
A pop of color and more: updates to Android’s brand - thsowers
https://www.blog.google/products/android/evolving-android-brand/
======
elefanten
Curious about the frequency of this negative feedback. The dessert-themed
releases were iconic. Anecdotally, international folks generally seemed to
love it even when they didn't understand a given name. Google campus has a
neat collection of statues representing each one...

This really feels like letting the cart lead the horse. Someone will be
unhappy with any choice. They could've added secondary designations (included
in preferences and packaging) to solve most of the confusion problems.

But this anodyne, sterile style seems to be the best Google can muster these
days.

Another example: I've watched their Stadia Connect videos in which they
attempt to pitch their upcoming gaming service to the consumers. They too have
come across completely sanitized and robotic -- reminds me of corporate
entertainment news doing formulaic red carpet interviews.

~~~
Rebelgecko
Apple: Lets name our OS releases after random places in California, including
some that aren't very well known

Google: We need to discontinue our naming scheme because Pie isn't a dessert
in some countries.

This just seems like a bland corporate decision. Blaming it on cultural
sensitivity and inclusivity seems almost insulting. Someone isn't going to
refuse to use an Android version just because they're accustomed to savory
pies instead of sweet ones.

~~~
nvrspyx
To play devil's advocate, I can see the version numbering scheme contributing
more attention to the lack of updates from OEMs from the average user.
Although I have no empirical data to support it, I can imagine there's a lot
of people that don't see new Android versions as "updates", but rather
"editions" due to the dessert naming scheme. It's not immediately obvious to
some of the people I know that their Galaxy phone, as an example, doesn't have
the latest version of Android. Not too long ago, I've literally heard a friend
say they have the "Lollipop edition of Android" and they were completely
unaware they were two versions behind. They thought Pie and Oreo were simply
alternative editions, depending on manufacturer.

I think the numbering scheme will be more obvious to the average user that
they are behind from latest version of Android and that might add more
pressure to OEMs (and carriers) to put more effort into updates.

~~~
wmf
Or Play Services could just pop up a notification that says "your phone hasn't
received any security updates in 27 months and it's running a 3-year-old
version of Android". Nah, that's too easy.

------
roryrjb
I started using Android with the Orange San Francisco, as it was branded in
the UK, "underneath" it was the ZTE Blade. It was a very cheap device, but you
could unlock the bootloader, install a custom recovery and a custom ROM, it
was great. The custom ROMs had much better performance than the standard
software, removing all the bloatware that the operator included and you could
upgrade to a later version of Android. It came with 2.2, iirc and you could
get 2.3. There was a massive community surrounding that particular device on
Modaco, similar to XDA Developers I guess, but run by a handful of people (or
one guy, not sure) for those who aren't aware of it. I started programming
when I was 13 or 14. The school I went to was pretty good in this regard, or
maybe that was standard, but they taught Visual Basic as part of the IT
classes. In my spare time I got a copy of Borland Delphi from a magazine and
started hacking on Object Pascal. I created a GUI for an encryption library,
for absolutely no reason other than why not and I even got some responses
about it. I was browsing Sourceforge, Freshmeat and Slashdot around this time,
to be featured anywhere there would be amazing. Well soon after this I
completely gave up on programming for no other reason than I was a teenager
and probably became more interested in Extreme Metal more than anything else.
Android and the hacking communities on Modaco and XDA Developers got me back
into programming. Early Android was a place where you could modify and
experiment to your hearts content. I mean even back then you had to get the
right device, i.e. don't get a Samsung. As time went on, then came along
CyanogenMod, to be honest it was probably there when I had my ZTE Blade, it
probably wasn't supported and I hadn't heard of it yet. But it was truly a
golden age, maybe not secure. As time has gone on, Google has locked down
Android with every release, it has become homogenised and now they are now
naming Android Q, Android 10. Alongside Windows 10 and mac OS X (10), just how
corporate and unoriginal can you get. I get that Google is a company and
Android is essentially a product, I guess all I'm saying is, I just miss those
early wild heady days.

------
wvenable
I'm glad that version numbers will be more prominent with Android -- even
right now I have no idea which dessert OS I'm running on my phone. I have an
older (but still great) Android tablet and again I don't know what it runs
either.

Almost every other product I own I can tell you it's major version number and
it's relative place among versions. How many versions old is my tablet vs. my
phone -- I can't tell off the top of my head.

It might also help consumers as there are still Android products being sold
with "Kitkat".

------
ccccppppp
People would ask me: "Do you have Oreo?"

And I would say "Don't know, let me check", but in Settings/About/Version it
would show "7.0".

Then I would need to Google what number Oreo is.

~~~
JTbane
Press the version number repeatedly in the menu.

~~~
jvagner
O'course.

------
mrbonner
My first thought from whatever announced by Google nowadays is either along
the line of “Hmm... some PMs or visual designers got really bored” (Gmail for
example) or “someone needs a project for a promotion” (Allo for example while
Gtalk or Hangout was great)

------
antirez
Never liked the sweets names because they are confusing and is hard to tell
how old a given release is from the name. I'm for the numbers, also the new
logo is better. Good changes IMHO.

------
saagarjha
Looks like Google couldn’t think of a good dessert that started with “Q”.

~~~
jasonvorhe
That's obviously the reason. No question about it. No one at Google would be
able to google for dessert names starting with the letter q.

~~~
saagarjha
I'm not a fan of any of these options:
[https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2018/8/6/17655790/android-
p-q-...](https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2018/8/6/17655790/android-p-q-
naming-10-google-quinoa-quiche-desserts)

~~~
Avamander
Why not go savory tho.

------
sandGorgon
I'm in India. Nobody here has ever eaten a Nougat. But everyone knew (at that
time) that their phone was "latest Nougat"

I dont understand why they couldnt have done both. Apple has precedent here
"Mavericks 10.9", "Yosemite 10.10".

Google could have mandated brand guidelines to adding version number - "Oreo
8", "Pie 9", "Quiche 10". There is the aspect of fun and brand and a cognitive
construct together.

Incidentally, this already happens - check out this phone
[https://www.amazon.in/Nokia-6-1-Plus-Black-
Storage/dp/B07T4V...](https://www.amazon.in/Nokia-6-1-Plus-Black-
Storage/dp/B07T4VRYS8)

 _Android v8 Oreo operating system with Qualcomm Snapdragon SD 636 quad core
processor_

------
evolve2k
Combined with [1] I get the sense (wiff) that Google is in full on marketing
(propaganda) mode right now. Time to distract and polish all the things.

This update to the logo while bringing a simplified consistency, lacks
strategic focus or any refined brand narrative.

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20767891](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20767891)

------
egypturnash
How does "Android Q------" translate to "Android 10"? Q is the 17th letter of
the alphabet.

Oh, apparently the code names often changed with a point release. I am looking
at [Wikipedia's list of Android
versions]([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history))
and there seems to be absolutely no pattern to whether or not a .1 release
changed the version name - 4.1 through 4.3 are Jelly Bean but 4.4 is Kit Kat.

This bugs some part of my brain far more than it ought to.

------
ToastyMallows
Windows 10

Android 10

Mac OS X (10)

Hopefully Android will move past version 10?

~~~
ccccppppp
10 is the biggest number. After that, you need to start back at 1.

~~~
jefftk
Browsers have gotten past it. The versions of current major browsers are 11,
12, 18, 62, 68, 76.

------
mhdhejazi
They should have switched to year based versioning. It makes a lot of sense
for products that have a major version every year like Android, iOS, and
macOS. "Android 2019" would be far easier to remember than a random number,
and you can tell how old a version is right away.

------
pier25
It's a bit boring and serious, but I think that's exactly what they were
aiming for. Specially since Google is now taking app reviews more seriously in
both the Play Store and the Chrome Web Store for Chrome OS. Android has a
reputation for being a wild west compared to iOS.

------
intopieces
I am surprised that this did not come up when the branding of the releases
started. Localization / Product Marketing usually has a hand in everything.

------
wideasleep1
Why accept this when we can defy the master? Let's continue to choose (vote?)
a dessert name, use and propagate it (even to media) as if nothing has
changed? We create our own reality.

~~~
readams
mostly, there just aren't any desserts that start with Q.

~~~
mattkrause
Quince?

~~~
ggm
The quick queen of quincy and her qwacking qwackeroo? (Seuss)

