Google has apparently outgrown its sweet tooth and will no longer name versions of its Android operating system after treats and desserts, with the upcoming update to simply be named Android 10.
Gingerbread, Honeycomb, KitKat, Nougat, and most recently Pie were among some of the sugary pseudonyms given to the OS over the past decade.
Android’s vice president of product management Sameer Samat said the change was one of two ways the company planned to make the Android brand “as inclusive and accessible as possible” to its 2.5 billion active users around the world.
Mr Samat said the engineering team’s internal codenames were a fun part of new product releases, but not everyone was getting the joke.
“We’ve heard feedback over the years that the names weren’t always understood by everyone in the global community.”
“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,” Mr Samat added.
The non-numerical names also made it difficult for new users to figure out if they were on the latest iteration of the software.
The company is also updating its branding for the first time in five years, with a new look Mr Samat said is more “modern” and “accessible”.
The new logo also adds Android’s robot mascot, and the text colour has been changed from green to black.
“It’s a small change, but we found the green was hard to read, especially for people with visual impairments,” Mr Samat said.
“The logo is often paired with colors that can make it hard to see—so we came up with a new set of color combinations that improve contrast.”
Android 10, formerly known as Android Q, has been in public beta since March this year but is set to get an official wide release this quarter.
