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KIRAN SINGH
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What are the names of the various versions of the Android OS, and how are these names chosen?
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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eldarerathis
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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 2.0Android 2.1
Froyo: (short for "frozen yogurt")
Android 2.2
Gingerbread:
Android 2.3
Honeycomb:
Android 3.0Android 3.1Android 3.2
Ice Cream Sandwich:
Android 4.0
Jelly Bean:
Android 4.1Android 4.2Android 4.3
KitKat:
Android 4.4
Lollipop:
Android 5.0Android 5.1
Marshmallow:
Android 6.0
Nougat: (official name , https://twitter.com/Android/status/748642375908589568)
Android 7.0Android 7.1
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eldarerathis
up vote19down vote
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:
Donut, Android logo, Nexus one, Cupcake, Eclair
Honeycomb http://eurodroid.com/pics/honeycomb_statue-1.jpgHoneycomb
Froyo, Gingerbread, Icecream Sandwich

Gingerbread, Icecream Sandwich, Jelly Bean
KitKat
Lollipop
Marshmallow
Nougat
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17 revs, 6 users 31%
Kiran singh
up vote1down vote
https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html#ApiLevels contains a table that links all the naming mess, excerpt:
Platform Version API Level VERSION_CODE Android 6.0 23 M Android 5.1 22 LOLLIPOP_MR1 Android 5.0 21 LOLLIPOP ...
answeredJun 25 '16 at 15:06
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Kiran singh
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