Apple usually doesn’t give Android the time of day, but that’s not stopping the company’s Swift coding language from expanding over to Android app development. Android apps are generally coded in Kotlin, but Apple is looking to provide its Swift coding language as an alternative. Apple first launched its coding language back in 2014 with its own platforms in mind, but currently also supports Windows and Linux officially. Swift has opened up an “Android Working Group” which will “establish and maintain Android as an officially supported platform for Swift.” A few of the key pillars the Working Group will look to accomplish include: 1) Improve and maintain Android support for the official Swift distribution, eliminating the need for out-of-tree or downstream patches 2) Recommend enhancements to core Swift packages such as Foundation and Dispatch to work better with Android idioms 3) Work with the Platform Steering Group to officially define platform support levels generally, and then work towards achieving official support of a particular level for Android 4) Determine the range of supported Android API levels and architectures for Swift integration 5) Develop continuous integration for the Swift project that includes Android testing in pull request checks. 6) Identify and recommend best practices for bridging between Swift and Android’s Java SDK and packaging Swift libraries with Android apps 7) Develop support for debugging Swift applications on Android 8) Advise and assist with adding support for Android to various community Swift packages.
Car makers are holding off from Apple’s CarPlay Ultra in favor of their own solutions, due to limited avenue to sell subscriptions to drivers from infotainment system and in-car services, along with design and UI challenges
Apple’s CarPlay Ultra faces a long road to becoming a widely-used feature, as car makers are pushing back on supporting Apple’s system in favor of their own solutions. Car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Polestar, and Renault have no interest to include CarPlay Ultra support in their vehicles. While Volvo is among those rejecting CarPlay Ultra, chief executive Hakan Samuelsson did admit that car makers don’t so software as well as tech companies. “There are others who can do that better, and then we should offer that in our cars,” he insisted. While design and interface discussions are the more obvious reasons for holding off from CarPlay Ultra, manufacturers also have another incentive. It is said that the infotainment system and in-car services are still a possible revenue source for car makers. This was one of the reasons why GM ditched CarPlay in favor of its own system in 2023, due to the potential to sell subscriptions to drivers. For some car manufacturers shying away from handing over control to CarPlay Ultra, they are stopping short of blocking Apple entirely. In most cases, the current limited CarPlay will still be offered, in tandem with their own systems. BMW insisted that CarPlay will be used in its infotainment system. Meanwhile, Audi believes it should provide drivers “a customized and seamless digital experience” of its own creation, while still maintaining CarPlay support.
Apple’s Swift coding language to add support to Android platform with focus on improving support for official distribution, determining the range of supported Android API levels and developing support for debugging Swift applications
Apple usually doesn’t give Android the time of day, but that’s not stopping the company’s Swift coding language from expanding over to Android app development. Android apps are generally coded in Kotlin, but Apple is looking to provide its Swift coding language as an alternative. Apple first launched its coding language back in 2014 with its own platforms in mind, but currently also supports Windows and Linux officially. Swift has opened up an “Android Working Group” which will “establish and maintain Android as an officially supported platform for Swift.” A few of the key pillars the Working Group will look to accomplish include: 1) Improve and maintain Android support for the official Swift distribution, eliminating the need for out-of-tree or downstream patches 2) Recommend enhancements to core Swift packages such as Foundation and Dispatch to work better with Android idioms 3) Work with the Platform Steering Group to officially define platform support levels generally, and then work towards achieving official support of a particular level for Android 4) Determine the range of supported Android API levels and architectures for Swift integration 5) Develop continuous integration for the Swift project that includes Android testing in pull request checks. 6) Identify and recommend best practices for bridging between Swift and Android’s Java SDK and packaging Swift libraries with Android apps 7) Develop support for debugging Swift applications on Android 8) Advise and assist with adding support for Android to various community Swift packages
Google virtual try-on app lets users not only virtually “try on” outfits but also see themselves in motion while wearing them in AI-generated videos
Google launched an experimental app that lets users not only virtually “try on” outfits but also see themselves in motion while wearing them. The new Doppl app from Google Labs builds on the capabilities of the AI Mode virtual try-on feature launched in May by Google Shopping, adding the ability to turn static images into artificial intelligence-generated videos. The dynamic visuals give users “an even better sense for how an outfit might feel.” Users can generate these images and videos by uploading a full-body photo of themselves as well as photos or screenshots of the items they would like to try on. “With Doppl, you can try out any look, so if you see an outfit you like from a friend, at a local thrift shop, or featured on social media, you can upload a photo of it into Doppl and imagine how it might look on you,” Google’s post said. “You can also save or share your best looks with friends or followers.”
Google Wallet starts rolling out Material 3 Expressive redesign in Android
Google Wallet is the latest first-party app to get a Material 3 Expressive redesign on Android in a simple modernization. On the homepage, “Wallet” in the top-left corner is replaced by the app’s logo to provide a nice balance with your profile avatar on the other side. The list of pass cards is a bit larger than before, while the “Archived passes” button is placed in a pill with an accompanying icon. Lastly, a large FAB (floating action button) is in use. The Recent activity page has been updated to place everything in containers, with the first and last cards featuring more rounded corners. Overall, this is a pretty straightforward Material 3 Expressive redesign for Google Wallet. In other Google Wallet developments, the web app picker in the top-right corner of every Google website recently added a “Wallet App” shortcut to wallet.google.com.
Apple is considering using AI models from Anthropic or OpenAI, rather than its own in-house models, to power a new version of Siri
Apple is reportedly considering using AI models from Anthropic or OpenAI, rather than its own in-house models, to power a new version of its voice assistant Siri. The company has talked with both of the AI firms and asked them to train versions of their models that it could test on its cloud infrastructure. Apple is in the early stages of considering this move, hasn’t made a final decision, and is still actively developing in-house models for use with Siri. The company currently powers most of its AI features with its own models and has been planning to use that technology for a new version of Siri that would be released in 2026. While Apple allows OpenAI’s ChatGPT to answer some web-based search queries in the voice assistant, Siri itself is powered by Apple. Adopting third-party AI models could allow Apple to offer Siri features that would be competitive with the AI assistants available on Android smartphones. It was reported that Apple aimed to bring an AI-powered upgrade of Siri to market in spring 2026, after facing delays and failing to meet its original goal of fall 2024.
Samsung’s One UI’s new feature to offer users proactive privacy and security alerts notifying them when apps access messages, microphone or camera when not in use
Samsung’s One UI 8 update is adding an “Alert Center” to its list of security features. The new feature comes as a more robust notification system, alerting the user to security flaws that can be easily addressed. This feature goes beyond the general cues seen in Android when certain apps have access to sensitive data, like your camera or microphone. Normally, a little green dot is visible in the top status bar, but Samsung wants to go beyond that with proactive alerts. The Alert Center will offer notifications for privacy and security alerts. Sensitive functions like the camera will be part of that system, alerting users if apps still have access to their camera when not in use. Further, notifications can notify users that certain apps were able to access messages or the microphone. The report also indicates that One UI 8 security alerts will include outdated software notifications, found malware, unsecured accounts, and reminders to set biometric security features. While Samsung has made One UI capable of preventing threats in a similar vein possible, the Alert Center looks like a further step in ensuring users ar keeping their devices tight to their chest.
Morgan Stanley research shows Apple Intelligence platform has been downloaded and engaged with by 80% of eligible U.S. iPhone owners in the last six months and has an above average NPS of 53
Consumers’ perception of Apple’s AI platform is more favorable than that of investors, Morgan Stanley said in a research note. Morgan Stanley said it found that the Apple Intelligence platform has been downloaded and engaged with by 80% of eligible U.S. iPhone owners in the last six months, has an above average net promoter score of 53, and is characterized by iPhone users as “easy to use, innovative, and something that improves their user experience.” “While much of the public critique of Apple Intelligence is warranted, and investor sentiment and expectations on Apple’s AI platform couldn’t be lower, our survey of iPhone owners paints a more positive picture,” Morgan Stanley said in the note. Since September, the share of iPhone owners who believe it is extremely or very important to have Apple Intelligence support on their next iPhone rose 15 points to reach 42%. Among iPhone owners who are likely to upgrade their device in the next 12 months, the percentage saying that about the AI platform rose 20 points to reach 54%, according to the note. Morgan Stanley also found that consumers are willing to pay more for Apple Intelligence than they were in September. Those who have used the AI platform are now willing to pay an average of $9.11 per month for it, a figure that’s 11% higher than the $8.17 average seen in September, per the note. While we don’t expect Apple to put Apple Intelligence behind a paywall until the platform is more built out, the potential long-term monetization of an Apple Intelligence subscription could reach tens of billions of dollars annually when considering a 1.4B global iPhone installed base, 32% (and growing) of US iPhone owners have an Apple Intelligence support iPhone, and users are willing to pay up to $9.11/month for Apple Intelligence,” Morgan Stanley said in the note.
Apple Store deploys LLM-based system to offer app review summaries that dynamically adapt, capture the diversity and accurately reflect user’s voice and the most up-to-date feedback
The App Store now offers review summaries in iOS 18.4, providing a high-level overview of user reviews while allowing for detailed exploration. This feature is powered by a multi-step LLM-based system that periodically summarizes user reviews. The aim is to ensure these summaries are inclusive, balanced, and accurately reflect the user’s voice, prioritizing safety, fairness, truthfulness, and helpfulness. This feature is a significant improvement over previous versions. Summarizing crowd-sourced user reviews presents several challenges, each of which we addressed to deliver accurate, high-quality summaries that are useful for users: Timeliness: App reviews change constantly due to new releases, features, and bug fixes. Summaries must dynamically adapt to stay relevant and reflect the most up-to-date user feedback. Diversity: Reviews vary in length, style, and informativeness. Summaries need to capture this diversity to provide both detailed and high-level insights without losing nuance. Accuracy: Not all reviews are specifically focused on an app’s experience and some can include off-topic comments. Summaries need to filter out noise to produce trustworthy summaries.
New York City subway riders to be able to add tap-to-pay OMNY transit card to Apple Wallet, joining SF’s Clipper, Washington DC’s SmarTrip and LA’s TAP card
Apple introduced support for dedicated transit cards in Apple Wallet six years ago, and it has since expanded to include San Francisco’s Clipper card, Washington DC’s SmarTrip card, Los Angeles’ TAP card, and Canada’s PRESTO card. New York City’s OMNY card will soon join the fun of Apple Wallet integration, according to the MTA. The MTA is set to phase out the MetroCard fully within the next year, requiring OMNY to be widely available and easy to use. Major updates involving the OMNY rollout include the launch of a mobile virtual OMNY card for normal commuters and students in Q4 2025 and new integration within the MTA app to manage your OMNY card. If things go according to plan, users will be able to add an OMNY card to Apple or Google Wallet in the coming months, just like in Washington, DC, and San Francisco.