'Pure genius' iOS 26 feature is leaving Google Pixel users envious

The big debate when it comes to smartphones is always whether you go for iPhone or Android, but one new 'pure genius' feature that's arrived in iOS 26 could prompt you to switch over from one side to the other.

While iPhones remain the dominant force in the smartphone market, there are plenty of reasons why people might want to opt for an Android device from Samsung, Google, or any of the other major manufacturers instead.

They tend to offer a number of unique features and a greater level of customization and flexibility than Apple's devices, and you can even get access to 'pro-level' specs at a cheaper price point with certain models.

However, there are still plenty of reasons why you might want to opt for an iPhone instead, and the arrival of iOS 26 has just added another major boost that's left plenty of Google Pixel owners feeling envious.

A new feature that's arrived with iOS 26 has made many Pixel owners consider switching to iPhone (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

As shared by Pocket-lint, a new collaboration between Apple and ChatGPT has allowed screenshots to go up another level, as you can now immediately and natively ask and search the AI chatbot about any image you capture on your iPhone.

This can range from reverse image searches to find out more information of what you're looking at, or you can use it to translate a page or ask a simple question — essentially anything you'd otherwise use ChatGPT for.

While you could always head into the app on an Android device, this takes an unnecessary extra step out of the equation and makes your queries feel far more natural as a process.

You can use this ChatGPT integration for just about anything you would otherwise turn to AI for (Apple)

You can even use it in a number of unexpected ways, such as suggesting a social media caption for a photo you want to post, or to check the contents of a message or email you're about to send for grammatical, language, and even accuracy errors.

There's also the ability to extract information from an image to transform it into a clickable element, such as a phone number, email address, or URL that's present in an image, saving you time and hassle.

Google does have a similar feature on its own devices – which it proudly displayed in a recent advert taking a swipe at Apple – but many argue that it's not quite up to the level of this new ChatGPT integration into iPhones, as it remains rather limited in its functionality and doesn't presently take advantage of everything that Gemini has to offer.