Android 4.4 KitKat coming soon – honestly

Everyone thought that the next version of Android would be called Key Lime Pie, but Google has surprised everyone by naming it after the Nestle chocolate bar, the Kit Kat. Yep, you read that right, the next version of Android is named after an actual chocolate bar.

Google is well known for naming each version of its Android operating system after desserts and treats, such as Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Jelly Bean. It’s also incremented its codenames alphabetically, giving everyone the view that Android 4.4 would be called Key Lime Pie.

However, for this release Google got in touch with Nestle to ask if it could use Kit Kat for Android 4.4.

“We couldn’t imagine a better name for our Android K release than the tasty chocolate that’s been a favourite among the team since the early days of Android,” said Marc Vanlerberghe, Director of Android Marketing.

To go with the release of the OS, there will be 50 million specially branded Kit Kat bars available in 19 markets, including the UK. Each pack will have the Android logo on it and will direct people to www.android.com/kitkat where they’ll be able to win prizes, including Nexus 7 tablets and Google Play credits.

According to Nestle, this “branding partnership with Google is the company’s latest move in its ambition to leverage digital technology and online content to get closer to its consumers to better understand and cater to their preferences”. We think that if Nestle wants to cater to our preferences, it should put the Kit Kat back in the foil wrapper, so you can run your thumb down and break off an individual chocolate finger.

With a new Nexus smartphone (probably called the Nexus 5) rumoured to launch around October time, we shouldn’t have to wait long until we see Android 4.4.