Brief:

• Google refreshed the logo for its Android mobile operating system and said it will stop naming updates after sweet treats, per a company announcement. The next generation of its mobile operating system, previously called Android Q, will be named Android 10.
• Android's new logo removes the legs, arms and torso of the recognizable green robot that's served as its mascot since 2007, when the mobile operating system was announced. Instead, the new logo just shows the eyes, antennas and semi-circular head of the robot, as Google demonstrates in a YouTube animation.
• Sameer Samat, VP of product management for Android, said the updated logo aims for a "more modern, accessible look," while the name change "helps make release names simpler and more intuitive for our global community." Prior Android versions have even drawn from other brand names, such as "KitKat" and "Oreo."

Insight:

Google's updated logo for Android and name change are a sign of the brand's global reach and need to tailor a branding strategy that better aligns with that scale, including by acknowledging cultural sensitivities. Android runs three-fourths of the world's mobile phones, touching almost every country in the world.

The new logo includes lettering that's easier to read than the futuristic-looking font the company used before, and the changed coloring to black from green aims to provide a stronger contrast that's easier for people with visual impairments to see.

While names like "lollipop" and "pie" added a sense of whimsy to the release of each new Android update, they weren't readily understood in certain parts of the world, as Samat notes in his blog. In some cultures, "pie" isn't considered a dessert, which made the sweets-themed concept moot. It's also easier to remember numerical sequences than trying to recall which dessert name corresponds to each version of Android.

Google is making these changes as it prepares to release the next version of Android, whose features were demonstrated at its annual I/O developer conference in May. The company hasn't set an official date for the release, but it's expected to arrive in the coming weeks.

Android 10 will have higher speeds, more privacy controls, support for foldable smartphone screens and improved gesture navigation. The new system also will have Bubbles notifications that help people multitask while maintaining a chat conversation and Live Captions that add instant subtitles to audio and video content.