In a break with tradition, the next version of Android is not going to share a name beginning with Q with some dessert or sweet treat. Instead it will be known by its number -  Android 10.

Google is a company that likes its traditions and the one concerning the naming of Android versions is particularly well established. Starting with Cupcake, Android 1.5 in 2009, which was the third release, successive versions  have been named after sugary confectionery, increment alphabetically. Android versions used to happen more than once a year, but became an annual event in 2013 when KitKat, Android 4.4, was released. It is only since Lollipop, Android 5/5.1, that names have corresponded to major version numbers, which is why we were already at the 16th letter of the alphabet with Android Pie and were eagerly awaiting what came next beginning with Q.

While we might miss the annual guessing game about what the next Android name, giving it up at this point does make sense - Q was something of a poser but nothing in comparison to the crunch point of W, X, Y ,Z.  The consensus appears to be that while numbers might be boring they are much easier to understand and developers have enough to contend with in catering for multiple versions of the Android operating system without having to work out which order the versions appeared in. It is fairly well accepted that the latest version takes quite some time to get established and it is the previous version that has the largest share.

You can see what I mean with this chart, the latest of the Distribution Dashboard: 

The stats reveal that the latest version, Pie (9.0), has 10.4 percent of the overall market, trailing its predecessor, Oreo, which has a combined 28.3 percent between its two versions (8.0 and 8.1). Nougat's two versions (7.0 and 7.1) account for 19.2 while Marshmallow (6.0) still has 16.9. Older versions of Android continue to enjoy significant market-share with Lollipop (5.0 and 5.1), having 14.5 percent and KitKat (4.4), having 6.9 percent of the market, and Lollipop (5.0 and 5.1), which has 14.5 percent. 

Another aspect of Android  heritage is that a statue of each one has been added to the lawn at Google's Mountain View Headquarter when each name was announced. Google says it will still have an Android 10 statue to carry on that part of the tradition, though how it will fit in with its predecessors remains to be seen.

Also new for Android 10 is a new logo, which displays only the head of the Android robot. The shade of green used for the robot has changed and so has the font - becoming more rounded. In this video, from Android Central, which looks at the features id the soon to be released Android 10, Alex Dobie describes the logo as a bit more playful and a bit less nerdy: 

Android 10 will be released in the coming weeks and we look forward to doing battle with its newness, sweet or not sweet.

• Mike James is the author of: Android Programming in Kotlin: Starting With An App ISBN: 978-1871962543; 
  Android Programming In Java: Starting With An App, 3nd Ed ISBN: 978-1871962550 and The Programmer's Guide to Kotlin, ISBN: 978-1871962536

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