Google Responds To Apple's Android Snark: You're Playing Catch-Up

Apple's WWDC 2014 contained more than a few shots at Android earlier this month, but Google isn't going to let it go past without a reply. Google's Sundar Pichai took to the I/O 2014 stage to call out Apple's new iOS 8, pointing out that Android had things like widgets and user-customizable keyboards – both highlight features of the new iPhone and iPad platform – many versions ago.

Apple had also called out Android on fragmentation, pointing out the difference in proportions of those who had an iPhone or iPad with the latest version of iOS, and their Android device counterparts who were on the latest version of Google's platform.

Pichai took a different strategy, avoiding talking about actual OS version, and instead framing it as a question of Google Play services. 93-percent of users have the latest version of Google Play services, he pointed out, with updates coming out on average every six weeks.

That's more frequent updates than most OS versions, he highlighted. Increasingly, security updates for Android are being delivered through Play Services too, Pichai argued, so just because devices aren't necessarily on the most recent OS release, that doesn't mean they're unprotected.

Google will also be adding factory reset protection in Android L, the new version of Android being released to developers today.