The Apple iPhone has its own charms, but it also has some drawbacks. Ask any Android user and they probably have a list of what their iPhone is missing. Compared to Android, an open platform, Apple is more conservative when it comes to adapting to new technologies.
Here are five features Apple should copy from Android immediately to make the iPhone and iOS even more practical.
Note that these are mostly software-centric features and Apple can enable them with just a software update. This means Apple can bring these features to older iPhone models via iOS 17, not just new ones.
Most Android smartphones now have a magic eraser tool (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
magic eraser
This is currently a common feature on Android devices for Samsung, Google, and Vivo smartphones. With the ability to remove unwanted objects and people from your photos in just a few steps, your images will be ready for social media in no time. With iOS 16, you can clearly remove the full background on your iPhone, but there is no Object Eraser at this time.
Split screen allows users to access two apps at the same time (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
app split screen
Android smartphones are better at multitasking than iPhones. Multitasking has improved to some extent on the iPhone 14 Pro with dynamic islands, but Apple still doesn’t allow users to open two apps at the same time in split screen mode. Apple should at least allow split-screen multitasking on big-screen iPhones like the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
You can uninstall some system apps on Android smartphones (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
Uninstall system apps
Given that modern Android smartphones do not allow users to uninstall some Google apps, and some phones running on custom Android versions do not even allow third-party apps to be uninstalled, this is to some extent It’s a controversial statement. Apple allows users to remove some of its system apps, and starting with iOS 17, users can remove all system apps and replace them with third-party versions. should provide users with more functionality.
Android users can easily sideload apps (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
App sideloading
This is another user-requested feature that Apple has denied, citing potential security implications for the iPhone. By allowing users to sideload apps, users have more freedom to enjoy apps and games from external app stores, making the iPhone even more open.
Improved file manager for Android phones (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
better file manager
The iPhone Files app has very limited functionality when compared to its Android counterparts. Not only that, but the user cannot access all the content stored on the iPhone from her PC or laptop. A good file manager allows users to easily share content between devices.