Rumour: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, Not Key Lime Pie, at Google I/O

The evidence

The log showed a build labelled Android 4.3. The reporter laid out the reasoning:

• Google assigns public version numbers to Android only weeks, or at most a couple of months, before release.
• Internal test builds usually carry names like JellyBean MR1 and not a real version number.
• Android 4.3 had started appearing in logs, while Android 5.x and any K builds were absent.
• Google I/O was less than a month away.

What people expected

Many expected a new Android version at I/O, usually guessed to be Key Lime Pie. A major release of that kind tends to require app updates and architectural changes, as with the move from 2.x to 3.0 and from 2.x to 4.0. A separate rumour said the next major version might be delayed to give manufacturers and developers breathing room.

Why a small update could help

A step like 4.2 to 4.3 is easier for developers and manufacturers to absorb. That mattered because Jelly Bean ran on only about 25 percent of devices at that point, even after Google changed how those numbers were reported.

The writer’s view

The writer hoped the report was wrong, but found the argument convincing. With a new Nexus phone also unlikely at I/O, Google might hold both the phone and the new Android version for a later event.