Google ditches the desserts in its biggest Android rebrand yet

It seems that it’s just too difficult to think of a dessert that begins with Q. Google on Thursday announced a number of marketing changes coming to its Android mobile operating system, starting with how it names its releases.

From as early as smartphones have been around, Google has named its new Android releases after desserts. You’d probably remember fondly the likes of Ice Cream Sandwich, Gingerbread, and of course Kit-Kat, but these are no more.

Instead of Android Q receiving name suggesting sweet delight, it’ll simply be called Android 10.

Google notes that the change is largely due to how some letters, like L and R, are indistinguishable 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,” it adds in a blog post.

“It’s even harder for new Android users, who are unfamiliar with the naming convention, to understand if their phone is running the latest version.”

The new convention will automatically suggest succession based solely on numbers. And to be fair, it’s easier for us to write about too.

Google’s dropping the dessert codenames for the first time with Android 10

Another tweak comes to the brand, namely the icon, colour and typeface.

The new logo features the head of the Android robot in a bright green. The text itself is now black, a change which allows those with visual impairments to read it.

“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,” Google adds, including a bevy of new pastel colours which you can spend 60 seconds learning all about below.

The rebrand will be rolled out in the “coming weeks” ahead of Android 10’s official debut on smartphones and other devices.

Feature image: Google