As two of the most widely used mobile operating systems, it’s impossible not to constantlydraw comparisons between iOS and Android. Sometimes the latest advancements are dually pursued on both sides, like we’reseeing now with satellite communication, while others, likeRCS messaging, only seem to find fans on one side of the aisle. We also see iOS and Android choose different paths for visual design, and even when Apple and Google are working on comparable features, each strives to retain a distinct visual identity. Earlier this month, Apple announced iOS 17, chock-full of fresh features, and it’s difficult to look at some of them — like the fun and functional new Contact Posters — without feeling Android-green with jealousy.
The root of our envy
In 2022,iOS 16ushered in an important design change on iPhones, with advanced lock screen customization options. You could add widgets to the lock screen for easily glanceable information, or even change the color and font of the applied wallpaper. The biggest change was a feature called Depth Effect, which worked best with Portrait mode photos. It used AI to place the lock screen clock in a layer between the image’s foreground and background, creating an interesting and unique wallpaper. Depth Effect also works with images from the web, and some stock iOS wallpapers, albeit not as reliably. Interestingly, you cannot use Depth Effect with lock screen widgets simultaneously.
Notice the clock hiding behind the cat’s ear(left); Lock screen widgets(right)
Now, Android used to have lock screen widgets back in 2012, with version 4.2 Jelly Bean. Even though the concept was perhaps ahead of its time, it’s been kept alive in spirit through third-party apps like KLCK, which can more than adequately mimic modern iOS, Depth Effect and all. But perhaps needless to say, the setup process here is a lot more complicated, and had its own disadvantages. Third-party lock screen apps also don’t work the best on Android skins with aggressive battery management like MIUI.
Call Background created on One UI using AR Emoji
Sometimes, though, phone manufacturers are the ones to come through with solutions, and features likeCall BackgroundsonSamsung’s One UI 5are ready to rival iOS — even if Google takes its sweet time brining something similar to stock Android.
A proper response from Android is still budding
In the name of customization, Android has supported stuff like changing corner swipe actions, the wallpaper, and on some ROMs, the clock placement.Android 14 Beta 3 arrivedearlier this month (almost an entire year after iOS 16) and delivers further changes, with various lock screen options like new clock styles and color customization. We see immense potential on the horizon, if Google keeps that momentum going. However, in another sense this is still catching up to the likes of One UI and Xiaomi’s MIUI, which have had comparable customization options for a while now. The lock-screen-designing geek in me despises Google for barely keeping up with Apple, and failing to cook up its own versions of the really cool stuff, like Depth Effect and lock screen widgets, from the get-go.
On the other hand, I’m in part very appreciative of the latest beta’s commitment to a design that’s uniquely Android. Outright copying a rival’s even admittedly impressive efforts is still rarely a good look, so it’s nice to see the freshness here with Google’s approach to home and lock screens with elements likeemoji wallpapers,AI-generated art, and wallpaper customization. Unfortunately, Apple has already announced iOS 17 with these captivating new Contact Posters — and I say “unfortunately,” because I now have a sinking feeling Android might just never match the homogeneity and overall “wow” factor of iOS here.
Contact Posters on iOS 17
WithContact Posters, Apple is redefining how you view and interact with your contacts. You can assign a photograph, Memoji, or color background to every saved contact, and customize the color scheme and display fonts. These full-screen posters show up for incoming calls, texts, and FaceTime calls. They are also integrated into the iOS 17 share sheets, and should work with third-party calling apps, like WhatsApp. With full screen previews, it’s easier to see who’s trying to reach you, even if you merely glance at your phone.
How will Google spin Contact Posters?
In contrast, Android has used the same drab incoming call screen foryears. Android 14 barely caught up to iOS 16’s lock screen flexibility a year later. Even if Google began working on a response to Contact Posters long before iOS 17 publicly broke cover, it certainly isn’t in the cards for Android 14, which is already deep into public beta testing. A baked-in solution would seemingly have to wait, at minimum, for a stable Android 15 release, which we will only see late in 2024.
Google sometimes seems to be in over its head with all its regular updates toMaterial You guidelinesand subsequently ensuring its bazillion apps conform. Yes, Material Design 3 is cleaner, and we love it, but it would be nice to see Android redefine what modern UIs look like, instead of justpainting every app iconin Google’s four colors andreinventing the wheel when it’s rolling along just fine. Incoming call screens are just one example — other elements, like the recent apps menu and the sprawling Settings app, are practically begging for a chance at reinvention and a taste of the simplicity we adore in iOS.
Every cloud has a silver lining, though. Google may follow Apple’s lead in the UI/UX department with a year-long buffer, but its engineers still remain imaginative and capable of originality with their work. Apple’s now pointing out another smartphone OS element that desperately needs an overhaul, and I’m hopeful Android will give us a similarly refreshing do-over sometime soon. It would be nice to see Material You design guidelines and Android’s visual identity combine to offer a new take on call screens which serve their purpose better, giving the contact image more importance over other elements.
The Apple vs. Android debate is a hornet’s nest that we’re never going to get tired of kicking, but the way I see it, Contact Posters are like lock screen customization options. Whether Android does an objectively better job will remain up for debate, but I have faith Google’s engineers won’t fail to create something great of their own out of attempts to imitate or outstrip Apple’s UI design.
There’s even hope for the impatient — things we envy today in iOS 17 may be a few years out on Android, but if you’re in a hurry, the latter’s ecosystem is chock-full of apps like KLCK which can spruce up your lock screen. That is,ifyou’re ready to put in the effort.
