Poll: Do you think Google and Apple still offer innovation on smartphones?

Apple has just concluded its WWDC keynote address, giving consumers a look at what’s coming next in terms of software updates. The address also comes a few weeks after Google did the same for its software at its I/O developer conference.

Apple is bringing iOS 15 to the table, which is the latest update for its iPhones. Meanwhile, Google detailed Android 12 at its event, marking the newest update for the vast army of Android devices out there.

Do you think Google and Apple still offer innovation on their smartphone platforms though? That’s the topic of our featured poll today, so you can vote via the poll above.

It’s easy to understand why some might feel the two companies haven’t really done much in the way of innovation on their respective platforms. It seems like Apple and Google nick features from each other, maybe putting a spin on things. We’ve also seen Google and Apple grab features that first came via Android skins or rival platforms, such as the pop-up video player popularized by Samsung and gestures first seen on WebOS.

Then again, there’s also an argument that both companies are still bringing innovation to their phone platforms. We’ve seen Apple introduce app tracking transparency in recent times, giving control of data back to users. Meanwhile, Google also introduced a neat app hibernation feature to remove permissions, disable notifications, and free up space for apps that haven’t been used in several months. Still, are these two examples the exception rather than the norm? Let us know by voting or leaving a comment.