Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you Accept
X
WWDC: Everything We ExpectRemote Working in ParadiseBest Mineral SunscreensBest Solar CompaniesCNET CouponsMeal Subscription vs. TakeoutBest Satellite Internet ProvidersCurrent Mortgage Rates
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Key Lime Pie next version of Android in Google cartoon

A Google employee has served up a Key Lime Pie cartoon giving us a strong hint for the name of the next version of Android.

richard-trenholm-square.jpg
richard-trenholm-square.jpg
Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
See full bio
Richard Trenholm
2 min read
Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
This advertising widget is powered by Navi and contains advertisements that Navi may be paid for in different ways. You will not be charged for engaging with this advertisement. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, this advertising widget does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information in the featured advertisements is up to date, each advertiser featured in this widget is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its offer details. It is possible that your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms in this advertising widget and the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser which will be presented to you prior to making a purchase. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

Fancy a slice of Key Lime Pie? A Google employee has served up a tasty treat of a cartoon giving us the strongest hint yet for the name of the hotly anticipated next Android update.

Google software engineer Manu Cornet, who also produces the tech-themed webcomic Bonkers World, doodled the evolution of Android pictured above. The image is "just for fun" and we shouldn't read much into it, but with rumours of the Key Lime Pie name swirling since the start of this year, this is a pretty strong indication from inside Google that the next version will indeed be lime-flavoured. 

Google names each new version of the Android software for phones and tablets after a veritable sweet trolley of tasty treats, arrayed in alphabetical order. We've so far feasted on Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean, with Key Lime Pie set to be the next sweet treat to get the Android treatment.

The latest version of Android is Jelly Bean 4.2, which adds the clever Photo Sphere camera feature and debuts on the Google Nexus 4.

Android updates aren't without controversy, however. Jelly Bean 4.2 broke Bluetooth on many phones and managed to miss out December from some apps, forcing Google to rush out a hasty 4.2.1 update. And phone manufacturers struggle to get new software onto your blowers -- even claiming that updates can damage your phone.

As a result, most phone fans are stuck with what they feel is out-of-date software even on brand new phones. As of November, Ice Cream Sandwich is on a quarter of Android phones but more than half still run Gingerbread -- three generations old, not including the tablet-focused Honeycomb.

Will Key Lime Pie defeat the iPhone for good? What do you want to see from the next version of Android? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.