To me it's clear Google isn't interested in actual improvements in their OS and ecosystem unless it's a mediocre frontend to one of their online services or the

To me it's clear Google isn't interested in actual improvements in their OS and ecosystem unless it's a mediocre frontend to one of their online services or their A/B testing told them that a tweak would make users stay online for longer (even if the reason was a confusing UI). They hold the majority of the market so they have no incentive to change anything. As far as I know there's still no default QR code scanner, leading to an overwhelming flood of almost identical ad-filled apps on the appstore while Microsoft, Blackberry and Apple integrated it into the system. Text input and menu bars on Android are still terrible compared to what Windows Phone 8 & Blackberry OS delivered a decade ago. Instead of moving menus to the bottom of the screen for easier accessibility on ever-growing phones their major Material UI overhaul didn't do much other than add a floating button in a corner that, in my experience, still isn't perceived as button by many elderly users that come ask me how to start a new chat on WhatsApp.