Google has said the next version of its Android operating system will be called Android 10, ending a long-standing tradition of naming the releases after desserts or “tasty treats”.
The technology firm said it had ended the naming sequence after receiving feedback that not everyone understood the names used.
The next release of Android — which had previously been known as Android Q — will feature a dark mode as well as new digital well-being tools when it is rolled out in the coming weeks.
Smartphone manufacturers including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Nokia, Huawei and Google’s own Pixel line-up of phones currently use Android.
Google also revealed a refreshed logo and branding for the operating system.
“As we continue to build Android for everyone in the community, our brand should be as inclusive and accessible as possible — and we think we can do better in a few ways,” vice-president of Android product management Sameer Samat said.
“First, we’re changing the way we name our releases. Our engineering team has always used internal code names for each version, based off of tasty treats, or desserts, in alphabetical order. This naming tradition has become a fun part of the release each year externally, too. But we’ve heard feedback over the years that the names weren’t always understood by everyone in the global community.”
Confusion
Google noted that because some letters in the English alphabet were not distinguishable when spoken in some languages, unnecessary confusion had been created in parts of the world.
The sweets and desserts used as names in some previous releases are also not regarded as popular treats in many parts of the globe, Google said. “As a global operating system, it’s important that these names are clear and relatable for everyone in the world,” Samat said.
“So, this next release of Android will simply use the version number and be called Android 10. We think this change helps make release names simpler and more intuitive for our global community.
“And while there were many tempting ‘Q’ desserts out there, we think that at version 10 and 2.5 billion active devices, it was time to make this change.”
