Google ditches Android dessert names, opting for Android 10 instead
Was Android Quality Street the low-hanging fruit we all deserved?
Google has a long and mildly amusing history of naming successive generations of its mobile operating system after alphabetically ordered desserts. Naturally, were were waiting with childish glee for Android’s next-gen name drop, only to be met with bitter disappointment.
The trend, which took off in 2009, saw Google dub the third generation of its mobile OS Android Cupcake (the first two releases weren’t officially codenamed, but were referred to Astroid and Petit Fours respectively). Then came Donut, Eclair, the ever-millennial Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb and – bit of a mouthful – Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
On this curious in-joke went (I’ll spare you a comprehensive list of selected confectionary, which can be found here). We were so invested the Android lineup that we devoted this entire hub to guessing what Android Q might be called. Android Quality Street, it was decided, might throw intellectual property lawyers into a tailspin over licensing issues (although 2013’s Android KitKat and 2017’s Oreo were successfully pulled off).
We suggested some more outlandish options, should Android Quality Street fall through. Android Quiche was bandied around a bit. Android Qottab (an Iranian pastry), Android Quesito (a Mexican pastry) and Android Queen of Puddings (a lamentable British dessert) were given some airtime. We were really clutching at straws by the time Android Quinoa was thrown into the mix.
Anyway, all this hapless speculation was for nothing, it turns out. The next generation of Android will be called… Android 10.
After a decade of confectionary-themed names, Android has been officially consigned to a lifespan of Android 10 followed by Android 11 followed by Android 12 (repeat to fade). Long gone are the days we’d jostle around a computer screen, taking bets as to what sweet treat would be immortalised by Google’s mobile OS next.
But the change is an inclusive one, Android was quick to stress, as the desserts joke wasn’t always understood by everyone in the global community. Sameer Samat, Android’s VP of product management explained, for example, “L and R are not distinguishable when spoken in some languages. So when some people heard us say Android Lollipop out loud, it wasn’t intuitively clear that it referred to the version after KitKat.”
“We also know that pies are not a dessert in some places, and that marshmallows, while delicious, are not a popular treat in many parts of the world,” he continued. So the ostensibly joyless move comes in good faith, in a bid to make Android a more globally inclusive community.
Android also has a new logo, in what initially looked like an impossibly minor change (“we changed the logo from green to black”). However, the branding is much easier to read, Android contends – particularly for people with visual impairments. A welcome change, then.
If you’re keen to find out more about Android 10, check out our in-depth hub here.