Lollipop, KitKat, Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, and many others. We don't ought to remind you that Android versions are actually named after candy and confectionery in alphabetical order since time immemorial (well, 2009). But the inquisitive among you may well be wondering 'Why?' Today, we try to exercise the elusive story behind those sweet Android names.
Several days ago, good news leaked that Android M are going to be presented around the world at the annual Google I/O in San Francisco in late May. The reason Android 'M' is termed Android 'M' is simply because 'M' accepts 'L' (Lollipop) inside the alphabet. Android's naming tradition shows that that too is going to be named after something sweet - Malteser? M & M? Mr. Tom? We can only guess...
What is Google's reason behind Android's naming convention?
Google has generally kept quiet about who pops up the candy-based Android names. We like to consentrate there's a wise and sage-like individual at Google HQ who sits in a very giant archive filled with candy, eruditely checking names until Google's marketing team consults him one per year to listen to his verdict.
Unfortunately, that's unlikely, as well as the truth is very much a bit more ordinary. In 2011, Randall Sarafa, a Google spokesman, declared it was an enclosed joke which started with Android 1.5 Cupcake:
"It's similar to an internal team thing, and that we prefer to be considered a little bit -- how should I say -- a lttle bit inscrutable within the matter, I'll say", said Sarafa. "The obvious thing is the fact, yeah, the Android platform releases, they are going by dessert names through alphabetical order generally."
Years later, when Google introduced Android 4.4 KitKat, Google explained which the reason behind the 'sweet' Android naming convention was because smartphone and tablets sweeten up us. KitKat was unique among Android version names given it involved a unique brand of candy - Google struck an offer with Nestle to make use of the name. Google worked internally while using name 'Key Lime Pie' for Android 4.4, but eventually selected KitKat because "very people actually understand the taste of any key lime pie", said John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships, to your BBC.
Conclusion
So from your trickles of info that we've received throughout the years, it appears like the cause for Google's Android naming convention is less enigmatic than possibly you have first thought. What started to be a joke between employees at Google, turned a hallmark from the Android platform. Familiarity and sweetness are actually the main marketing buzzwords behind it, and it is been a roaring success, evoking sentimentality among fans, and many heated debate as to what the name will likely be for each successive Android version.
Google isn't the only company which utilizes an elusive naming policy. For years, Apple named its OS X platform after big cats (Puma, Snow Leopard, Lion...) without revealing the actual logic behind the insurance policy. We do wonder and what will happen as we ever reach Android Z - what lies beyond that? Do we go full-circle, or will Google learn about savory foods, breeds of dogs, or returning to basics with color names? With the growth and strength in the Android platform, that question could possibly be answered earlier than we think.