Android already has these 4 iOS 27 features - but I wish it'd steal these 2 next
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
I've been an Android devotee for more than 15 years. In fact, you might even call me a fanboy as I'm quick to point out the numerous reasons why it's the superior phone OS . Every year when Apple releases a new version of iOS, I'm the one saying, "Android did it first."
Now, fresh off the announcement of iOS 27 , it looks like my "What took you so long?" claims are true. Many of the flashy new iPhone tricks exist in some form in Android, and in some cases, users have had them for years. Still, I'm willing to put my fandom aside at times and admit some things are cool.
Also: The two biggest iOS 27 features at WWDC for me had nothing to do with Siri AI
Here's a look at four iOS 27 features that Android already has, and two I'd like Android to steal.
Perhaps the biggest upgrade in iOS 27 is Siri AI (which only newer devices can access , by the way). Apple touted the new Siri as a "profoundly more capable and conversational assistant" with "personal context understanding, broad world knowledge, and onscreen awareness." Apple said the AI can even pull context from emails and messages to take action across apps.
This capability feels like familiar territory for Android users. Google's AI, Gemini , has been around for several years and is now ubiquitous across Google products, including Android Auto . Gemini can handle conversations well, run actions across multiple apps, check your messages and email for context, talk about what's on screen, and more. In short, everything Apple is advertising.
Also: Will your iPhone support Siri AI? The answer is complicated
Over time, I think Siri AI will ultimately have a deeper ecosystem integration, given that Google doesn't control everything in the Android world, as Apple does with iOS. However, for now, Apple is just catching up to where Google has been for years.
Apple users are getting an AI photo-editing upgrade via Spatial Reframe, Cleanup, and Expand. The latter two features use AI to remove unwanted objects and people and enlarge the borders of a photo. The first feature lets you shift the angle or perspective of a photo.
Also: I'm a devoted iPhone user, but Android 17 is tempting me with its new video and social features
Android can handle a host of AI-powered photo edits, such as removing objects with Magic Eraser, expanding photo edges with Generative Expand , repositioning subjects within a frame, changing the crop, and generating missing backgrounds. While these capabilities started as Pixel exclusives, they became available to all Android users in 2024 . The one win here for Apple is that Android doesn't have a direct comparison to Spatial Reframe. I even tried asking Gemini to move the perspective a few feet, and it replied that it couldn't.
Source: ZDNet