Apple unveiled iOS 15 and highlighted some of its best features at WWDC 2021 earlier last month. It wasn’t a complete overhaul, but Apple has added meaningful changes to iOS 15, such as new FaceTime features, Safari redesign, and more. The Cupertino giant recently rolled out the iOS 15 public beta, giving enthusiasts a chance to try out the new features. While most iOS 15 features are about tight integration with other Apple apps, here are the features you can replicate on your Android phone. So here’s a hands-on guide to get iOS 15 features on Android right now.
As you may already be aware by now, Android users have had most iOS 15 features in some form or the other through different apps. In this article, we will be rounding up all the apps you can use to get the new features Apple has added in the iOS 15 update on Android. That said, let’s get started with the list!
- Live Text Alternative – Google Lens
- Focus Mode Alternative – Digital Wellbeing
- Notification Summary – Daywise, Post Box, BuzzKill
- Apple Photos Memories Alternative – Google Photos
- Use Hide My Email on Android – Firefox Relay or SimpleLogin
- SharePlay to Listen to Music Together with Friends - Spotify Group Session
- Apple Maps AR Navigation – Google Maps
- Built-in Authenticator in iOS 15 – Authy
- FaceTime on Android
1. Live Text Alternative – Google Lens
Live Text is undoubtedly the most exciting feature introduced in iOS 15. The feature recognizes text in photos and lets users copy it to the clipboard, drag and drop it between apps, and more. In addition, Live Text makes it simpler for users to make a call from phone numbers, navigate to an address via Apple Maps, and more using images. Apple has also added visual search to Spotlight search on iPhones. You can see how Live Text works and learn how to use it via the linked article.
Download Google Lens from Play Store
With iOS 15, Apple has added a new Focus mode feature that helps users disconnect from their iPhones by turning off notifications from distracting apps. You can also set up profiles and set rules for focus mode to schedule work profile, much like OnePlus’ work-life balance.
Download Digital Wellbeing from Play Store
Notification Summary in iOS 15 groups notifications and delivers them at a time of your choice. While you can follow our linked guide to enable or disable Notification Summary in iOS 15, there are apps that bring similar functionality on Android. We have picked three apps that offer a notification summary at specific times of the day, and you can use one of these:
Daywise
Apart from these features, Daywise also offers insights on your phone usage and a social media timer to keep track of the time you spend on social media apps.
Post Box
BuzzKill
Download BuzzKill from Play Store (Paid, with in-app purchases starting at $2.49)
Hide My Email is a new feature that enables iOS 15 users to create email aliases if they upgrade to the iCloud+ subscription plan. This feature helps you protect your personal email address and sign up for online services using aliases. All the emails sent to the alias email address are automatically forwarded to your linked email address. You can choose to delete an alias at any time and stop receiving emails from an app or service. Here’s a brief explainer about what is Hide My Email in iOS 15 and how to use it.
One cool feature of iOS 15 is the deeper SharePlay integration to watch movies or play music together with friends over FaceTime. While you can’t legally stream movies with friends from any video streaming service on Android, you can host listening parties on Spotify or Discord.
7. Apple Maps AR Navigation – Google Maps
9. FaceTime on Android
So, that’s how you can get the best iOS 15 features on your Android phone right now. I know all these might not be as seamless as those Apple has implemented, but these are the closest alternatives we could find. Meanwhile, to learn what Google is preparing for Android users, go through our articles on the best Android 12 features and how to get Android 12 features on any Android phone.
