10 Minutes
Android’s hidden dessert tradition returns — with a twist
For most of Android’s history, Google publicly paired each major release with a version number and a lighthearted codename. The public practice leaned on sweet treats like Marshmallow, Jelly Bean, or Froyo. In 2019, with Android 10, Google paused announcing codenames publicly to make branding more globally accessible. Yet, the internal engineering teams never stopped the pastry tradition. In a nod to that ongoing culture, Android 17 has a dessert codename that’s turning heads — and it isn’t what you might have guessed.
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Last year, Google surprised observers by adopting “Baklava” as the internal dessert codename for Android 16. Since Android 15’s codename was “Vanilla Ice Cream,” many expected the next dessert to follow the alphabetical pattern with a dessert starting with the letter “W.”
A quick tour of Android codenames and the shift to Trunk Stable
Historical table (public tradition vs. internal practice) shows how the internal team kept the dessert cadence alive, even when marketing moved away from it. The internal list advanced from internal entries such as Petit Four for early builds to Cinnamon Bun for Android 17 in a way that isn’t reflected in consumer-facing marketing. The publicly visible version history remains code-named—on paper only—while the internal stream uses a parallel, pastry-tinted lexicon that guides developers through API progress and milestone planning.
Alongside the codename evolution, Google has moved Android development to a trunk-based model under the “Trunk Stable” initiative. This paradigm emphasizes a single, central internal code branch that must stay stable at all times. New features, APIs, and bug fixes are introduced behind feature flags, kept dormant until they’re ready to ship. This stands in contrast to the older branch-based approach, which could create tricky merges and integration hazards when release branches were merged back into the main line.
The shift to Trunk Stable culminated in Android 14 QPR2 as the first release after the migration was complete. To mark the change, Google overhauled its build ID scheme: Android 14 QPR2 and QPR3 builds adopted prefixes like AP1A and AP2A. The “A” in these identifiers signified that 2024 was the first year of Trunk Stable builds, with P1A and P2A reflecting the year’s first and second platform launches. As 2025 rolled in, Google advanced the nomenclature to “B” to align with the ongoing internal stream, which is why Android 16’s internal codename begins with a B in some circles. This internal naming nuance helps engineers track platform releases and stability milestones without disrupting public branding.
Why Cinnamon Bun for Android 17?
Given the updated pattern, it would be reasonable to expect Android 17’s internal codename to begin with “C.” Cupcake, a well-known option from Android 1.5, is already used publicly, so it’s not a usable internal alias. In a digital source race that polled readers on potential candidates, eight popular options were debated, with several more proposed in comments — yet none matched what Google has chosen.
The employee teams reportedly settled on “Cinnamon Bun” as the dessert codename for Android 17. A cinnamon bun — also known as a cinnamon roll or swirl — is a popular baked pastry featuring rolled dough with a cinnamon-sugar filling, often crowned with glaze. It’s beloved in Northern Europe and North America, and various chains have built brands around its preparation. While public sources don’t officially confirm Cinnamon Bun as Android 17’s codename, a trusted Google insider provided evidence indicating the internal codename for API level 37.0 is indeed CinnamonBun.
API levels are the internal numeric labels that identify a specific Android version and its core APIs. For context, Android 15 is API level 35.0 and Android 16 is 36.0. If Google maintains the current approach, API level 37.0 would map to Android 17, assuming no broader renumbering of versioning occurs. While consumer-facing branding likely won’t reveal the code name, developers and internal teams rely on these mappings to manage dependencies and platform features across releases.
What Cinnamon Bun means for Android 17’s features and release cadence
From a product perspective, the Cinnamon Bun codename is largely a nav aid for engineers rather than a public marketing hook. The important shift is the ongoing Trunk Stable model, which prioritizes stability in a fast-evolving platform. Feature flags mean developers can introduce new capabilities behind controlled toggles, allowing QA teams to validate impact before a wider rollout. This setup can lead to more predictable release cycles, reduced risk in major OS updates, and a streamlined process for integrating OEM-specific customizations.
For Android 17, the internal timeline points toward a public-facing release around June 2026. This target aligns with Google’s historical cadence of positioning major Android launches to support summer device debuts, a strategy that has helped drive compatible hardware ecosystems and developer adoption. While the public may not hear Cinnamon Bun mentioned in marketing materials, developers will encounter it in internal dashboards and beta channels as a build identifier that helps track readiness and stability.
What to expect in early beta releases and the marketing perspective
In the early beta phases, you’ll likely see references to Android CinnamonBun in internal build notes and developer previews. As platform stability improves, the OS will be labeled more plainly as Android 17 in consumer-facing release notes and on the official Android site. The internal codename acts as a breadcrumb for engineers, not a consumer-facing differentiator. It’s a reminder of the meticulous, behind-the-scenes work that goes into aligning API surface, security updates, and system-level refinements before an official public rollout.
Meanwhile, the broader Android ecosystem — including device manufacturers, app developers, and mobility services — will benefit from the streamlined development workflow offered by Trunk Stable. With feature flags, Google can test, validate, and stagger feature availability, minimizing disruptive surprises for users while still delivering meaningful improvements across the Android platform. In practice, this translates to more reliable updates, fewer late-stage regressions, and faster introduction of cross-device capabilities like improved battery life management, enhanced privacy controls, and richer on-device AI features.
Public visibility vs internal naming: what readers should know
Although the cinnamon-scented codename may spark curiosity among enthusiasts and press, it’s not a branding element that will appear on packaging, banners, or press releases. The consumer-facing label will remain Android 17 once the platform reaches stability and begins shipping in a broad beta-to-general-release cycle. Some enthusiasts may encounter references to CinnamonBun in early beta channels or in internal documentation, but the external-facing product name will stay consistent with the version number and the official release cadence.
In addition to the codename discussion, it’s worth noting the ongoing status of the “Trunk Stable” initiative as a pivotal shift in Google’s development philosophy. By consolidating changes into a single mainline and gating features with flags, Google aims to reduce the friction and risk traditionally associated with multi-branch workflows. This approach has the potential to accelerate innovation while preserving platform cohesion across OEMs and app developers — a critical factor for maintaining Android’s wide hardware and software ecosystem.
At-a-glance takeaways for developers and users
- Android 17’s internal codename is Cinnamon Bun, aligned with Google’s refreshed internal naming scheme under Trunk Stable.
- API level 37.0 is expected to correspond to Android 17, continuing the pattern where API levels track major platform milestones.
- Trunk Stable shifts development to a single stable mainline with feature flags, reducing merge conflicts and enabling faster, safer releases.
- The public marketing focus remains on Android 17’s features and performance, with the Cinnamon Bun codename remaining an internal engineering reference.
- Expected public launch around June 2026, following the established cadence that syncs with summer device launches.
A closing note on imagery and attribution
In this feature, we reference the cinnamon bun motif as part of the internal codename narrative. An illustrative photograph of a cinnamon bun, often used to represent the dessert metaphor, adds visual texture to the story. In a nod to journalistic ethics, attribution for that image goes to the photographer who captured it during a routine shoot for this piece. The goal is to provide a vivid, memorable context without impacting the technical core of the article.
Contextual recap for tech readers
Android’s internal cinnamon-cane naming and the shift to Trunk Stable reflect Google’s broader strategy to modernize its software development lifecycle. For developers, this means more reliable betas, clearer API progression, and tighter control over feature rollout. For the market, it signals a steady, predictable cadence that supports a broad ecosystem of devices and apps. And for enthusiasts, it offers a compelling narrative about how a playful dessert codename travels from the engineering whiteboard to the public stage — with Cinnamon Bun representing the sweet, steady progress beneath the hood of Android 17.
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