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With Google I/O fast approaching, just about every Android fan is on the look out for some new clue as to what will be introduced during the event. While we (for the most part) believe an announcement for the next major Android version wont occur until later this year, that’s not stopping strange leaks hinting to that next release from popping up around the net.
Take some screenshots posted onto the Chromium Issue Tracker and discovered by a user on Reddit, which appear to be taken from a device running the upcoming “L” release of Android. How do we know? Well, take a look at the debug icon in the upper left-hand corner. The icon — which coincides with the Android version it’s running on — appears to be that of an “L.” What’s more, is it appears Google has promptly taken down the thread highlighting the issue, another good sign we may have stumbled onto something we shouldn’t have seen.
What do you guys think? Are you anticipating Google to announce something, anything of this next version of Android — or will they save everything for their big debut of the rumored Android Silver devices?
I’m for sure expecting an announcement of whatever “L” will be. Although I’m still not sure whether it’ll be polished enough that’ll get a release this week instead of in a few months, but hey one can hope we get a delicious “L” (Lolipop?, Lemon drop?, Lemon head?) flavored candy this week.
Also does anyone remember Google stating they’d do 2 major updates a year sometime back? I had this conversation with someone else and neither one of us remember if we had imagined it or not
You weren’t imagining it. At the time, Google was releasing Android at a frenzied pace. Versions 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 came at roughly 15 months, or 3 months per release. Google stated that they wanted to slow this down to two, and eventually one major release per year.
ICS hit in 2011, JB hit in 2012, and KK hit in 2013. So we’re starting to see that spacing.
Ah I see I didn’t remember the “down to one part”. Still hoping we’ll get “L” at IO it seems possible, but if its one a year then I guess its probably fall then
By name maybe but 4.2-4.4 came by with like 3 months of each other. We are still getting updates no matter how minor. What are we on 4.4.3?
I was talking about major versions, or named updates. There are always going to be bug fix and feature updates between major releases. We’ve had nearly a dozen (EDIT: precisely 9, counting 7.0) software updates on my wife’s iPhone 5s since iOS 7 released.
But to address the points in your post:
4.1 (JB) – 07/09/2012
4.2 (JB) – 11/13/2012 (4 months later)
4.3 (JB) – 07/24/2013 (8 months later)
4.4 (KK) – 10/31/2013 (3 months later)
Average of 5 months between releases, but it was 15 months between the major releases.
And we’re currently on KitKat 4.4.4.
So likely a new Android version will be out in July. 4.5, 5.0 or whatever they’ll call it.
Well it seems almost like tradition now for a spring Android update (sometimes at I/O, sometimes not) and a fall Android update. But then again, traditionally the spring update comes with a new Nexus 7 and the fall update with a new Nexus phone. It doesn’t sound like the next Nexus tablet is going to be ready for a while and who knows if we’ll even get another Nexus phone.
That’s true we have been getting a tablet and update in the spring and phone and update in the fall. With all these rumors about android silver, implementing hera and quantum paper, it seems like a lot of changes will be at IO, still hoping for an update though!.
Lemon Chicken Head (LCH) =-O
That name would be pwaaaking crazy.
A few more things about this “leak”:
Notice the new Quantum Paper menu icon in chrome. Also notice the refined 3 dot (also menu?) bar – the dots are round as apposed to square. Additionally, notice the top and bottom bars dont have a gradient – they’re fully opaque. Lastly, obviously notice the bell icon in the notification bar.
Very nice catches. I knew something looked different, but I couldn’t quite place it.
The time/wifi and all the other icons on the notification are also KitKat, the official leak from Google had them more spaced out and at a much smaller scale, and the biggest sign lol look at the wifi indicator it’s a straight slant which = kitkat
Did anyone notice that the chrome app isn’t fullscreen either ? Like the sides and bottom of the app are touching the the whole display , I don’t know if that made sense
looks almost like a widget version of it. that would be nice.
Maybe it’s just displaying whats In the background and foreground sort of like when switching tabs on Chrome but for service popups
They may be using the pop up window feature every developer has been screaming at Android to make as a standard feature,
Holy uncentered whitespace Batman. No way those two buttons are legit. NO. WAY.
And the the vertical line spacing in the description text is utterly frakked.
No idea where this came from but I’m calling foul.
I’m pretty sure pre-release software is allowed to look unfinished… especially if it’s not likely to hit consumers until Q4. :-)
Don’t care about ‘L’. Waiting for android to sport a choice pair of antlers for “Mousse.”
We’ve had support for that here in Canada since before Android existed.
it should be Android Lesbian…..I ♥ lesbians!
No. Just no.
Additionally, notice the top and bottom bars dont have a gradient – they’re fully opaque. Lastly, obviously notice the bell icon in the notification bar.