Android cloning Apple’s Handoff feature is cheeky but it’s a good thing

The appeal of Apple devices has always been a mix of hardware quality and software features, with the broader ecosystem absolutely essential. Indeed, Apple devices increase in value as soon as you own several of them.

Transfer is a perfect example. You can start working on a document on your Mac, continue seamlessly on your iPad, then make last-minute changes on your iPhone. Google is now cloning this feature in Android 17…

Continue We bring Handoff to Android

Google calls its own version of the Continue On feature.

Continue allows users to start an Android app on an Android device and then move to another device in their Android ecosystem, continuing the user journey they started. The feature will allow activities on your Android device to appear on other devices signed into the same accounts.

Initial implementation of the feature will be limited.

Google says this is designed to work bidirectionally, but will “initially” only work between Android phones and tablets. Activity from your phone will appear on your tablet in the dock, such as the ability to open the same document in Google Docs from your tablet using the “transfer” suggestion that appears in the tablet dock.

You can find some demonstration videos on our partner site, 9to5Google.

Cheeky, but good for Apple users

Android’s history of cloning Apple features, of course, dates back to the very first Android smartphones. Steve Jobs loudly complained that it was a direct copy of the iPhone.

Since then, one mobile operating system borrowing features from another is bidirectional. Android has completely cloned other iOS features, but Apple has also copied those that first appeared on Android.

While there are always commenters who rail on Apple’s behalf, the bottom line is that this benefits users of both platforms. This incentivizes Apple and Google to innovate more to try to stay ahead, and it prevents complacency.

In the case of AI features, of course, Apple users will directly benefit from Google’s work in this area, as many Apple Intelligence features will be powered directly by Gemini models. Longer term, I sincerely hope that Apple develops its own AI models so that, again, competition drives progress.