GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
Even though I like to think of myself as a platform-agnostic writer, I end up spending a large portion of my tech life with Apple devices. The Mac is my preferred work OS (although I still use Windows), and my SIM card is primarily in my iPhone, though I use my Google Pixel 9a daily, with multi-device WhatsApp sync, messaging apps, and more.
I adore my Pixel 9a. It’s light, it’s small, it goes with me everywhere with ease, and the stock Android experience hasn’t let me down once. Every time I pick up my Pixel, I catch myself doing wonderfully ordinary things that my iPhone just won’t do (or won’t do as well).
And it’s not some complex five-step power-user automations either (though that’s certainly possible). Like with life, it’s about the little things. And those little things add up to a delightful experience that feels unthinkable the moment I pick up my iPhone.
What feature could you not live without on an iPhone? 47 votes Split-screen multitasking 26 % App Bubbles 11 % Open-source apps 28 % Default app choices 11 % Private Space 4 % Notification History 21 %
The sheer breadth of multitasking options
While the iPad now supports complex window multitasking, the iPhone still does not. You flat-out cannot run two apps side by side. On my Pixel, that just takes a couple of taps. Using 50-50 split multitasking on my little Pixel 9a is often a laughable experience, but I still appreciate having the ability to do so.
I really got into the Pixel multitasking experience after Android 16 added the 90:10 split. I’m a huge fan of pinning a second app to the bottom of the screen when I’m doing something else. This is usually a browser, or an AI app like Gemini/Claude. I also like using a 60:40 or 70:30 split, where I can keep a note or PDF open for reference. None of this is possible on my iPhone, but my Pixel handles it like it’s nothing.
Turning apps into floating bubbles
Android 17 introduced App Bubbles. Press and hold on an app icon, tap the Bubbles icon, and the app turns into a floating bubble. I can then drag the floating icon to any corner of the screen, and it stays there. Tapping the icon opens the full app in a floating window. This concept is not new; I remember using the Chat Heads feature in Facebook (and then in other messaging apps) way back in 2013.
... continue reading