WWDC felt a lot like Google I/O in disguise this year, with Apple rolling out a parade of “new” features Android owners have treated as old news for ages. Sure, the fresh Liquid Glass aesthetic dazzled and Siri took a strategic break, but iOS 26’s headliners clearly graduated from the Pixel finishing school.
First up is Call Screening, a direct lift from Google’s 2021-era playbook. On the Pixel 7 you can already let Google Assistant fend off robocallers; beginning this fall, iPhones will automatically do the same, complete with a polite transcript while you sip your latte. Hold Assist tags along, freeing users from elevator music until a human finally appears—exactly what Pixels have done since 2020.
Apple also demoed live voice translation inside the Phone app, a capability Samsung baked into the Galaxy S24 in January. Don’t expect philosophical debates, but reserving a table in Paris just got easier on both sides of the smartphone aisle.
Screenshots are Apple’s new route to contextual smarts. Snap a screen with a date and iOS will suggest adding it to your calendar, or let you circle an image to search the web. Google Lens and Circle to Search have offered identical wizardry—minus the screenshot detour—since forever.
Even the camera UI couldn’t dodge déjà vu: iOS now sticks a simple photo/video toggle up front, mimicking the Pixel’s approach while hiding niche modes behind a swipe.
Imitation remains the sincerest—and funniest—form of software development, and in 2024 the copycat game is alive and well.
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