How iOS 16 and Android 13 can change the future of smartphones

This story is part of WWDC 2022complete CNET news from Apple’s annual development conference.

Your smartphone will soon be even more closely connected with the non-digital aspects of your life. That is one of the main findings iOS 16 and Android 13, new mobile software updates coming later this year from Apple and Google. Both tech giants want to turn your phone into a digital wallet to store your legal ID and other necessary documents, bringing your phone closer to your identity than ever before. Companies are also continuing to improve the way phones communicate with cars, smart home devices and other everyday devices.

Both iOS 16 and Android 13 are full of improvements and new features, some of which are more important than digital wallets and faster connections (e.g. Apple Safety Check to protect victims of domestic violence and new Google privacy updates). But the overlap between the two operating systems underscores the changing role of the phone in our lives. Based on the latest announcements from Apple and Google, what’s happening around Your phone will be as important as what is happening on your phone.

The more intimately our phones are tied to everyday necessities, such as wallets, credit cards, cars, and home appliances, the harder it will be to move away from them (or switch between iPhone and Android). The concept is not new; industry has been moving in this direction for years. However, the changes in iOS 16 and Android 13 bring important improvements to the respective approaches of Apple and Google, which are likely to accelerate these efforts.

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Physical wallet exchange

The digital wallet was a major focus during the announcement of Apple’s iOS 16 and Google’s preview on Android 13. The most significant change is coming to Apple Pay is a new option called Apple Pay later, which divides the purchase cost into four equal installments over six weeks. With iOS 16, identification cards stored in the Apple Wallet can also be used to verify your age in applications. The addition comes after Apple first added support for digital IDs last year.

Google, meanwhile, has described the major overhaul in detail its Wallet application during her I / O conference last month, which brings her to the pace with Apple. The new Google Wallet will store personal documents such as credit and transit cards, vaccination records, boarding passes and student ID cards, similar to the Apple Wallet. Google also works with government agencies to promote digital IDs.

Together, the updates by Apple and Google represent another step towards their common goal of making physical wallets obsolete – a move that will inevitably make us even more dependent on mobile devices.

Google reiterated this ambition just before the detailed description of the new updates at Google I / O in May.

“Actually, there are only two things I can’t get home from today: my phone and my wallet,” said Sameer Samat, vice president of product management for Android and Google Play. “So the question is, can my phone replace my wallet?”

Corey Fugman, Apple’s chief executive officer for Wallet and Apple Pay, made similar remarks during Monday’s WWDC keynote.

“We are working hard with Apple Wallet on our goal to replace your physical wallet,” he said.

People have already embraced the idea of ​​replacing physical credit cards with smartphone-based payment applications. According to an eMarketer report from 2021, the use of mobile payment systems in stores such as Apple Pay is expected to exceed 50% of all smartphone users in the United States by 2025. Apple’s new Pay Later option and Google’s renewed focus on its own mobile wallet could make the idea of ​​leaving a physical wallet at home even more appealing.

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Your phone, everywhere

Exchanging wallets is just one way Apple and Google hope our phones will be more useful offline in daily life. Both companies also introduced camera-based smartphone tools that could make it easier to navigate real points of interest. Another important topic is the increased interconnection between mobile devices and home appliances, cars and speakers.

Both Apple and Google believe that the camera will continue to play a major role in how we communicate with the world around us. On iOS 16, you’ll be able to translate text into different languages ​​using the new camera option in Apple Translator. During his WWDC main presentation, the company demonstrated how it can be used to translate the entire restaurant menu into another language. You will also be able to track flights or convert currency by simply clicking on the text in the photo.

Google has shown ambitious extension of its application Lens on Google I / O called “scene explorer”, which basically applies its search capabilities to the real world. You would wave your phone’s camera across the product shelf and information and ratings would overlap on the screen to help you find the right choice. Google search manager Prabhakar Raghavan cited the possibility of finding nut-free snacks or odorless lotions in a stone shop as an example.

The design may vary, but the concept is similar. We are used to ordering food, taxis and household items by pressing a button on the phones. Now Apple and Google want to make our phones a critical part of these tasks in the real world, and the camera will be a major part of that.

Google and Apple have also refined their visions of how to turn our phone into a hub for other devices around us. Google explained how Android 13 would make your phone better connect to other devices with support for fast pairing, automatic audio switching between devices, and the ability to more easily sync messages between your phone and computer. That also revealed new split screen interface for Android Auto This should facilitate multitasking when you are traveling.

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Apple has simplified the HomeKit management process with a redesigned iPhone home application. But perhaps the biggest area where Apple plans to expand the reach of the iPhone is in the car. The company was teasing redesign of your CarPlay software which looks like an entire car operating system, complete with application icons, widgets, and other user interface elements that resemble an iPhone and Apple Watch.

A smart house and a connected car are not new ideas. Both have been an integral part of Apple and Google’s respective strategies for years. But iOS 16 and Android 13 explain how Apple and Google’s visions for these devices should communicate and interact.

As the smartphone becomes a link with everything from your credit card to thermostat and car, Apple and Google make its aesthetics more personal. When iOS 16 launches this fall, your iPhone will get it brand new lock screen with support for Apple Watch-style widgets and new photo effects for background images. Google is expanding its Material You with pre-built color sets that can be used throughout the operating system.

iOS 16 and Android 13 offer much more than just new wallet features, camera tools for scanning real-world objects, and improved connectivity. These updates not only signal how critical the phone is to our online and offline lives, but also show where the industry will go.