What happens

IOS 16 and Android 13 both feature new features that aim to replace your physical wallet and improve connections to smart home gadgets and connected car interfaces.

Because it matters

The updates underline the shared vision of Apple and Google to make our phones more essential in everyday life. Your iPhone or Android phone is going to connect even more tightly to the non-digital aspects of your life. This is one of the main access points for iOS 16 and Android 13, the latest mobile software updates from Apple and Google coming later this year. Both tech giants want to turn your phone into an e-wallet to store your legal identity, pushing your phone closer to your identity than ever before. Companies are also continuing to improve the way phones communicate with cars, smart home gadgets and other everyday devices. Both iOS 16 and Android 13 are packed with enhancements and new features, some of which are more important than digital wallets and faster connections (such as Apple Security Home Security and new Google privacy updates). But the overlap between the two operating systems underscores the changing role of the telephone in our lives. According to the latest announcements from Apple and Google, what is happening around your phone will be just as important as what is happening on your phone. The closer our phones are connected to everyday necessities such as wallets, credit cards, cars and home appliances, the harder it will be to get away from them (or switch between iPhone and Android). The idea is not new. the industry has been moving in this direction for years. However, changes to iOS 16 and Android 13 bring significant improvements to the respective approaches of Apple and Google that are likely to accelerate such efforts. Read more: iOS 16 lock screen upgrades make iPhone more like a Smartwatch

Replacement of the natural wallet

Google adds digital driving licenses to Google Wallet. Google; screenshot from CNET The digital wallet focused on both Apple’s announcement of iOS 16 and Google’s Android 13 preview. The most significant change coming to Apple Pay is a new option called Apple Pay Later, which splits the cost of a purchase into four equal installments over six weeks. With iOS 16, ID cards stored in Apple Wallet can also be used to verify your age in apps. The addition comes after Apple first added support for digital IDs last year. Google, meanwhile, described in detail a major upgrade to its Wallet app during last month’s I / O conference that brought it into contact with Apple. The new Google Wallet will store personal documents such as payment and transportation cards, vaccination records, boarding passes, and student IDs, as well as the Apple Wallet. Google also works with government agencies to support digital identities. Overall, Apple and Google updates represent another step towards their common goal of making physical wallets obsolete – a change that will inevitably make us even more dependent on mobile devices. Google reiterated that ambition shortly before detailing the new Google I / O updates in May. “Actually, there are only two things I do not leave home these days: my phone and my wallet,” said Sameer Samat, vice president of product management for Android and Google Play. “Well, the question is, can my phone replace my wallet?” Corey Fugman, Apple’s chief executive of Wallet and Apple Pay, made similar remarks during a WWDC keynote address Monday. “With Apple Wallet, we work hard to replace your natural wallet,” he said. People have already embraced the idea of ​​replacing physical credit cards with smartphone-based payment applications. In-store use of mobile payment systems, such as Apple Pay, is expected to exceed 50% of all smartphone users in the US by 2025, according to a 2021 report from eMarketer. Apple’s new Pay Later option and Google’s renewed focus on its own mobile wallet could make the idea of ​​leaving your natural wallet at home even more appealing. Read more: What WatchOS 9 can reveal about the next Apple Watch

Your phone, everywhere

Google’s new visual search tool describes products in detail on a busy store shelf. Screenshot by Stephen Shankland / CNET Wallet replacement is just one way Apple and Google hope to make our phones more useful offline in everyday life. Both companies also introduced camera-based smartphone gadgets that could make navigation in real-world places of interest easier. Another important issue is the increased interconnection between mobile devices and home appliances, cars and speakers. Apple and Google believe that the camera will continue to play a big role in the way we interact with the world around us. In iOS 16, you will be able to translate text into different languages ​​using a new camera option in Apple Translate. During the WWDC keynote presentation, the company demonstrated how it could be used to translate the entire restaurant menu into a different language. You will also be able to watch a flight or convert currency by simply clicking on the text in a photo. Google has introduced an ambitious extension of its Lens application called “scene explorer” to Google I / O, which essentially applies its real-world search capability. You would shake your phone camera on a product shelf and overlay information and ratings on the screen to help you find the right choice. Google’s chief search engine, Prabhakar Raghavan, cited the possibility of finding unsweetened nuts or unscented lotions at a natural retail store. The execution may be different, but the idea is similar. We are already used to ordering food, taxis and household necessities at the touch of a button on our phone. Now Apple and Google want to make our phones a critical part of doing this in the real world, and the camera will be an important part of that. Google and Apple have also improved their respective visions of turning our phone into a hub for other devices around us. Google explained how Android 13 would make your phone better at connecting to other devices with support for quick pairing, automatic voice switching between devices, and easier syncing of messages between your phone and PC. It also unveiled a new split-screen interface for Android Auto that will make multitasking easier on the road. Read more: A new Apple Watch SE sounds more exciting than the 8 Series. Here’s why Apple’s new CarPlay interface inspired by iOS. apple Apple has simplified the process of managing HomeKit devices with a redesigned home application for the iPhone. But perhaps the biggest area where Apple plans to expand the reach of the iPhone is the car. The company has introduced a CarPlay software update that looks like an entire car operating system, with application icons, widgets and other user interface elements reminiscent of iPhone and Apple Watch. Smart home and connected car are not new ideas. Both have been an integral part of Apple and Google’s respective strategies for years. However, iOS 16 and Android 13 specify how Apple and Google’s visions for these devices should communicate and interact. As the smartphone becomes the link to everything from your credit card to your thermostat and your car, Apple and Google make its aesthetic more personal. When iOS 16 is released this fall, your iPhone will get a brand new lock screen with support for Apple Watch widgets and new photo effects for background images. Google extends Material You with prefabricated color palettes that can be applied to the entire operating system. There’s so much more to iOS 16 and Android 13 than new wallet functionality, real-world camera scanning tools, and improved connectivity. These updates not only signal how essential the phone is to both our online and offline lives, but they also show where the industry is heading next.