37. Unlock phones with your face (2011)

Most of us probably unlock our phones with our face these days, but it wasn't always so reliable. Google and Samsung's Galaxy Nexus took tentative steps into facial recognition, and while cool, it quickly became apparent it wasn't particularly secure - you could trick it with photos.

38. 'Hey, Siri…' (2011)

Voice assistants started to go mainstream with Siri on the iPhone 4S, helping us collectively become too lazy to turn our own living room lights on. The likes of Alexa, Bixby, and "Hey Google" would follow.

39. The Google Play Store (2012)

Google's answer to the App Store launched in 2012, replacing Android Market. The timing turned out to be good, as that year also saw the launch of a certain game called Candy Crush.

40. Fingers at the ready (2013)

Mobile biometrics like fingerprint scanners and the aforementioned facial unlocking didn't become a staple of smartphones until Touch ID on the iPhone 5S. It later made its way to iPads and Macbooks.

41. Facebook buys WhatsApp (2014)

Not content with his Instagram purchase, Mark Zuckerberg chucked $19bn at WhatsApp to bring the messaging company under the Facebook umbrella. It's only more recently regulators seem to have started wondering whether allowing tech giants to monopolise was a good idea...

42. An iPhone on your wrist (2015)

Apple hadn't released a new product in five years when the Watch arrived. You could say it was about time. The wearable has become a must-have gadget for many, inspiring lots of competitors, while recent versions are capable enough for you to go out without a phone whatsoever.

43. Pokemon Go gets us outside (2016)

Of course, nobody was going out without a phone in summer 2016, when Pokemon Go took over the world. The augmented reality game let 90s kids fulfil their childhood dreams of catching pocket monsters in the wild - this reporter's best catch was a Pikachu at Strood train station.

44. Samsung's exploding batteries (2016)

Samsung is the world's leading manufacturer of Android phones, so the crisis that engulfed the launch of its highly anticipated Galaxy Note 7 was hard to comprehend. The South Korean firm suspended sales of the phone due to faulty batteries causing some to explode or catch fire, which saw them banned from being taken on flights.

45. Google launches the Pixel (2016)

Google started making its own phones with the Pixel, replacing the old Nexus branding. The annoying adverts about removing chips from your photos didn't arrive until six years later.

46. Microsoft kills Windows Phone (2017)

Having failed to challenge iOS and Android's dominance, Microsoft followed BlackBerry out of the market by killing Windows Phone. It was a stark admission of failure in what was otherwise a big year for phones, with the iPhone X marking the most dramatic design change to Apple's flagship device in a decade.

47. TikTok goes global (2018)

TikTok as we know it became available worldwide in 2018, though it wasn't until the COVID pandemic that its popularity went stratospheric. It now has a home on more than two billion phones - though for how much longer remains to be seen...

48. 5G rollout begins (2019)

Another upgrade for data speeds, though this time it also comes with nonsensical conspiracy theories that the improved radio antennas are spreading coronavirus. While many of us are yet to feel huge benefits, experts insist 5G will be transformative in the years ahead.

49. COVID (2020)

Speaking of COVID, it had significant impact on smartphones. Supply chain disruption and reduced spending saw sales fall, while manufacturers had to start taking our new habits into account. Facial recognition features needed updates to recognise you with a mask on, and iOS and Android both rolled out contact-tracing functionality.

50. USB-C you later (2022)

Tech giants have been used to getting their own way through much of the history of smartphones, but last year suggested that times may be changing. In a landmark move, the EU ruled that all mobiles must adopt the same charging standard - forcing Apple to ditch its long-held lightning connector in favour of USB-C.

Whatever happens in the next 50 years, at least we'll have fewer tangled cables in our drawers.