First of all, a warning. This is an article that mixes information with opinion and one thing is clear to me that, I think, a majority of us can share: neither Android is better than iOS, nor is iOS better than Android. My years using both lead me to think that everyone decides based on their preferences (sometimes small details), but Things are very different from what they once were. when it did seem that Apple’s system was positioned a few steps above Google’s.
That said, there is something that seems to overvalue the iPhone lately and that is that What were once key differences between iOS and Android tend to disappear. The arrival of sideloading to iOS with alternative stores to the App Store and downloads via the web, the opening of NFC or the expansion of web browsing engines are proof of this. And another great similarity may soon be added with the arrival of artificial intelligence in iOS 18.
iOS changes at the initiative of its new CEO: the European Union
This idea that it is Europe that really makes the decisions at Apple is really a recurring joke in recent times among those of us who dedicate ourselves to following the company’s news. However, it hides some truth. It has been a long time since the apple company has been losing its reputation as a closed company (its presence on GitHub is a declaration of intent). However, some of the recent changes do not exactly come of their own initiative.
The company run by Tim Cook (he is really the CEO for all intents and purposes) has already had to mark a where did I say I say, I say Diego. Probably having to swallow a lot of saliva. One of the first big changes was the adoption of USB-C on the iPhone. It’s not that Apple hated it, since in fact it was one of the first companies to work on its development and has been implementing it for years on devices like MacBooks or iPads.
That the iPhone spent a decade anchored in the Lightning, even with all its inconveniences, made us predict that Apple did not want to make a change until it had its own solution that made a difference. The iPhone without ports has become very popular. The fact is that in the end European legislation forced them to make the move to USB-C and the iPhone 15 were the first to incorporate it.
The last thing has been everything that has triggered DMA. They are the acronym in English of the already famous Digital Markets Law and that with its measures to avoid monopolies has forced Apple to favor some changes that were not at all in the company’s plans. Allowing apps to be installed that do not come directly from the App Store is surely the most notable.
All this places iOS and Android as two systems with very similar permissibilities. Of course, they are not identical. In fact, in many points they are still somewhat far away, such as that on Android you can install any app in APK format via the web by simply granting the appropriate permission in the system, while on iOS you can only execute downloads that, although via web, have been permitted by Apple itself.
My opinion about all this is that giving the user as many options as possible is always a positive thing. Always warning of everything it implies for good and bad, but that each one then makes their decision having all the cards on the table. Therefore, the fact that it has arrived by legal imperative and only in Europe is something that bothers me, since I would have preferred that all this came years earlier as it already happened in macOS, with Apple itself being able to design all the mechanisms in the best possible way. In any case, welcome.
Artificial intelligence, Apple’s next similarity with Android?
Not that AI is a feature of stock Android, but it is There are already several manufacturers betting on integrating Google AI into their Android layers. The example of the Samsung Galaxy S24 is good proof, with functions that, although adapted, are based on Google models to integrate functions of all kinds such as surrounding an element of a photo to search for information about it or automatically transcribing telephone conversations in another language.
Apple carries out its own advances in generative AI in secret, although it has not yet been ruled out that it chooses to integrate Google’s in a mixed or partial way
From Apple it is known that we will see a lot of AI this year, with iOS 18 being the main beneficiary. And although there is little certainty about what functions they will add and whether or not they will resemble those of other manufacturers, the latest indications point to similarities with Android layers such as Samsung’s. While it is true that Apple has been trying to advance in this area for years, has bought some related startups and has even presented MM1 this week as its multimodal model, there are also more pessimistic omens.
And these days we have also learned that there are conversations between Apple and Google over Gemini, initially discovered by Bloomberg and confirmed by other important media such as The New York Times. The idea, some analysts suggest, would be to integrate part of Google’s AI model into the following Apple operating systems. It is not known whether fully or partially. Or if it will simply be for the search engine.
The fact is that there are those who They point out that the Apple model is still far from its competition, currently led by OpenAI and Microsoft, followed precisely by Google. It is also with the OpenAI signature that it is suggested that Apple had conversations prior to those with Google, although it does not seem that they came to a successful conclusion.
The only thing that is known with certainty is that there is no certainty of knowing anything. It sounds strange and even not very optimistic. It depends on how each person wants to see it. The only certainty is that it will be at WWDC 2024 where all the details of Apple’s AI will be revealed and, if it is finally Gemini’s, we will have another more than reasonable resemblance to Android.
The reflection, can you still have an iPhone other than Android?
Yes and up to a thousand times yes. Although there are still differences in the interface and other configuration elements, also due in part to all the existing Android layers, the truth is that You can even ignore everything new that comes to the iPhone that reminds you of Android. There are affiliations of all kinds, respectable of course, although certainly exaggerated in some cases.
It is not my intention to single out anyone in particular. Jobs freed me from it. However, there are quite a few catastrophists from both sides that I have read and heard in recent months, especially about sideloading in iOS.
Image generated with DALL-E 3
I understand that privacy is an important incentive in an Apple product and one that the brand is a good defender of. While there is no single insurmountable system, Apple has done a lot to protect the user against data misappropriation or malware entry. That is why I understand the fear of downloading external apps. Now, there is a review process by Apple with which they continue trying to safeguard the user even in alternative stores.
Apart from certain economic requirements that keep away possible malware threats, Apple will also ensure that stores comply with basic requirements in terms of reliability, good operation, zero deception in descriptions and, of course, full protection of the device and the user. Certain content that is also inappropriate in the App Store will even be avoided, such as pornography or all those apps that encourage hatred or violence against others or themselves.
Nobody will force us to download apps that we don’t want and it seems unlikely given the conditions that a regular app from the App Store will go to an alternative store
Still, there is a power above that of Apple and the European Union: ours. It is up to us whether or not to download third-party content. I previously commented on my positive opinion about this and in years of using Android I have never experienced problems with external APKs if they are downloaded from trusted repositories. Also having Apple monitoring, I feel even more confident. Now, no one will force us to download anything we don’t want or are not sure about. You can even restrict these downloads from alternative stores in the settings. And by proxy, you can even not install anything from the App Store and just stick with what is native to iOS. There each one for one thing and for the other.
Likewise, I don’t want to be overly optimistic either. Despite positioning myself more in favor of free choice than anything else, I also believe that there is still potential for danger in third-party stores. Yes, Apple will review them, but it also reviews those from its own store and, although very exceptionally, something has slipped in in recent years. Yes, very specific cases, but there have been some.
Third-party stores will ultimately have their own requirements with other developers and, no matter how much Apple reviews the store’s generic, in the end the details are up to the owners of each store. Therefore, here there is extra work at Apple to, as always, try to cover all possible vulnerabilities in the system to prevent them from being exploited. The importance of always updating iOS makes more sense than ever. In fact, updating to iOS 17.4 is already important because of the security patches they implement.
Likewise, being very similar to Android, whether you like it more or less, whether due to legal imposition or not, is something tricky for Apple and even for Android. At the end of the day, both systems have coexisted with their own exclusivity, which is what has tipped and continues to tip the balance in the user’s choice. If the intention of any of the parties is to equalize it, there is a risk of indifference.
Cover image | Álvaro García M. with DALL-E 3