Android 11 HeroSource: Joe Maring / Android Central

What you need to know

  • Android VP Dake Burke this week revealed the dessert name for Android 11.
  • His team at Google has taken to calling the next Android release RVC, short for Red Velvet Cake.
  • In line with Google's change in policy, though, the name won't be appearing in any of Google's official channels.

While Google's decision to move away from branding its OS releases with the most delicious of desserts may have helped allay some confusion surrounding their names, it's certainly a lot more boring, no? In a bid to stir up some excitement among the Android faithful, VP Dave Burke this week revealed the dessert name his team's been using internally for Android 11 (via Android Police).

And you can bet Google's engineers are going to be putting on a few pounds at the Android 11 launch party later this year because Android R is, in fact, RVC — short for Red Velvet Cake.

Of course, this is not a reversal of the change to the Android naming scheme. RVC is simply the name Burke's team are using internally, and will not appear in any official materials from the company whatsoever.

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Alongside the (nick)name reveal, Burke also used the podcast to tease new features coming to Android 11 that we haven't yet seen in the beta releases. "Since parts of Android are updateable, it allows us to also offer things that don't have to be baked into the beta. We are also working on a few things I'm quite excited about that will be appearing by the end of the summer, sort of 4-6 weeks," he said.

Moreover, even features like Nearby Share, which Google has already been beta testing, may be set to see some upgrades in Android 11's official release, Burke hinted.

With the addition of a screen recorder, a smarter power menu, and tons of new emoji, Android 11 sure is turning out to be one of the most exciting Android releases yet!

Android 11: Everything you need to know!

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