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Many people refer to Android versions by "codenames" rather than version numbers (e.g. Android "Gingerbread"). What are the names of the various versions of the Android OS, and how are these names chosen?

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Seems to be a duplicate of: android.stackexchange.com/questions/1102/… – Al Everett Jul 12 '11 at 14:18
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@AlEverett: I did see that one and I wasn't sure if it would be considered a legitimate duplicate since that question only vaguely covers other versions (and the question was only really regarding Froyo). I do think it could be useful to have a wiki with all of the versions somewhere. Whether it is that question or this one is immaterial to me. – eldarerathis♦ Jul 12 '11 at 14:30
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Canonical questions are a good idea. – Al Everett Jul 12 '11 at 17:52

3 Answers

up vote 25 down vote accepted

Each version of Android since 1.5 has been developed with a specific codename. These codenames are chosen alphabetically, and have thus far all been dessert items (or, generically, sweet/sugary foods). Some codenames are associated with more than one version number, while others are limited to only a specific one, and the reason for this inconsistency is not currently known. The naming typically appears to correspond to changes in the developer API levels, but this is not always true (example: 3.0 and 3.1 are both "Honeycomb" but they have different API levels).

The following names are used for the currently existing Android releases. Note that versions 1.0 and 1.1 were not publicly named. However, Android 1.1 was internally referred to as "Petit-Four" (noted in Traroth's answer, confirmed here):

Cupcake:

  • Android 1.5

Donut:

  • Android 1.6

Eclair:

  • Android 2.0, also 2.0.1
  • Android 2.1
  • Android 2.1-update1

Froyo: (short for "frozen yogurt")

  • Android 2.2, also 2.2.x updates

Gingerbread:

  • Android 2.3, also 2.3.x updates

Honeycomb:

  • Android 3.0, also 3.0.x updates
  • Android 3.1
  • Android 3.2

Ice Cream Sandwich:

  • Android 4.0

Jelly Bean:

  • Android 4.1
  • Android 4.2

Future Versions

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@elder was absolutely sure that was right, but you seem to have defeated me with facts. I'll withdraw the second part of my comment and just leave this: source.android.com/source/overview.html confirms this and also confirms Traroth's answer that Petit-Four was an internal-only codename for 1.1 – GAThrawn Jul 12 '11 at 15:50
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Eldarerathis summarized it very well. To add some things: The 1.1 version was internally called Petit Four by Google, and that's how it all began. Google is installing a giant pastry on their lawn at Mountain View each time a new version is about to be launched.

You can see pictures of that display at different stages here:

Overall display (Cupcake to Eclair, with Petit Four tribute)

Overall display (Cupcake to Eclair, with Nexus One)

Honeycomb

Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich

Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean

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+1: I didn't know about the original name for 1.1, that's a good find. – eldarerathis♦ Jul 12 '11 at 15:39
Couldn't find a picture with a giant honeycomb. Maybe they stopped the tradition after Gingerbread? – Traroth Jul 18 '11 at 12:18
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@Traroth Honeycomb statue on the Google campus: picasaweb.google.com/104250970445890717876/… – GAThrawn Aug 15 '11 at 13:23
GAThrawn: Great! I haven't seen that yet. – Traroth Aug 22 '11 at 17:56
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If you want an overview of the different versions with the names, the different functionality and much more: http://socialcompare.com/en/comparison/android-versions-comparison

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