Android versions used to be named after dessert foods. They were also released…

It’s commonly known that Android versions were once named after desserts, and if you knew the names of more than one release, you might have noticed they followed a playful, alphabetical pattern. However, it’s less common knowledge that Google consistently released these versions in alphabetical order, making it easy to trace their progression over the years.

Not every Android version was named after a dessert or food item, but all followed the alphabetical sequence. Android’s very first release, Version 1.0, launched in September 2008 under the codename Alpha, and the next version, unsurprisingly, was titled Beta (v1.1).

With Android’s third release, Google introduced the now-iconic dessert-themed naming convention. Version 1.5, released in April 2009, was named Cupcake, followed by Donut (v1.6) and Éclair (v2.0) in September and October of the same year. This tradition continued for several years, creating a fun and memorable association with each new version. The full list of Android versions, along with their release dates, is provided below:

• Android (Alpha v1.0), September 23, 2008
• Beta (aka “Petit Four” v1.1), February 9, 2009
• Cupcake (v1.5), April 27, 2009
• Donut (v1.6), September 15, 2009
• Éclair (v2.0), October 26, 2009
• Froyo (v2.2), May 20, 2010
• Gingerbread (v2.3), December 6, 2010
• Honeycomb (v3.0), February 22, 2011
• Ice Cream Sandwich (v4.0), October 18, 2011
• Jelly Bean (4.1), July 9, 2012
• KitKat (v4.4), October 31, 2013
• Lollipop (v5.0), November 12, 2014
• Marshmallow (v6.0), October 5, 2015
• Nougat (v7.0), August 22, 2016
• Oreo (v8.0), August 21, 2017
• Pie (v9.0), August 6, 2018
• Android 10 (formerly known as Q), September 3, 2019
• Android 11, September 8, 2020
• Android 12, October 4, 2021
• Android 13, August 15, 2022
• Android 14, October 4, 2023
• Android 15, October 15, 2024

Over time, Google decided to drop the dessert names starting with Android 10, opting instead for a more straightforward numerical naming convention. Despite the change, the earlier dessert-themed releases remain a nostalgic part of Android’s history, marking its evolution from a fledgling mobile operating system to one of the most widely used platforms in the world.