Back in May, Google announced that the name of the next major version of Android would be decided by a sort of public consultation (anyone can suggest a name and Google gets the final choice). But, if you believe the tweets of Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president of Android, Chrome OS, and the Play Store, it seems like there's only one name in contention: Nutella.
Lockheimer has been dropping not-so-subtle hints about Android N's name on Twitter, sneaking the Italian brand into Google searches in the back of screenshots, posting pictures of restaurant menus which feature the hazelnut spread, and, well, generally joking around with anyone who asks about it. Here's the evidence:
There's one specific dish on this menu that I'm keenly interested in. pic.twitter.com/3y5oj9c40x
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) June 6, 2016
Look closely at that search window at the back of the screen:
Just testing some stuff out... pic.twitter.com/6KPTEgXl9K
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) June 15, 2016
@ericlin or I just like Nutella!
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) June 15, 2016
His tweets on the matter go back to before the naming competition was announced:
I had to look up how to spell nougat. But I do know how to spell Nutella. https://t.co/XM3i9idhea
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) 22 February 2016
But then again, so does his love for Nutella...
I'm a huge fan of Nutella. https://t.co/ePN6vi4QzP
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) 6 February 2016
So. Is Lockheimer trolling? Is Android N really going to be called Android Nutella? It's certainly plausible, and it wouldn't be the first time Google has co-opted a brandname for its mobile OS (Android KitKat, remember). On the other hand, Lockheimer is an inveterate joker online, and even The Verge's careful probing of the matter came up with no firm answer. Still, Nutella names are created equal, and Lockheimer's suggestion isn't a bad choice.