Android 15 is approaching a stable version, meaning that Android phone manufacturers will soon be releasing their own versions, like Samsung's own One UI 7 for Galaxy phones And the new version of One UI could be particularly interesting, as it is rumored to be heavily inspired by iOS 18

Leaker chunvn8888 on X posted a note from a source who tried Samsung's still-developing version of Android 15 And the general consensus seems to be that Samsung is making a lot of visual changes as well as some practical ones that seem to be indirectly inspired by the iPhone interface

One is told that Samsung is moving to new, round icons throughout, with apps getting a 3D effect The “Gallery” app icon will also get a facelift with a new rainbow color scheme, similar to the way the “Photos” app looks in iOS

On a more practical level, One UI 7 could feature greater lock screen shortcut customizability, with more available apps and actions to place in one of the two corner slots Samsung might also employ a split notification shade that splits the actual notifications from the quick settings We recently saw this in other Android skins, and it seems highly inspired by Apple's split of notifications on the lock screen from the shortcuts and options available in the Control Center

The last major point in this leak is the redesign of the Camera app In the new version of this classic app, all settings are supposedly moved to the bottom edge and hidden in a drawer until you tap a button to make them visible again

To say that iOS and Android are identical operating systems is obviously wrong However, over the years we have seen the world's two leading mobile operating systems converge in ways that offer specific features and design elements As a result, even between brands, cell phones undoubtedly feel similar, but it makes sense to rearrange them broadly in the way that users have come to expect after a decade and a half of smartphone use No one buying a car today would praise a company that moved the gas pedal and brake pedal as ingenious

The latest version of Android usually debuts at the same time as Google's flagship Pixel phones each year, usually in October However, the next Google event, which is already set to introduce the Pixel 9 series, will take place in August These new Pixels are expected to launch with Android 15, so the official debut could also take place there

Even in the example of Google's October launch event, Samsung has the first version of the new One UI out by the end of the year So anyone with a recent Samsung phone should start looking for this dramatically different looking One UI 7 update as fall approaches