Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie: Google Teases Next Generation Operating System In I/O Conference Demonstrations

Just when Android enthusiasts were ready to give up on seeing anything about Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, Google has finally brought it up, having teased the name during its I/O conference, which took place last week.

Google I/O kicked off with its keynote last Monday, which was notably devoid of any information about new versions or updates of Android, such as the rumored Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, or Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. But while it was absent at I/O, Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie did make an appearance at Reto Meier’s “Android Protips 3: Making Apps Work like Magic” seminar at the conference, in a graphic slide that featured an Android robot wearing a top hat and eating a slice of key lime. Teasers popped up again during the session when Google showcased a rudimentary game featuring several characters fighting what Android Authority described as a Cthulhu monster called Biteyboro, whose “powers” include Chrome, Jelly Bean and Key Lime Pie.

Google is doing a good job at keeping its fans thoroughly confused about its next Android operating system. Many were surprised to see that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean was not unveiled at Google I/O. Android rumors quickly switched from 5.0 to 4.3 about two weeks prior to Google I/O, when enthusiasts began discovering Android 4.3 tests within their website server logs. Most were convinced of the existence of Android 4.3 when the operating system mysteriously surfaced in the form of a Google search result directly from an Android’s developer’s website just hours prior to the beginning of I/O.

However, we now know that Google at least has the Key Lime Pie name in mind; that said, there's a chance the company could simply be trolling us. While fans believe they know what to expect from a new Android release, the Mountain View, Calif-based company tends to come out of left field, introducing something completely different when it comes to both Android names and version numbers. For all we know the next system could be Android 4.3 Key Lime Pie.

More clues from Google I/O indicate that a new Android system is on the way. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group released a statement last Monday during the conference alluding to Android API 18 (the current operating system Android 4.2 is notably Android API 17) that will support Bluetooth Smart, a low-energy form of Bluetooth that has been unavailable on Android devices thus far. Currently, we only assume the new Android API is Android 4.3.

Rumors following Google I/O have suggested that we may see the next Android system release between June 10 and July. The rumored white Nexus 4 smartphone with LTE and the revamped Nexus 7 tablet are among the devices expected to introduce the new system. However, we likely won’t hear much else until the unveiling of the next operating system.