Will Google Struggle To Name Android O In 2017? Our Picks For The Name Of Android N's Successor

By Fionna Agomuoh Published 07/05/16 EDT

Many Android fans were none too happy about the official name for the 2016 operating system, Android N or Android 7.0 Nougat. Some insist this software should have been named after the chocolate hazelnut spread, Nutella. Others say they have just recently learned what Nougat is with the naming of Android N.

Even so, Nougat is the first Android OS to allow fan participation in its naming. Google announced a contest in May, encouraging the public to submit suggestions for the Android N name. Google announced the official name and revealed it’s Googleplex lawn statue in late June. But after the anticlimactic reveal, many are already looking forward toward possibilities for the Android O name in 2017.

Google is expected to continue its alphabetical tasty treat naming sequence for subsequent systems, so we expect to see Android O to follow Android N. What remains a mystery is what it will be called. Google may host another naming contest for Android O, but there are already several name ideas floating around. Here are a few suggestions.

Oreo

Ever since Android 4.4 KitKat, Android fans have fallen in love with the idea of Android systems named after iconic branded treats. The naming of this system version was a branding collaboration between Google and Nestle. While the 2013 software donned the KitKat name, many KitKat bars featured Google’s green Android mascot on their packaging and there were even some Android shaped KitKats. Perhaps Google could strike a similar branding deal with Nabisco for Android shaped Oreos. The lawn statue could be an Android surfing on top of an Oreo.

Oatmeal Cookie

Some say Nougat was the only logical name of Android N. If so, Oatmeal Cookie might be the obvious choice for Android O, outside of a branded name. Variants, including Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie sound like good internal codenames for Android O (such as New York Cheesecake for Android N and Macadamia Nut Cookie for Android M). These names, which have three-letter acronyms would do well as system code. However, a plain Oatmeal Cookie may be just straight forward enough to work as the Android O name.

Orange Julius

While many may not remember Orange Julius, the frozen orange juice treat could spark nostalgia for some Android developers. Such a name could also be a branding deal, between Google and Berkshire Hathaway Inc, which owns Orange Julius. Perhaps we’d see an Android wearing an Orange Julius uniform.

Onion Rings

While many know the Android “tasty treats” to be either candies or desserts, Google teased several savory treats as possible names for Android N, including Nori and Nachos. Who doesn’t love Onion Rings? They begin with the letter O. They’re tasty. We think we have a winner.