Android and iOS are both mature operating systems at this point. Yet every year, the two take inspiration from each other, bringing new features and improvements that existed on the other’s platform for years.
iOS 27 is the latest example of this, bringing many of Android’s best ideas to the iPhone.
Borrowing good ideas is how the industry moves forward, and we, the end users, get a better experience for it.
So, iOS 27 adopting many of Android’s features is less about Apple copying Android and more about the industry learning from each other.
Still, these iOS 27 features prove that Android continues to inspire Apple.
Google loves iPhone users a little too much, and as an Android fan, I feel betrayed
Google is rolling out the red carpet for iPhone users while Android loyalists wait
Separate volume control
iOS 27 will allow iPhone users to unlink and manually set the ringtone, system sound, and alarm volumes.
In iOS 26 and older releases, adjusting the volume on the iPhone was an all-or-nothing affair. You had limited control, with the system alerts being linked to the ringtone volume.
This is a flexibility that Android has offered for a few years now, and one that Apple is finally embracing with iOS 27.
Android’s implementation remains superior and more flexible. You can adjust the volumes via an expandable panel, which can be triggered by pressing the volume button.
On an iPhone, you have to dig through the Settings menu.
Clipboard suggestions
On Android, when you copy text or take a screenshot, it automatically appears as a smart suggestion chip in the keyboard’s toolbar whenever you open a text input field.
It’s a small but useful feature that makes copying and pasting a breeze, as you no longer need to long-press and tap the Paste button.
Apple is adding a similar feature to iOS 27’s keyboard. It will surface recently copied content or screenshots as a clipboard suggestion for quick access.
This is a big usability upgrade, especially if you frequently copy and paste content across apps on your iPhone.
It’s also a feature Apple could have taken inspiration from years ago, given how long Android has offered it.
Custom passes in Wallet app
Google Wallet is one of my favorite Google apps for Android. True to its name, it has become my digital wallet, holding all my credit cards, loyalty cards, flight tickets, digital IDs, and other important passes.
The ability to create custom passes is another boon, as it gives you the flexibility to create passes for any purpose. Be it your gym membership card or a student ID.
Apple is also making the iPhone’s Wallet app more versatile with iOS 27 by adding similar functionality.
You can create custom passes of a physical card or ticket, either by taking a photo or entering the details manually.
If you heavily rely on your iPhone’s Wallet app, you will find this addition practical and useful.
Full-resolution shared albums
Google Photos is arguably one of the best cloud storage services for managing your photos and videos.
It makes sharing precious memories with friends and family a breeze with its shared albums feature. Even better, the invitee can add their own set of photos and videos to the same album.
More importantly, everything is shared in full resolution, and it works across all possible platforms: iOS, Android, Mac, and the web. So, it doesn’t matter what device anyone uses.
Apple has also offered a similar shared album feature in iCloud Photos for years, but it ships with some weird limitations.
Shared photos and videos are compressed and not shared in full resolution. Plus, only iPhone and Mac users could add photos to iCloud Shared Albums, completely excluding Android and Windows users.
Such limitations in 2026 felt unacceptable and a major oversight on Apple’s part. It appeared the company was ready to sacrifice the entire point of shared albums in favor of its walled-garden approach.
With iOS 27, Apple is taking a cue from Google Photos and addressing these iCloud Photos limitations for good.
Shared albums will support full-resolution sharing, and the invitee can add their own photos and videos even if they use an Android or Windows device.
For a company that prides itself on user experience, the poor sharing experience in iCloud Photos for years was unacceptable.
It’s good to see Apple finally addressing this issue, even if it had to take inspiration from Android to do so.
My partner asked why she shouldn’t get an iPhone 17 — and I blanked on a reason
I’ve run out of arguments for the first time
Live captions for videos
Android can generate captions for any video in real time, even if it does not contain any subtitles.
It’s a great accessibility feature that makes watching videos more inclusive and convenient when in a noisy environment or without headphones.
Apple is also adding a similar accessibility feature to iOS 27. Your iPhone can generate captions for any video, making spoken content more accessible.
Even better, iOS 27 can translate existing captions into another language. This is especially handy when viewing foreign-language videos, as you can follow along with the content without using a separate translation app.
This is another big accessibility feature that Apple is taking inspiration from Android for iOS 27. And it’s not a bad thing, since it’s a practical feature that improves user experience and accessibility.
Reframe photos with AI
In recent years, Google has heavily focused on adding AI-powered features to Google Photos.
Magic Editor is one such standout feature, allowing you to remove unwanted objects or reframe photos after they’ve been taken.
I frequently use Magic Editor to fix an off-center subject in a photo or remove unwanted people in the background.
Sometimes, I’ve also used its generative fill feature to expand a photo for better composition.
Apple is bringing similar features to the Photos app with iOS 27. One of them is Reframe, enabling you to reposition a subject within a picture.
You can move the subject around or use generative fill to expand the background.
Apple’s Spatial Reframing seems better than the simple reframe feature Google Photos offers. It will allow you to change the perspective of a photo rather than just shift the subject around.
Apple will also use Gemini’s superior AI model to improve its Cleanup tool, which should help it do a more convincing job of removing unwanted objects from a photo.
Local Lists in Apple Maps
To help explore a new area, Google automatically surfaces trending places, cafés, attractions, and other places nearby.
This makes it easy to quickly find places worth visiting without doing too much research or spending too much time on Google Maps.
iOS 27 will bring a similar feature to Apple Maps with Local Lists. Initially only available in the US, it will surface places and dining spots in the area you are exploring based on what’s trending.
If you have used the Explore tab in Google Maps, you will find Local Lists familiar. They both deliver the same goal: helping you quickly find great places to eat, drink, and visit wherever you are.
Good ideas don’t belong to one platform
For all the competition between Apple and Google, both companies take inspiration from each other. iOS 27 is further proof of that.
Still, separate volume controls, full-resolution shared albums, clipboard suggestions, and live captions — these features have existed on Android for years.
So, there’s no denying that Apple adopted them from Android, and to its credit, improved some of them along the way.
It’s just a reminder that both companies can come up with good ideas. And that, for all the media spotlight the new iOS 27 features will get, remember that many of them first appeared on Android.
