Google is changing its mobile operating system’s branding by adopting “Android” with a capital A instead of all lowercase letters. The company is also updating the bug droid logo to a 3D avatar.
The search giant said that the new Android logo takes elements from the Material design system to match Google’s own branding. The company is also refreshing the Android logo’s typeface, so we could likely see these changes within the operating system updates as well.
This rebranding is not as notable as the one in 2019 when the company decided to ditch the dessert names like KitKat or Lollipop to refer to major Android updates to adopt version numbers. At that time, Google mentioned that the Android device ecosystem had 2.5 billion devices. With today’s announcement that number has reached 3 billion — so growth hasn’t been as explosive in the past four years.
“We believe our brand system and how we show up visually to the world as Android should reflect Android’s core ethos of being open, iterative and inclusive. That’s why we’re sharing an update to our visual identity that better represents our Android community — and it’s also a lot of fun, too,” Jason Fournier, director of Android consumer brand management, said in a statement.
Google is updating the bug droid’s full-body avatar to a three-dimensional one for an easy “transition between digital and real-life environments.”
Google mentioned that the updated branding along with the new 3D logo will start appearing on Android devices and other places this year. The company is hosting an event to announce the Pixel 8 series on October 4. It is likely that the new Android branding will make an appearance there.
