Testing Call Screening on iOS 26 against Android 16 reveals a clear superiority
In a recent test, Android 16 on the Pixel 9 series and iOS 26 on the iPhone 16 Pro Max were pitted against each other in a battle of phone call management features. The results showed that Android 16's Call Screen, utilising Google Assistant, offered a more capable and interactive experience.
Apple has released the public beta for iOS 26, introducing new features designed to enhance the user experience on its best iPhones. One of these features is Call Screen, which provides users with more control over their phone calls. However, the test results revealed that iOS 26's Call Screen is more basic compared to Android 16's version.
In the test, both systems demonstrated their ability to screen unknown numbers and reduce spam calls. Android 16, with its Google Assistant integration, actively interacted with callers, asking questions and transcribing responses in real time. This allowed it to intelligently determine if a call was legitimate, such as a package delivery, and let users respond accordingly. In contrast, iOS 26's Call Screen automatically answered unknown calls but only prompted the caller to leave a detailed message without providing meaningful or interactive responses.
When it comes to package delivery calls, Android 16's Call Screen proved to be more effective. It was able to engage with the caller in real time, providing a more intelligent determination of the call's legitimacy. iOS 26, on the other hand, was more limited in its approach, simply requesting information from the caller without actively verifying the purpose of the call.
In the test, both systems were found to be effective at reducing spam calls. However, Android 16's Call Screen offered a more advanced approach, using Google Assistant to triage calls and handle spammers dynamically. iOS 26's feature also blocked spam effectively, but it lacked the interactive call handling depth found in Android’s implementation.
In the emergency help test, neither system was found to interfere with emergency calls. Given standard practice, emergency calls are generally exempt from automated screening, and both systems likely allow such calls immediately without screening.
Philip Michaels, a colleague, praised Call Screen as one of the most exciting new features in iOS 26. However, he noted that it is basic in its current iteration and hoped that it would be improved with Apple Intelligence in the future. Similarly, Google also has a similar feature called Call Screen, which utilises Google Assistant to handle phone calls.
The test involved a salesperson call, and Call Screen in iOS 26 asked the caller to leave a message that was automatically shown on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. In contrast, Android 16's Call Screen provided contextual responses that the user could select directly from their device, demonstrating the effective use of AI.
It is hoped that Google will refine its Call Screen feature for the Pixel 10. Despite not receiving a boost with the release of the Pixel 9, the author found Android 16's Call Screen to be one of the best smartphone features around, highlighting Google's strong AI capabilities.
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- Despite its basic functionality in the current iteration, Philip Michaels anticipates improvements in Apple's Call Screen feature with the integration of Apple Intelligence in the future.
- Google's Call Screen, which leverages Google Assistant, is considered one of the best smartphone features, particularly on the Pixel series, effectively utilizing AI for phone call management.
