Google and Android are pretty much synonymous, given that the former owns and develops the latter. However, over the years, Android has more or less grown into its own entity, spanning not just your phone but wearables, vehicles, and more. Meanwhile, Google as a company continues to expand its reach beyond just Android and Search, and lately it's been all about AI.
But we want to know how you feel about both. In 2026, are you a fan of Google and/or Android? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Google and Android in 2026
Google and Android have grown a lot since their early days. Google (and its parent company, Alphabet) grew from a simple search engine to a huge conglomerate with a hand in many aspects of our lives, including internet browsers, self-driving cars, internet service, and the very smartphones in our hands. And while Google has pushed the boundaries of AI for many years, things have only recently begun to ramp up exponentially with the advent of generative AI.
Google now sees itself as an AI company, and these days its focus has been on incorporating AI across its many products.
Still, despite bringing tons of fun and useful products over the years, Google has had its fair share of problems. The company is constantly in litigation over its practices and has, on several occasions, been found to be anticompetitive or maintain a monopoly in certain markets. It has also aligned itself with government contracts that consumers find morally questionable.
Google has also introduced a ton of products only to kill them shortly after, which has sullied consumer trust in the brand.
Fortunately, Android is one of the products that Google has not managed to kill. After buying Android in 2005, Google turned it into the world's most widely used operating system, spanning many different device types and price points.
Android has many faces, even just on smartphones, thanks to its open-source nature, and companies like Samsung have helped expand its reach and feature set. In fact, Android phones often adopt new features before iOS on iPhones.
That said, Android isn't perfect, and while it has certainly become more capable with Android 17, it's still seen by many as a second-class citizen when compared to Apple. Even in 2026, there are still plenty of popular apps that are launched on iOS before making it to Android. And when apps do come to Android, there are often quality issues that aren't present on iOS.
Additionally, unlike iOS, Android is not very consistent, especially when you move across brands. Samsung and Google's own Pixel smartphones tend to get new Android platform features before anyone else, leaving others like Motorola waiting on the sidelines, which some find frustrating.
But let us know in the comments how you feel about Android and Google and if you're a fan of one or the other (or both)!
