How Apple’s iOS 26 and Google’s Android 16 will change our phones

For nearly two decades, smartphones have all worked pretty much the same, whether you bought an Apple iPhone or a smartphone running Google’s Android system. But cosmetic changes in new operating systems for each may represent the beginning of a greater split between iOS and Android. — The New York Times/Sisi Yu

For nearly two decades, smartphones have all worked pretty much the same, whether you bought an Apple iPhone or a smartphone running Google’s Android system: You have a grid of colorful apps that you tap on. But this year, Apple and Google are finally taking separate paths.

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. Google is doing the opposite with its newly released operating system, Android 16, which emphasises brighter, punchier colors.