The final version of iOS
8 launched in September, while the finished Android L is expected any day now.
You don’t have to wait that long to check out Google’s new offering, however if
you’re running a Nexus 5 or 7 you can get the developer preview.
To run iOS 8 you’ll need
an iPhone 4s or later, or iPad 2, iPad mini or later; for Android L you’ll need
a Google Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 to get the developer preview, and it will roll out
to other devices soon.
Design
The design of iOS 8 is
mostly unchanged from that of iOS 7, which is no surprise as it was iOS 7 that
brought the major design changes. OS 8 has that ‘flat’ design, ditching all
signs of skeuomorphism for minimalism.
This year, it’s
Android’s turn for a bit of a design shake-up. Google has introduced a new
‘Material Design’ look for Android, which has also been offered to developers
for use in their Android apps. Android L brings more depth to the operating
system’s appearance using shadows, and also automatically generates little
patches of colour based on the content being displayed.
Additionally, there are
new animations and touch feedback, so the overall look and feel is both smooth
and responsive.
Notifications
In Android L, you’ll
find new, enhanced notifications. You’ll be able to get see them on your lock
screen, and they’ll be automatically listed in priority order. Swipe them away
to dismiss them, or you can double tap to open them in the relevant app.
Similarly, notifications
have improved in iOS 8. They’re now interactive, so you’ll be able to reply to
text messages, accept calendar invitations, snooze reminders and even Like
Facebook statuses you've been tagged in — all without having to leave your
current app. You can already swipe them to automatically go to the relevant
app, but you can’t yet swipe to dismiss them (that’s new).
Lock screen
As mentioned above,
Android L brings a new lockscreen to its devices. As well as being able to see
notifications, you’ll also be able to swipe up to unlock, right to launch the
dialler or left to launch the camera.
In iOS 8, the lockscreen
is as it was before. Simply slide right to unlock it or upward to access the
camera. There’s no quick way to access the dialler.
Multitasking
Multitasking in iOS 7
was already pretty good, but Apple has taken it a step further by adding recent
and favorite contacts to the screen when you double click the home button to
access the multitasking menu. These contacts appear in a handy list along the
top of your screen, to allow you to quickly call, text or get in touch via
FaceTime.
Android L brings
multitasking to a new level for its users, too. Now, open apps will appear as
cards in a carousel, which you can browse through by sliding up or down on the
screen. To close a particular app, simply swipe the card to the left or right.
What’s cool (and it’s
something that iOS can’t do yet) is some apps will show multiple cards
depending on how you’re using them. For example, if you’ve got multiple tabs
open in Chrome, you’ll see each of them as an individual card on the
multitasking screen.
Security
Google has introduced a
new personal unlocking feature that will enable users to unlock their
smartphone or tablet without entering their passcode, but only when
they’re close enough to a device such as an Android Wear smartwatch.
Apple has its Touch ID fingerprint
sensor, which is built-in to the home button of the iPhone 5s. In iOS 7, it was
only able to unlock the device or be used instead of entering Apple ID details,
but this will be opened up to third-party developers with iOS 8— so users will
be able to use their fingerprint to access other apps such as banking
applications.
The wealth of new
security features in both Android L and iOS 8 won’t be available to everybody,
of course. If you don’t own an iPhone 5s or an Android Wear smartwatch, you won’t
be able to use them.
We don’t yet know
exactly how Android L and iOS 8 will affect the battery life of the devices
they’re running on, but both let you identify how individual apps are draining
power, and to make improvements based on their consumption. Android L has an
additional battery saving mode, which iOS 8 doesn't.
Google claims that the
new battery-saving mode bundled with Android L will give the Nexus 5 about 90
minutes more battery life.
New Developer Features
Both Google and Apple
have added some new tools for developers that could mean lots of exciting new
abilities will arrive on Android and iOS devices soon. It’s particularly
surprising that Apple has opened up iOS to developers — as it’s a company that
has always been known for its closed nature.
Apple has introduced
what it calls Extensibility, which basically means that apps in iOS will be
able to ‘talk to each other’ like never before. For example, using Action
extensions, Safari could gain a Bing translate feature, taking advantage of the
Bing app’s capabilities. Or, Safari could gain a Pin button for Pinterest users
if that app is installed. The possibilities here are endless, and extremely
exciting for iOS users and developers.
Another element of
Apple’s extensions is ‘Today extensions’ which are actually widgets that can be
chosen to appear in the Today view in iOS 8’s Notification Centre. Android has
had home screen widgets for a long time, so Apple is bringing itself in line with
its biggest rival with this feature.
Widgets and other extensions are much more
restricted in iOS 8 compared to those in Android, though. Apple is keen to keep
its OS secure and, historically, didn't allow developers to release apps that
were just widgets or keyboards. For the first time, iOS 8 allows users to
install third-party keyboards.
Google has added several
new features in Android L for developers, such as direct links to apps from
Google searches carried out using Chrome (something that’s already been
available for a while, but only for a select bunch of developers).
Apple used last year’s
iOS 7 to first introduce 64- bit compatibility to the operating system, and
that continues with iOS 8. For Google, however, Android L represents the first
time the operating system has been compatible with 64-bit devices.
We expect to
see many more smartphones and tablets with 64-bit chips to emerge in the coming
year. This should mean speedier and smoother performance, and a big power boost
for Android devices.
Health and Fitness
Both Apple and Google
have unveiled fitness and health-tracking platforms for their OS updates.
Apple’s offering is called Health kit, which works with the new Health app;
while Google’s is called Google Fit for Android.
Both have similar
purposes: they’ll help you keep an eye on your health and fitness thanks to the
sensors on your mobile or wearable devices, and also some input from you.
Healthkit and Google Fit are platforms for developers to take advantage of, but
Apple’s Health app is a bit like Passbook, pulling together data from other
health and fitness apps into one, easy-to-access place.
Hey, Siri; OK, Google
There’s no doubt that
Apple’s new ‘Hey, Siri’ trigger to activate the voice assistant hands-free, is
a feature borrowed from Android’s ‘OK, Google’ activation for Google Now.
However, this works only if the device is running on external power or if Siri
is already open.
Plus, in a similar way
to Google Now, Spotlight in iOS 8 will let you search more than just the
contents of your phone, including the App Store, iBooks Store, Wikipedia, Maps
and iTunes. It’ll also display local film times and friends’ trending news.
Handoff
Also new in iOS 8 is
Handoff, a feature that's going to be a huge bonus for anyone with multiple
Apple devices. It’ll mean that, if you've been writing an email on your way
home and have just got in the door, your Mac will automatically ask whether
you’d like to continue writing it using OS X instead. It’s not just for emails,
either. Most Apple apps that work across both OS X and iOS will work with
Handoff. You’ll also be able to pick up calls on your Mac, and see all of your
text messages, even if they’re not part of iMessage.
Some of these features
are available for Android, too, although third-party apps are required, and
it’s not all quite as seamless or refined as Apple’s Handoff. If you own a
Chromebook, Android L will automatically unlock your laptop when your
smartphone or tablet is close by, and notifications will appear on both your
laptop and mobile device.
CarPlay and Android Auto
With Android L Google
has introduced Android Auto, which is similar to Apple’s CarPlay feature
unveiled with iOS 7 last year. They are both very similar services, using your
smartphone to offer you information and controls on your dashboard, including
maps and music.
Compatibility
Another factor to take
into consideration when comparing these two updates is compatibility. iOS 8
will be able to run on the iPhone 4s or later, the iPad 2 or later and both
generations of iPad mini.
Those with Android
devices might have more trouble getting their hands on Android L straight away.
If you own a flagship phone or tablet from Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony, Motorola or
any other big name brand you should get the update quite quickly. Anyone with a
Google Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 should get access to Android L right away.
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