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Meet 'Marshmallow': Google's Next Version of Android Gets a Name

"Android M" no more.
Image: Sundar Pichai
Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps, speaks during the Google I/O 2015 keynote presentation in San Francisco on Thursday, May 28.Jeff Chiu / AP
By Julianne Pepitone

"Android M" no more: Google's upcoming new version of its Android mobile operating system will be called Marshmallow, the company announced Monday.

Google announced the moniker in a post on its developer blog, and the company erected a Marshmallow statue at its Mountain View, California, headquarters.

Marshmallow is the latest in long line of sweet treat nicknames for new Android versions, which go in alphabetical order and include names like Kit Kat, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich.

Google previewed the upcoming software at its developer conference, Google I/O, in May but referred to it only as "Android M" at that time. The update will include the revamped mobile payment service Android Pay, a beefed-up version of the Google Now voice assistant and more new features.

Related: Google Launches 'Project Sunroof' to Encourage Solar Power

It's not clear when Marshmallow will be available to consumers, but the big statue and name unveiling typically signals that the software update is getting close to launch.

Julianne Pepitone

Julianne is the senior technology writer for NBC News Digital, covering large consumer tech companies' (Apple, Google, Facebook, etc.) news and trends, as well as cybersecurity. She also writes and appears in original videos for NBCNews.com, and speaks as an expert guest on live shows across the NBC and MSNBC networks. 

She previously worked at CNNMoney.com where she covered large techs from a business angle, as well as the intersection of the tech and media industries. 

In addition to NBC and CNN online properties, Julianne has written for several national magazines and online publications including Esquire, Self, Popular Mechanics and Cosmopolitan.

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