I completely agree with you!

It seems like both platforms are just recently starting to see the importance of designing for thumb reachability, and that is due to the growth of phablets, but I personally believe that Google has an advantage due to its Material Design Guidelines.

These guidelines are updated once user testing shows a better alternative. That was the case back in 2016 when they introduced a bottom navigation and replaced the tabs they previously implemented throughout their platform apps at the top of the screen as an alternative to iOS’s bottom tab bar (https://plus.google.com/+LukeWroblewski/posts/ZgNUpC72FVt). It seems like Apple did a better job when it comes to their bottom navigation (the upper navigation has remained unchanged).

So while Google might have a long way until they fully optimize their apps for increased reachability, at least they rely on a heavy user testing data (https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/02/19/google-testing-bottom-nav-bar-phone-app/) and are not afraid to confess their mistake, break away from the standards they have established in the design field and implement these design changes faster.