5 Android 17 Features Apple Needs to Add to iOS 27

Google is set to release the official Android 17 update for supported Pixel phones by the end of June, after several months of beta testing. The company outlined many of Android 17’s key features during a keynote ahead of Google I/O 2026, where it introduced Gemini Intelligence, its latest AI initiative for Android. On the other hand, Apple’s iOS 27 is also expected to be unveiled soon at WWDC 2026. Apple is rumored to be making overall stability improvements to its upcoming iOS version, as well as Apple Intelligence, with the new Siri update being the flagship feature. Notably, Apple won’t roll out all new features from the start.

The company will continue to release updates with each new iteration of iOS 27. This gives Apple enough time to borrow interesting features from Android 17 to introduce on iOS 27. Android 17 has many useful features that improve the smartphone experience. So we’d love to see some of them come to the iPhone via iOS 27. Of course, a few features might even be reserved for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and the foldable iPhone. Since both companies take inspiration from each other when it comes to design and features, here are some Android 17 features that we hope will make their way to iOS 27.

Apple announced Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024, introducing a new AI-powered assistant that can understand user context by accessing iPhone app data and performing tasks on the user’s behalf. Apple failed to realize this vision with iOS 18, proposing a plan to improve Siri until 2026. With 2026 now here, iOS 27 should deliver this experience. Google, on the other hand, has gradually added several Gemini-based features to Android. Fast forward to Android 17, and Gemini Intelligence appears designed to go beyond Apple’s original vision for Apple Intelligence.

Gemini Intelligence isn’t just about talking to an AI-powered assistant, like Gemini Live. Instead, it’s as if AI is integrated into the operating system to deliver intelligent features when you need them. One of the key features of Gemini Intelligence is the ability to automate tasks that might otherwise require the use of multiple applications. For example, users can ask Gemini to purchase concert tickets for an upcoming show or plan a trip based on information in a photo in a brochure. You can delegate these tasks to Gemini once the feature is deployed.

It’s unclear whether Apple Intelligence will be able to offer such automation tasks in iOS 27, but the revamped Siri assistant should behave more like a standard chatbot. Google is also adding AI features to Chrome on Android, which can offer automations related to Internet browsing, such as summarizing articles, placing orders on e-commerce sites, and making appointments. Similar Apple Intelligence integration in Safari and throughout the UI could help.

Android 17 will introduce generative UI features to Android, something Apple should also consider for the iPhone. With this, users can create custom widgets by combining existing widgets or designing new ones. The feature is part of Gemini Intelligence and uses AI to create a tailored, app-like experience. It’s not exactly telling the AI ​​to code a new app for you, but it’s the kind of feature that will allow users to create more useful widgets than those available in apps.

The Create My Widget feature allows users to tell the AI ​​what type of widgets they want in natural language. There is no complicated menu of options to select from. Custom widgets can also appear on other devices signed into the same Google account, not just on an Android phone. For example, a Wear OS smartwatch might display very specific information from a weather app in a widget, rather than providing the user with the full weather data.

Creating custom widgets on iPhone could be just as simple, allowing users to create more complex tools that can present specific information. Rumors indicate that the Shortcuts app in iOS 27 can create such shortcuts and automations through natural language, but there is no information yet on the ability to create custom widgets.

One of the best features of Gemini Intelligence that Google showed off during its Android 17 keynote is a new way to autofill forms. Smart Autofill (Autofill with Google) is another feature that iOS 27 is expected to adopt for iPhone users to make form filling easier. The example presented by Google involved filling in personal information when booking a new flight with a new airline, including passport details. The app would feature an AI button that would allow the AI ​​to complete the form with information extracted from a photo of the user’s passport.

The AI ​​understands the context of what the user is doing in an app and accesses information on the device, including the contents of gallery photos. For example, Gemini can extract information such as your passport number, its validity, full name, etc. from a photo of your passport. It can also recover data from other Google apps, such as Gmail and Drive.

Apple is expected to offer a similar feature for the iPhone, allowing Siri or revamped Apple Intelligence to fill out forms based on data already available on the device or through its own proprietary apps like Apple Wallet and Mail.

Android and iPhone phones already allow users to dictate messages, a feature that can be useful in scenarios where hands-free phone interactions are preferred. Gemini Intelligence introduces an enhanced voice-to-text experience that uses AI to enhance dictated messages. Rambler can remove repetitions and corrections from spoken language, as well as the inevitable “ums” and “ahs” that appear in natural speech. The feature cleans up the spoken message to make it look like it was typed.

Rambler can also recognize and understand multiple languages ​​during dictation, and fine-tune dictated text messages combining multiple languages. You can also use it to add emojis. The Siri redesign should support better voice interaction in iOS 27, including dictation for various chat apps. However, a feature like Rambler could be useful, as it would allow the user to quickly send voice messages to friends and family, as the AI ​​would remove unnecessary content that may appear when using dictation.

iOS’s Screen Time feature can help you reduce the time you spend on specific apps and manage screen time for younger iPhone users in your family. At the same time, Focus Modes can help you reduce distractions when you’re at work or in other settings by turning off notifications from specific apps and contacts. Despite these features, the iPhone could additionally benefit from a feature similar to Pause Point, which Google introduced with Android 17.

The operating system will detect when the user opens an app that it has marked as distracting and will start a 10-second pause that allows the user to decide whether they want to open the app or do something else. The Pause Point screen has a “Do Not Open” button that the user can press to prevent the application from being used. The feature can be useful for reducing catastrophic scrolling habits, while also suggesting apps that may be more useful, like fitness apps and reading books. Finally, Pause Point can be set to restart the phone before the pause ends – an extra break that might convince you not to use a distracting app.