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Android Authority
3 days ago
- Android Authority
This is the Android 17 codename, and it's not what you guessed
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority For most of Android's history, Google publicly referred to each release by a version number and a codename. Traditionally, the codename was a dessert like Marshmallow, Jelly Bean, or Froyo. With the release of Android 10 in 2019, however, Google ended this public practice to make its branding more globally accessible. Internally, though, the company's developers kept the sweet tradition alive. Following that tradition, Google's developers have recently decided on the dessert codename for Android 17 — and it's not what any of you guessed. You're reading the Authority Insights Newsletter, a weekly newsletter that reveals some new facet of Android that hasn't been reported on anywhere else. If you're looking for the latest scoops, the hottest leaks, and breaking news on Google's Android operating system and other mobile tech topics, then we've got you covered. Subscribe here to get this post delivered to your email inbox every Saturday. Google surprised many last year by choosing 'Baklava' as the dessert codename for Android 16. Since the codename for Android 15 was 'Vanilla Ice Cream,' most people expected the next version to follow the alphabetical tradition with a dessert starting with the letter 'W.' Android Version Number Dessert Codename Year of Release Android Version Number 1.0 Dessert Codename No codename Year of Release 2008 Android Version Number 1.1 Dessert Codename Petit Four (internal) Year of Release 2009 Android Version Number 1.5 Dessert Codename Cupcake Year of Release 2009 Android Version Number 1.6 Dessert Codename Donut Year of Release 2009 Android Version Number 2.0, 2.1 Dessert Codename Éclair Year of Release 2009 Android Version Number 2.2 Dessert Codename Froyo Year of Release 2010 Android Version Number 2.3 Dessert Codename Gingerbread Year of Release 2010 Android Version Number 3 Dessert Codename Honeycomb Year of Release 2011 Android Version Number 4 Dessert Codename Ice Cream Sandwich Year of Release 2011 Android Version Number 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 Dessert Codename Jelly Bean Year of Release 2012 Android Version Number 4.4 Dessert Codename KitKat Year of Release 2013 Android Version Number 5.0, 5.1 Dessert Codename Lollipop Year of Release 2014 Android Version Number 6 Dessert Codename Marshmallow Year of Release 2015 Android Version Number 7.0, 7.1 Dessert Codename Nougat Year of Release 2016 Android Version Number 8.0, 8.1 Dessert Codename Oreo Year of Release 2017 Android Version Number 9 Dessert Codename Pie Year of Release 2018 Android Version Number 10 Dessert Codename Quince Tart (internal) Year of Release 2019 Android Version Number 11 Dessert Codename Red Velvet Cake (internal) Year of Release 2020 Android Version Number 12, 12L Dessert Codename Snow Cone (internal) Year of Release 2021 Android Version Number 13 Dessert Codename Tiramisu (internal) Year of Release 2022 Android Version Number 14 Dessert Codename Upside Down Cake (internal) Year of Release 2023 Android Version Number 15 Dessert Codename Vanilla Ice Cream (internal) Year of Release 2024 Android Version Number 16 Dessert Codename Baklava (internal) Year of Release 2025 Google broke this years-long pattern to reflect major changes to its development practices under the new 'Trunk Stable' project. This project shifts Android development to a trunk-based model, where all work occurs in a single, main internal code branch that must always remain stable. New features, APIs, and bug fixes are developed behind 'feature flags' that keep them disabled until they're ready for launch. In contrast, Google previously used a branch-based model, which often created significant problems when merging new release branches back into the main one. Android's old branch-based development model Android's new, trunk-based development model. The first Android version released after Google completed its migration to trunk-based development was Android 14 QPR2. To mark this change, Google reset its build ID scheme. The IDs for Android 14 QPR2 and QPR3 builds were prefaced with 'AP1A' and 'AP2A,' respectively. The company used the letter 'A' because 2024 was the first year Google released Trunk Stable builds, while the 'P1A' and 'P2A' reflected that Android 14 QPR2 and QPR3 were respectively the first and second platform releases of the year. When the calendar turned to 2025, Google advanced the letter to 'B,' which is why Android 16's codename was a dessert that started with B. Following this pattern, you'd be right to guess that Android 17's dessert codename will start with the letter 'C.' The problem is the sheer number of desserts that start with C. We can immediately rule out 'Cupcake,' since Google already used it for Android 1.5, but that still leaves dozens of choices. When we polled our readers on the topic, we presented eight popular options, and they floated seven more in the comments. However, none of these were correct, as Google has decided on 'Cinnamon Bun' as the dessert codename for Android 17! A cinnamon bun — also called a cinnamon roll or swirl — is a sweet, baked pastry made of rolled dough filled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture and often topped with glaze or icing. It's a popular dessert in northern Europe and North America, with several well-known chains specializing in its creation. Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Although we don't have any public sources that mention 'Cinnamon Bun' as Android 17's codename, we are confident this is the name. A trusted source within Google shared evidence with us that clearly shows the company using 'CinnamonBun' as the internal codename for API level 37.0. The API level is a number that uniquely identifies a specific Android version and its set of core APIs. Each Android version has a distinct API level; for example, Android 15 is API level 35.0, and Android 16 is 36.0. Hence, we can assume that API level 37.0 will refer to Android 17, unless Google suddenly decides to drop numbers from its versioning entirely — which seems unlikely. Ultimately, the dessert codename doesn't matter. It won't appear in most of Google's marketing next year, though the company may still erect a new Android statue on its campus that references it. You'll likely see 'Android CinnamonBun' appear under the 'Android version' field in early beta releases, but this will be replaced with 'Android 17' once the OS reaches platform stability. Still, we know that many of you have been wondering what dessert codename Google has cooked up for Android 17, so we thought it would be fun to reveal it in the inaugural edition of the Authority Insights Newsletter. If you're wondering when Android 17 will launch, we expect it to land around June 2026. As we've noted before, Google pushed up Android 16's release date to enable summer device launches to ship with the latest OS. There's no reason to think Google won't stick with this accelerated schedule next year. Still, plans can change, and if they do, I'll report on them in a future edition of this newsletter. P.S. That awesome photo of a cinnamon bun surrounded by Android pins was taken by my colleague Rita El Khoury, who went on a bit of an adventure to get it. After picking it up at a Starbucks, it traveled with her on a train, crossed a highway, and rested on a fence before she acquired proper protection for it. When I asked her how it tasted, she told me that she 'had a sugar rush crash' after eating it. Cinnamon buns will do that to you. Want more? Authority Insights is more than a newsletter — it's the hub for all our best content. If you care about Android, you won't want to miss any of our other exclusive reports. Follow
Android Authority
5 days ago
- Android Authority
Digital Wellbeing is looking easy on the eyes with its first taste of Material 3 Expressive
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Material 3 Expressive changes have started showing up in Digital Wellbeing. Right now only users on Android 16 QPR1 Beta or Android Canary are getting the new interface. Only the main Digital Wellbeing screen has this new look, suggesting more changes could be on the way. Google developers are currently in the middle of an Android-wide project to update the look and feel of the company's apps, all with the goal of embracing the new Material 3 Expressive design language introduced earlier this year. Exactly how those updates are proceeding varies quite a bit between apps — some have their new UI already arriving, while others haven't yet made their changes user-facing. Today we're checking out the latest addition to the former camp — that is, at least if you're running the right version of Android. Last month Google introduced a bold new option for Android fans who prioritize bleeding-edge feature access above silly things like system stability, with the introduction of a new public Canary track. And today we're spotting that users running the latest Android Canary or Android 16 QPR1 Beta are getting access to an updated version of Digital Wellbeing. We're seeing the new look with version of Digital Wellbeing, and while it's definitely starting to hit users, right now Google's implementation feels a little like a half measure. Old UI Old UI New UI New UI Material 3 Expressive changes dominate the main Digital Wellbeing screen, following the same sort of design pattern we've seen across other apps: lots of rounded corners, dividers between entries in a list, and background coloring that contrasts with interactive elements. Sadly, Expressive's interest in color doesn't carry over to your app activity chart, which drops its rainbow hues for a much more subtle set of tones. To be fair, the new look is arguably more successful, with its denser layout easier to read at a glance, but Google could have easily kept the fun colors, too. What we haven't seen yet is any of this M3E impact hitting the other screens you might encounter while using Digital Wellbeing, and so far the overhaul is confined to the primary view. There's no rule that says that all of these changes have to arrive at once, though, and it's entirely possible that Google will continue to deliver more UI tweaks ahead of this new look becoming available for users on stable Android builds. Follow
Android Authority
14-07-2025
- Android Authority
Android's lock screen widgets are getting a slick new background blur effect
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority TL;DR A future Android update will give the lock screen widget page a blurred wallpaper background, aligning it with the Material 3 Expressive design language. This visual change, which replaces the current opaque colored background, was spotted in the new Android Canary build, making the UI more consistent. Although lock screen widgets are currently exclusive to tablets, Google has confirmed they will be coming to phones in the Android 16 QPR1 release. Material 3 Expressive, the latest version of Google's design language, brings a more visually engaging and playful feel to Android through a new physics-based animation system, vibrant colors, larger buttons, and background blur effects. While Google has updated many UI elements to Material 3 Expressive, some parts of the OS still use the old design. For example, the lock screen widgets page doesn't use the same background blur effect found elsewhere, but that's finally changing. Last week, Google launched the Android Canary program, giving developers year-round access to preview new Android features. The first Canary build is slightly newer than the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta, meaning it contains some changes not yet present in the beta. One of these changes affects the lock screen widget page, which now features a blurred version of your wallpaper. Here's a gallery showing what the lock screen widget page currently looks like in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2: And here's a gallery showing what it looks like in the first Android Canary build: In the QPR1 beta, the lock screen widget page has an opaque background using your wallpaper's dominant color. The July Android Canary build, however, applies the same blurred wallpaper effect seen in the Recents screen, notification pulldown, and keyguard. This small visual tweak doesn't change functionality, but it aligns the lock screen widget page with the rest of Android's Material 3 Expressive design. Google reintroduced lock screen widget support in Android 15 QPR1, though the feature remains exclusive to tablets for now. The company has confirmed that lock screen widgets are coming to phones in Android 16 QPR1, but the feature isn't active in the current beta or Canary builds. With only one beta left in the Android 16 QPR1 program, we'll hopefully see the feature land on phones in the upcoming third beta release. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
09-07-2025
- Android Authority
Here's how Material 3 Expressive might impact Google Docs (APK teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google's updating apps across Android to incorporate Material 3 Expressive design elements. We've identified some tweaks to the UI in Docs that aren't yet live, but we can preview in the latest release. Docs should be getting the same sort of high-contrast backgrounds and more rounded screen elements we've already seen on other Google apps. App by app, screen by screen, Google's slowly bringing a fresh look to its Android ecosystem. This summer, we've been tracking the progress Google devs have been making to bring the company's new Material 3 Expressive design language to its software library. And while some of that may end up resulting in big, immediately noticeable changes, a whole lot more of it seems to involve more minor tweaks to UI construction and layout. We've already checked out quite a few of Google's apps where we've uncovered in-development evidence of these updates, and today we're adding the latest to our growing list. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. For today's preview, we're cracking open the new version 1.25.272.02.90 release of Google Docs. Let's start by looking at a couple screens in the app as they exist in public builds right now, showing both light and dark mode rendering: But once we convince the Docs app to start giving us an early look at the UI changes Google devs have been working on, we quickly spot some familiar tweaks: In that recent-files view on the left, we can see Google experimenting with the same kind of dual-tone backdrop that we've seen adding contrast to Material 3 Expressive revisions in apps like Gmail. The app also picks up a restructured search bar, separating it from the hamburger menu and account switcher. And that extra contrast extends to sorting options, which are working to feature a backdrop for the icons. Even UI elements that featured that sort of highlighting before are getting a Material 3 Expressive update, moving from rectangles with rounded corners to more bulbous elements with larger-radius curves. That extends to menus, as well, as you can see with these selections to font options. All told, the changes we've identified in the works for Docs are very much in line with other M3E tweaks like those we saw in preparation Gmail or Google Drive. With these, the apps still feel very familiar, and users may not even notice the changes straight away even once Google pushes them live. But taken collectively, they're clear evidence of the direction Google's Android apps are headed, so we'd better get used to seeing a lot more of the same. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Forbes
Google Warns Pixel 6a Owners To Update Immediately
Google's Pixel 6a Today sees the start of a mandatory automatic software update to Android 16 for Pixel 6a owners. This update brings the latest version of Android to the Pixel 6a and addresses a significant battery overheating issue. Pixel 6a Pushed To Android 16 Android 16 was released on June 10, 2025. It offers updated security features, additions to the UI including Predictive Back animations, new codes for multimedia, and improved accessibility. One of the visible changes is in the management of notifications. Android 16 will group notifications from a single app, live updates in the notification bar, so you don't have to check back in with compatible apps, such as ride-share and delivery apps. However, the most significant change for Pixel 6a owners is addressing the potential for overheating batteries by introducing new battery management software. Pixel 6a Update Impact Ahead of the rollout, the Google Developers website removed all factory images and over-the-air images for the Pixel 6a, presumably to ensure that there is no option to roll back to an older version of Android or continue using the previous iteration of the management software. The update will also address concerns around battery overheating on a subset of Pixel 6a devices. This will include battery management rules that reduce battery capacity and charging rates on these devices after they pass 400 battery charge cycles. This restriction will be removed if a new battery is fitted to the 6a. Google has pushed a similar software update to the Pixel 4a when it faced battery concerns. That update reduced the battery life of the 4a to a few hours. Pixel 6a Owners' Options Depending on where you are based, Google is offering to replace the battery free of charge, receive a cash payment of $100, or a $150 discount code in the Google Store to upgrade to a new Pixel. Given the battery issues, it's likely that the Pixel 6a resale and trade-in values offered by third-party sites will crash, so Google's offer will be a welcome one. Google is being particularly aggressive with its trade-in prices at the moment on the Pixel 9 series. Next month's Made By Google event will see the launch of the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Pixel 10 Pro XL. No doubt, there will be more trade-in offers to promote the new handsets. Trading in the Pixel 6a? Read one of the key improvements offered by the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL…
