July 25, 2025
CUPERTINO, CA – The interface for Apple iPhones and smart phones running Google’s Android system have long been similar. However, new operating system updates will lead to differentiation for the first time.
As reported in the New York Times and elsewhere, the changes are set to debut later in the year. “Apple’s next phone operating system arriving this fall, iOS 26, includes a transparent aesthetic mimicking the look of glass and making apps and buttons blend in with content on the screen,” writes Brian X. Chen, in the NY Times Tech Fix section. “Google is doing the opposite with its newly released operating system, Android 16, which emphasizes brighter, punchier colors.”
Tech watchers agree that iPhone and Google may also vary in their reliance on AI features, with Chen reporting that, Google is also leaning heavily into integrating Gemini, its A.I. chatbot, to automate tasks like writing emails, editing photos and creating shopping lists. In contrast, Apple has released a small set of A.I. features and has postponed the debut of a revamped version of Siri because of technical challenges, so the company is focusing on making its software interface look prettier.”
With most 20-somethings and 30-somethings doing their online shopping on smart phones, online sellers may need to pay even more attention to customizing the shopping experience based on operating systems. “Your technology experience may differ drastically depending on which type of phone you buy in the coming years,” Chen confirms. “With Google diving into the deep end of A.I., Android users will soon have phones that dig into their data to do lots of tasks for them…Apple phone users will get some nice-looking software with extra polish, which is more of the same.”
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