Android 13 Dessert Names May Be Back For A Second Helping With This Italian Delight
In an effort to clear up confusion over different builds, Google stopped naming its Android releases after tasty desserts starting with Android 10, which came out almost two years ago. If you were disappointed with that decision (as we were), then we have some possibly (maybe) good news—Google might start serving up delicious build names once again. We doubt it, but never say never, right?
Nothing of the sort has been announced, and from what we can tell, any changes that might be coming to how build names are referenced would take effect after Android 12, if at all. Speaking of which, Android 12 is in beta, with a new revision (Android 12 Beta 3.1) having dropped this week, bringing with it better auto-rotation animations.
Android 12 will likely launch in September or October of this year, with the release of Google's upcoming Pixel 6 handsets. Then the focus will shift to the eventual Android 13 release, and that is where things get interesting, as it pertains to maybe bringing back dessert names.
At least internally, Google's developers have chosen a dessert them for Android 13. A commit in the Android Open Source Project notes that the internal codename has been updated from "T" to "Tiramisu" for Android 13.
Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made with ladyfingers dipped in coffee, and then layered with a sweet mixture of eggs, sugar, and other ingredients. It's delicious, and a fitting selection for Android. The question is, will Google bring dessert themes back into the public lexicon?
Possibly, but we are not getting our hopes up too high. It is worth noting that Android 12 is internally called Snow Cone. Prior to that, Google's developers internally gave Android 11 the codename Red Velvet, and used Quince Tart for Android 10.
We have not seen a dessert name tagged to a public build of Android since Android 9 Pie. The fun naming scheme spanned 14 builds of Android, starting with Android 1.5 Cupcake.
Each subsequent release saw a new dessert-themed name in alphabetic order, the others being Android 1.6 Donut, Android 2.0 Eclair, Android 2.2 Froyo, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Android 4.4 Kit Kat, Android 5.0 Lollipop, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Android 7.0 Nougat, and Android 8.0 Oreo.
Android 4.4 Kit Kat stands out among the bunch because of the official tie-in with Neslté and Hershey. That is the only time Google partnered with a candy maker (or any company) to promote an official Android designation.
Why exactly did Google move away from dessert names? Google explained its decision in 2019.
"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. 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," Google said at the time.
We now know Android 13 is Tiramisu, but the wait is on to see if that name extends into the final release. Feel free to cross your fingers, just don't hold your breath.
