Gadgetory

we've been running the iOS 10 developer preview on an iPhone 6s for a little more than a day and we've had the Android and preview loaded on our Nexus 5x since its initial availability looks like it's time for a showdown gauging the state of betas between Apple and Google over the last several years we've watched these two mobile operating systems meet in the middle so to speak very generally speaking Android has been getting prettier while iOS has been adding deeper functionality now playing with iOS 10 it would seem that trend continues starting off with just basic navigation Google and Apple betas aren't like other companies Vedas while neither should be expected to perform at the same stability as a finished consumer facing release both Android and iOS 10 perform well with few lags or stutters a both phones now respond to gestures like being picked up we get a simplified high contrast view on Android which wakes to full color on a screen press Apple instead goes bright with the lockscreen giving you full color notifications and widgets iOS 10 now uses a slide to launch the camera without unlocking the screen we prefer this to the icon you had to hit on previous versions of iOS Android does have this icon to select here but the Nexus will fire the camera from a DoubleTap of the power button Apple has caught up significantly in how apps are recognized by iOS now so long as developers built-in support sharing options are greatly improved Google leads here though through necessity as phone updates are largely out of Google's control on most manufacturers handsets we've seen substantial parts of the Android OS moved to Google Play for more timely updates and bug fixes while neither operating system will let you completely uninstall core first party apps the iPhone might have a few more programs which can't be hidden or disabled it's curious that you can disable the calendar iTunes music and maps but news and health are completely untouchable pretty much everything is fair game to disable on the Nexus but we wouldn't expect that to hold true for manufacturer branded phones from the home screens it is kind of funny to see how both companies have arrived at a cards layout for at a glance updates to content you might be interested in and for navigating each interface Apple is pushing forward with more 3d touch enabled gestures which will help streamline interactions from lock screens and notification trays though in many ways this largely just makes up the deficit for only having a home button on the iPhone back in multitasking buttons on Android offer a different metaphor for navigation but one that's been well improved over successive generations of Android and just another funny difference while Apple beat Google in delivering true split-screen multitasking on the iPad that feature doesn't seem to have made its way into the iPhone and it's something we're stoked to see an Android n even on the smaller Nexus 5x screen looking at a few individual services Apple's messaging app is still King updates here provide richer content and more playful interactions but the ecosystem is very well refined for organizing instant messages and text from all of your contacts Google's still a bit all over the map with hangouts messages and will be adding a low-end duo to the mix as separate options Apple's photo app takes a big step forward in providing on device photo scanning and tagging for faster search and fun features like memories will sort your content and produce fun short movies to share with your family and friends but even on an iPhone Google Photos is still solidly ahead in delivering a prettier app with pinch to shift scaling and the assistant to produce your mini movie memories it should also be mentioned that the cloud backup for Google Photos is a bit more helpful in offering unlimited high-quality photo uploads while Apple's photo backup still depends on how much iCloud storage you pay for Apple music received a brilliant update in this beta simple big bold fonts for navigation reminds me a little of the classic zoom UI and simple tabs move you through new music discovery curated playlists and streaming radio though music loaded onto the phone from CD rips or from other downloadable services seems to lack album art and support for the new lyrics feature play musics interface is a bit busier moving options behind a hamburger menu panel but this app serves as a better catch-all incorporating podcasts and providing direct options for folks who still like to buy individual music tracks those last two points fulfilled by separate apps on the iPhone on a personal note though this isn't a problem many consumers will face but as a reviewer on over my limit of authorizations for play music for the second time and I'm kind of tired of fighting Google on letting me listen to my own uploaded tracks I've been using groove lately as its tied directly to my onedrive but I digress we'd be hard-pressed to find much difference between the news apps on both phones a magazine layouts lots of photography content pulling traffic from largely the same sources they'll both do you fine now Apple delivered some great updates to the iPhones mapping app but longtime Google Maps users will be well-acquainted with zooming during navigation with traffic reporting though the new layout for search and points-of-interest is very pretty lastly Siri is getting smarter while she still lacks the breadth of commands that Google now can perform she is starting to be able to chain commands and search strings once developers start incorporating her API it should be a fun race to see who produces better third-party app integration by contrast Google is pushing now throughout more of Android with now on tap long pressing the home button scans a screen and delivers contextual search results though we still long for the day when we're able to interact with apps entirely through voice commands so let's wrap this up this was a fun fight both Apple and Google are delivering welcome improvements to their respective platforms but it shouldn't come as any major surprise that we're seeing parody on a number of features both companies arriving at similar solutions when addressing similar situations which is to be expected given the maturity of smartphone computing still we see those slivers of individuality and how each company still manages their ecosystem and that's where this fight stays interesting which beta looks like it's on the better track to you hit the more info button on this video to vote in our poll as always thanks so much for watching be sure to subscribe to this channel for more coverage of iOS 10 and Android N and hit that thumbs up button for a little extra positive reinforcement for pocket now I'm Juan Carlos now you can chat me up on Twitter and Instagram as some gadget guy and I will catch you all on the next comparison tell me a joke