Recent Android releases are approaching parity and Play Store terms could likewise restrict PII. Incentives are also coalescing as Apple expands to services and Google tries to win over privacy conscious customers.
>Incentives are also coalescing as Apple expands to services and Google tries to win over privacy conscious customers.
It's a lot harder for Google to achieve this, given that breaching that privacy has always been a core aspect of Google's revenue, whereas for Apple it has not.
Edit: Dunno why, but in this context I feel like I should mention I'm posting this from a Pixel device that's on a Fi plan.
I think the distinction is that Apple is consistently pushing the definition of "parity" forward, to the extent that Android is always "approaching" parity.
If Apple weren't pushing mobile privacy forward, it's hard to believe that any other major mobile vendor (who benefit from your phone being a glass house) would be taking it seriously.
Apple is no saint – they still need to make more money in 2024 than they did in 2023 – but their business is so successful because their incentives are better aligned (read: not perfectly aligned, just better aligned) on most axes that are relevant to most people.
