In the ongoing tug-of-war between Apple and Android, one point consistently tips the scales in Apple’s favor: its ability to deliver a polished, seamless user experience. The new Vehicle Motion Cues feature in iOS 18 is the latest notable example. It isn’t the sort of flashy innovation like AI, but it’s an excellent quality-of-life booster and a great illustration for the point I want to make here. Check out my previous article on Vehicle Motion Cues and its Android alternatives, if you need a primer.
One factor continuously tilts the balance in favor of Apple in the continuous battle between the two operating systems: Apple’s capacity to provide a smooth, elegant user experience. The most recent noteworthy example is iOS 18’s new Vehicle Motion Cues function. Although it’s not as dazzling an innovation as artificial intelligence, it’s a terrific way to improve quality of life and serves as a perfect example of what I’m trying to say. If you need a refresher, see my earlier post on Vehicle Motion Cues and its Android substitutes.
The purpose of Vehicle Motion Cues is to lessen motion sickness when using a phone while driving. It operates without the user having to do anything, starting as soon as you get in the car and disengaging after your trip is over. It simply functions. This is what makes Apple unique, and Android phones frequently fall short in this area.
Android’s weak link
KineStop and MotionEase, two Android apps that try to offer features comparable to Vehicle Motion Cues, are more or less as effective in minimizing the terrible motion sickness that comes with using a phone while driving. Nevertheless, there are significant holes in the user experience that a perceptive user cannot overlook.
Consider KineStop as an example. It usually begins as planned, but I’ve discovered that it frequently stays active long after I’ve reached my objective. At one point, I was carrying my phone as I walked from my car to the office. The shaking from my steps was mistaken for vehicle movement by KineStop, which stubbornly continued to operate despite the obvious shift in motion. I had to manually disable the option, which added unnecessary friction rather than making my life easier.
In my experience, MotionEase, which appears to most closely resemble the appearance and feel of Vehicle Motion Cues, frequently has the opposite issue: it is slow to engage. I experienced the recognizable wave of nausea during a taxi ride where I purposefully sat in the backseat to test its efficacy, just as the cabbie applied the brakes to halt at the first traffic signal. Why? due to MotionEase’s failure to recognize that I was in a moving car. Thank you so much to the app developer who was unable to figure out how to make the app work as intended. I then proceeded to manually activate the feature. The nausea went away nearly immediately.
On paper, these annoyances can seem insignificant, but in reality, they greatly diminish the experience. Such a seemingly insignificant problem frequently makes the difference between users using the feature and leaving it inactive.
Tech is great when it can get out of the way
Compare Apple’s Vehicle Motion Cues to these annoyances. It always operates with accuracy in comparable circumstances. When you get into a car, the feature starts, and it turns off as smoothly when you get out. It doesn’t seem to be confused by taking a taxi or walking to your office.
This level of dependability once more demonstrates Apple’s successful strategy. It constantly strives to provide functionality that feels invisible because it takes care of itself without requiring extra user input. When it comes to user experience, Apple consistently demonstrates its superiority through the little things, such as the dependable auto-start/stop of Vehicle Motion Cues.
To attain the same degree of dependability on Android, Google usually needs to embrace these features and integrate them thoroughly into the operating system.
Apple continues to lead the competition in providing “it just works” moments for every single customer. This is further demonstrated by iOS 18’s Vehicle Motion Cues. Naturally, Android has its own unique selling propositions that enable it to compete fiercely in a wide range of markets. However, meeting the demand for smooth, “it just works” experiences remains a major area of expertise for Apple in the premium market sector.