Did Apple just rip off Google's Pixel AI?
At WWDC 2025, Apple took the wraps off iOS 26 and its brand-new AI features. If you watched the keynote with even one eye on what Google's been doing with Pixel phones and Gemini, you probably had the same reaction I did: 'Wait… haven't I seen this all before?'
Let's take a quick look:
Live Voicemail — Google Pixel's 'Call Screening' When you are getting a call from an unknown number, the AI assistant will pick up for you and ask the person the purpose for calling. Their answer is relayed to you, in real time, via a text that shows up on screen. So, you can decide whether to answer or not. Pixel's Call Screening was introduced in 2018 with Pixel 3.
Personal Voice Assistant on Calls — Pixel's 'Hold for Me' When calling a support line that puts you on hold, you can set your phone down. The AI will identify when an actual person answers your call and will notify you via ringtone. First introduced on Pixel 5 in 202, as 'Hold for me'.
Visual Look Up — launched with Samsung and Google phones as 'Circle to Search' Takes a screenshot of the screen and you can tap or circle objects to perform an image search (to find a product that you really like in a video, for example, or look up details through an event poster). Introduced in early 2024, first with the Galaxy S24 series, then the Pixel 8 phones.
As it says on the tin, Live Translation will translate between different languages right within a call. Both parties will hear the translator voice, so they know what is being said, when the sentence is over, when to expect a reply back.
First introduced by Samsung in 2024 with the Galaxy S24 series, then announced by Google at I/O 2025. Quite honestly, the tech is still a bit clunky and not quite there — I am curious to see if Apple manages to add some polish to it. Thankfully, there is a twist — it's all about how it worksWhere Apple is leaning in is privacy and on-device processing. The pitch is clear: most of these AI features will run locally on your iPhone (assuming you've got an A17 Pro or newer chip), powered by Apple's so-called 'Private Cloud Compute' when off-device work is needed.So what's the difference?Apple's Private Cloud Compute only sends data to servers when needed, and even then, the servers don't retain any personal information. Apple also promised open verifiability — meaning, in theory, security researchers will be able to audit how this system works.Google's Gemini/Assistant is primarily cloud-based. This is because Google does want to bring most of its AI features to all of Android, which means it just can't rely on hardware. We all know how many flavors of Android phones there are out there. Some tasks do run locally, but for full-featured Gemini, your data often goes to Google servers. Yes, Google promises strong privacy protections, but historically it's a more data-hungry model (because that's Google's business model).At the end of the day, though — from a user experience point of view — Apple is now shipping the same features that Pixel owners have enjoyed for years. If you're a die-hard iPhone user, it's great to finally get these tools. If you've been on a Pixel, you're probably thinking: 'Welcome to 2023, Apple.' Me? I'm just happy we are all getting cool stuff.
As mentioned above, Apple's big advantage is integration — these AI features are coming to all iPhones that support iOS 26 (with some limitations on older chips), so you will feel a certain level of polish across the ecosystem, whereas Android has that inherent unpredictability that's tied to multiple manufacturers having their own spin on hardware. Not exactly. If anything, I think it became perfectly clear (as if it wasn't already) that Google is well ahead in the AI game when it comes to useful smartphone tools and implementation.
But this does mark the start of a new phase: Apple went back to doing things that others have already done, but with a distinct Apple shine applied on top. If history teaches us anything, it's that Cupertino might use this solid base as a launching pad to make something truly unique and game-changing. At the very least, competition is about to heat up. Very, very fast. Secure your connection now at a bargain price!
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