Do iPhone users put the protective "glass" skins over their iPhone or android face?
Is it important?
I've not seen hard glass covers for smartphone screens --- do they exist? --- only ones made of thin flexible plastic film, that can transmit the touch gestures to the phone's screen underneath. I had such a case on my previous iPhone 5, and it worked OK.
Usually, the cases with the thin film screen protection are marketed as being "waterproof". Adding a case to make one's phone waterproof seems redundant now that the better phones are now IP67 rated...better than our so-called "water-resistant" DSLRs and lenses!
Like Jan Anne, I consider screen covers not necessary at this point in phone tech history, as the phone screens are made of
1. Glass (which is difficult to scratch at all) and
2.
Tempered glass, which is difficult to break.
I try very hard not to carelessly throw around a US$700+ computing device, just as with a US$5000 camera and lens, but accidents will happen, and somehow millions manage to drop and smash their phone screens.
And to the points made by Mark (Schwett), I agree that the designers of the phones ultimately made the right decision by making the bodies of the phones smooth and slick; that leaves the option open for folks like me that want it to be more grippy and ruggedized to add a protective case. They've certainly done an amazing job integrating the thousands of possible functions into a small, pocketable device.