They can, yes. Google Pixel flavored Android is a little more elegant in that regard, but I use a Samsung so it's a little different in OneUI. The thing I like about OneUI at least is just the sheer number of ways I can control my notifications. I can sort notifications by time or priority, snooze individual ones for later, set pop-up styles, choose to show just a few types or no notifications at all on the lock screen, disable suggested actions, etc. But my favorite thing is the ability to go into settings and see my notification history, where I can go see all the dismissed notifications from the day. Handy if I accidentally swiped and dismissed one by accident. In general, I just like using an phone OS that doesn't treat you like a simpleton 😉
This is interesting. More customization is always good.
Some customization was added in iOS 18. Not as much as what you’re describing thougn