The appeal of Apple devices has always been a combination of hardware quality and software features, with the wider ecosystem being absolutely crucial. One such feature is Handoff.
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With Handoff, you can start working on a document on your Mac, seamlessly continue on your iPad, and then make some final changes on your iPhone. Google is now replicating this feature in Android 17 with its own version called Continue On.
Continue On allows users to launch an Android app on one device and then switch to another device in their Android ecosystem, continuing the user journey they started. The feature will allow activities from your Android device to appear on other devices that are signed in to the same accounts.
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The initial rollout of the feature will be limited. Google says this is designed to work both ways, but it will initially only work between Android phones and tablets. An activity from your phone will appear on your tablet in the taskbar, allowing you to open the same document in Google Docs from your tablet using the “handoff” prompt that appears in the tablet’s taskbar.
The history of Apple copying features from Android goes back to the first Android smartphones. Steve Jobs complained that they were direct copies of the iPhone. Since then, the mutual borrowing of features between operating systems has been a two-way street. Android has copied other features from iOS, but Apple has also copied features that first appeared on Android.
While there will always be commentators who get angry on Apple's behalf, the bottom line is that this benefits users of both platforms. It challenges both Apple and Google to pursue greater innovation in an effort to stay ahead and prevents stagnation.
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In the case of AI features, Apple users will benefit directly from Google's work in this area, as many of Apple's AI features will be powered by Gemini models. In the long term, it is hoped that Apple will develop its own AI models so that competition can drive progress.
