Google jokes about Apple’s latest update

New Delhi: Google has become the latest tech company to mock Apple’s recently announced iOS 26 update, joining Samsung and Microsoft in criticising the company for introducing features that have existed on rival platforms for several years.

In a newly released advertisement, Google compares its Pixel 9 Pro with Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro, drawing attention to three key iOS 26 features that it claims are long-established on Android devices. The ad follows Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, where the company showcased updates, including a new “Liquid Glass” interface and a range of AI capabilities.

Watch the campaign film: 

The commercial presents a scripted exchange between two anthropomorphised smartphones. The iPhone 16 Pro boasts about the introduction of live translation in Messages, Hold Assist, and call screening in iOS 26. In response, the Pixel 9 Pro points out that similar features were available on Android devices years earlier, stating they were introduced “four,” “five,” or “seven years ago.” The ad closes with the iPhone asking about Pixel’s future plans, with the underlying suggestion being that Apple is only now implementing tools that have been standard on Android for some time.

Google’s advertisement focuses on three specific iOS 26 features. The first is live translation in Messages, which Google notes was introduced with its Pixel 6 series. The second, Hold Assist, mirrors Google’s “Hold for Me” function, which has been available for several years. 

Lastly, Apple’s new call screening feature is compared to a similar tool introduced on Pixel devices back in 2018. The ad frames these developments as “crazy coincidences,” using humour to suggest Apple is lagging in feature adoption.

Google’s campaign follows earlier reactions from Samsung and Microsoft. Shortly after the iOS 26 announcement, Samsung posted on social media referencing the live translation and visual interface updates, features already integrated into its Galaxy AI and One UI ecosystem.

Microsoft also joined the conversation, posting an image of its 2007 Windows Vista interface, a visual nod aimed at Apple’s newly revealed macOS Tahoe 26.