What’s happening
iOS 16 and Android 13 both come with new features that aim to replace your physical wallet and improve connections with smart home gadgets and connected car interfaces.
Why it matters
The updates underscore Apple’s and Google’s shared vision to make our phones more essential in everyday life.
Your smartphone is about to become even more closely tied to the nondigital aspects of your life. That’s one of the main takeaways from iOS 16 and Android 13, the new mobile software updates coming later this year from Apple and Google. Both tech giants want to turn your phone into a digital wallet for storing your legal ID and other essential documents, pushing your phone closer to your identity than ever before. The companies also continue to improve the way phones communicate with cars, smart home gadgets and other everyday devices.
Both iOS 16 and Android 13 are filled with tweaks and new features, some of which are more important than digital wallets and speedier connections (like Apple’s Safety Check tool for protecting domestic abuse victims, and Google’s new privacy updates). But the overlap between the two operating systems underscores the phone’s changing role in our lives. Based on Apple’s and Google’s latest announcements, what’s happening around your phone will be just as important as what’s happening on your phone.
The more intimately our phones are tethered to daily essentials like wallets, credit cards, cars and home appliances, the harder it’s going to be to move away from them (or switch between iPhone and Android). The concept isn’t new; the industry has moved in this direction for years. But the changes in iOS 16 and Android 13 bring important refinements to Apple’s and Google’s respective approaches that will likely accelerate such efforts.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/what-ios-16-android-13-tell-us-about-future-smartphones/
