you can’t do much else to customize it on your own.
Meanwhile, most Android phone brands allow you to always design views from scratch so they can add unique widgets based on their needs. For example, on Samsung Galaxy phones, users can change the clock, add their own wallpaper, set their own widgets and PIN memos for quick access. I would very much like to be able to do the same on my iPhone.
The options for iPhone’s always-on-display are very limited.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
In the era of powerful AI systems, Apple still still has no idea what it is doing in this domain. While Apple Intelligence is still struggling to deliver the most basic promises, Android phone manufacturers offer their clients impressive AI-Frynse benefits with built-in chatbots and powerful image creation tools.
With iOS 19, Apple has to take a more adventurous route and explore deeper AI integrations. Assuming the new Siri will arrive in September, the future update needs to move forward with how Apple Intelligence integrates with the phone-Android already has things like a built-in wallpaper generator, real-time interviews with Google’s Gemini Live and Advanced Photo Manipulation Tools, so Apple has a lot to do.
6. Category -based message system
With iOS 18, Apple tried to solve his message tube by trusting AI. Apple Intelligence can scan warnings, summarize them, surface priority and filter out the rest. While this is undoubtedly a step forward, it does not really solve the underlying core problem.
This is not the first time Apple tried to solve messages, but the solution is just below the nose: Android’s channels that share messages into granular categories that can be turned on and off individually. This would give users greater control over the warnings they receive and allow only the important things.
IPhone finally allows RCS, but Apple doesn’t make it trouble -free.
Petter Ahrnstedt
7. RCS that works with all
Apple elevated texting with RCS support in iOS 18, which brought iMessage features such as reading revenue, high quality media and more for green bubble conversations. Unlike Google, however, Apple adopted a carrier-dependent approach that required both service providers to support it to send and receive RCS messages.
While the majority of relevant US carriers are now compatible with RCS, international markets are still far behind. So even if your carrier supports the protocol, you still won’t be able to get the benefits of RCS when you text most of your international friends. Apple could address this by going opposite the Android path and relieving the service to its Sky Infrastructure, but it has made it clear that it does not. Instead, we are stuck with a subordinate service.
8. Charging Time Estimation
Android users have known exactly when their phones will hit 100% for years and we were hopeful Apple released a similar feature this year. A hidden iOS 18.2 Beta feature revealed that Apple is working on a new feature called Battery Intelligence that estimates how long it will take the iPhone’s battery to charge fully based on the battery left and the charger used. However, it did not appear in iOS 18.2, 18.3 or 18.4, and does not appear to be part of iOS 18.5.
Given that Apple has not officially announced the feature as part of iOS 18, it is difficult to predict when or whether it will actually realize, but we are hopeful that it will come in iOS 19. But Apple obviously took notice of Android phones that have offered a similar fringe for years and I hope Apple gets it right at the time IOS 19 debut.
When you charge an Android phone, you know how long it will take – that’s not the case with iOS.
Foundry
9. App Cache Management
This is a niche grab, but one thing I lovingly remember about my Galaxy Mini is how often I cleared certain apps cache because of the phone’s limited stock. While new iPhones are now offering at least 128 GB of storage, it may still be good to clear an apps cache.
E.g. Taking the Threads app on iOS less than 100 MB of storage for the app itself, but its cache data on my phone has surpassed 3 GB. The only way to recover this significant disk part is to delete the app and reinstall it. However, Zaps also Zaps you may have personalized or stored instead of simply cleaning unnecessary content. A simple “clear cache” button in iOS 19’s storage settings would solve this problem.