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10 iOS 9 features Apple ‘stole’ from Android

Published Jun 9th, 2015 10:06AM EDT
iOS 9 Stolen Android Features

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You know the drill: every time Apple or Google announce major new updates for their operating systems, some people, including diehard fans of each platform, are quick to point out that some of the new features have been copied from the other side. Such is the case with iOS 9, which Apple just unveiled. iPhone fans will praise some of these new iOS 9 features as being unique and useful, but Android fans will still accuse Apple of having shamelessly copied them.

DON’T MISS: The 5 best new features in iOS 9

The fact is, everybody copies everybody. In fact, one can argue that Apple hasn’t just copied Android in iOS 9, but it also copied the functionality of several other apps and services with iOS 9, incorporating them into its own operating system.

Tech blog GottaBeMobile has highlighted the iOS 9 features that Apple copied from Android with iOS 9, including split-screen mode and multi-tasking for the iPad (already available on Samsung and LG phones), picture-in-picture video (Samsung’s Pop-Up Play), Spotlight suggestions (available in Google Now) and low-power battery mode (baked into Android since Lollipop, and added to Android independently by OEMs).

Also included on the list are Siri’s Proactive features (Google Now), the News app (similar to HTC’s BlinkFeed), Keyboard shortcuts, the new Notes app (Google Keep and other note-taking apps) and Apple Maps’ new transit features (already available in Google Maps, to an extent).

These features have been available on Android in one form or another for a while, the blog says, but iOS users will only get them once iOS 9 is released. You can check the full post at the source link below for more specific details.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.