The dirty word: "Android" was not said once during the event "Made by Google" 10/9

Android is the most popular operating system in the world and one of Google's most important business areas. But it is becoming increasingly clear that society no longer wants to use the word associated with its phones. The latest evidence is in the transcript of his event this week in New York.

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"Android" was not mentioned once during the Made by Google 2018 speech. It's the first time Google has been organizing such a material event since its introduction in 2008 – without mentioning it at least by its name .

Go, go, (almost) gone

This is not the first time we see the Android brand escape. Google's most important applications have also seen the Android name disappear in the last two years. Android Pay has been renamed Google Pay. "Android Messages" has been renamed simply "Messages" on the Play Store in the last few months (although it retains the Android name on the Web). Google's portable operating system, Android Wear, has been renamed Wear OS.

Not to mention all the brands and products that Google has launched over the past two years and have left behind all mention of the operating system often in favor of the nickname of Google itself. "Google One" for its all-in-one cloud storage offering. "Google Tasks" for its new task management application. "Google Allo" and "Google Duo" for their latest attempts at Android messaging and video calling, respectively. Everything is not clearly renamed "Google", but it is a popular substitute.

Of course, the name remains the title of most products derived from the Android operating system, in the same way that Android has not been renamed: Android TV, Android Auto and Android. Things are always there. (Although it was confirmed that Google's Smart Display Home Hub was not running Android Things, but rather the "Cast platform." We also confirmed that it was also used to test Fuchsia.)

It's no secret that Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL also run Android, far from it. You can find the word in the Settings app, of course, Google will tell you directly, and the company is still talking about Android and all its latest features out loud at its annual developer event, where the Pixel – the phone known for the latest fast-paced versions – is certainly not lacking.

But the Android brand has quickly disappeared from Google products and marketing messages since the launch of the first Google Pixel. This phone had no obvious mention of Android except for a few applications. No mention of Android on the retail box. Not even a mention on the startup screen (now, Pixel phones say "Powered by Android" at startup, a requirement for third parties.) And this year's keynote was probably the most modest so far for the little green robot.

Chrome OS is the new star

While Android was not saying, Google had no shame in talking about Chrome OS, which powers the new Pixel Slate tablet. Google has told a whole story around Chrome OS, from where it comes from, why it makes sense on a tablet and has presented it as a great desktop alternative to Windows and Mac OS.

It seemed to me that Chrome OS was clearly presented as a star product. functionality from the pixel slate. To add insult to injury for Android, the "universe" of Android Applications that can now run on Chrome have been called simply "apps" or "apps from the Google Play Store" during the presentation.

chromeOS definitely got the show on 10/9

So why has it disappeared from the name of so many applications? And why was the word completely ignored for the first time at this week's event? And why – as you can see – chromeOS (apparently, this is the new formatting of this brand?) Totally in clear to get attention while Android is not?

Traditionally, Google has been silent about the reasoning behind its branding decisions, but we can make an educated guess.

Android seems technical, has baggage, and could be obsolete

On the one hand, there is the perception of the public. "Android phones" have the reputation of being cheaper and of lower quality than "iPhones" in popular culture, although this is true for some but not all. all d & # 39; them. Since the very beginning of the platform, Android phones represent an interesting alternative to the iPhone because of their often lower prices, or at least the existence of these affordable models.

It is understandable that, given the association of the Android brand with non-premium phones of inferior quality, Google does not want to associate the name of this OS with his phones – at least not in terms of marketing message to the public. Android phones are made by dozens of dispersed manufacturers, with different approaches to their products, design, features, etc. – which led to a very good thing: a huge diversity of phones running Android today. But that means that "Android" really does not make much sense if it's just not being an iPhone.

On the contrary, Google has spent millions in recent years to build a brand around the word pixel and the different aspects to which you could associate it – notably his star camera. Like other brands "iPhone" and "Galaxy", well known in the world of smartphones, Google wants to create one. And he does not want the baggage of the Android connotation to paint the image of a phone that rivals the iPhone and costs more than $ 1,000.

Another aspect could simply be that Google wonders if the Android brand sends the best message to the greatest diversity of potential customers that Google wants to achieve with its products. One of the problems could be that the word sounds robotic and technical, unlike the friendly and welcoming image of Google built around its current products.

A person close to the marketing efforts of the company told us that even before the material initiative Made by Google, when Google went from marketing its products to niche markets to market to the general public, the Android brand was ineffective .

He added that, in this spirit, it is understood within the government that one of Google's long-term goals is to completely abandon Android as a brand, although this direction has been controversial with " certain key actors attached to it ". Of course, Google has not officially announced its intention to move from the brand to the brand. So that remains to be seen – even though it's becoming increasingly obvious that it's an intentional decision for his marketing messages aimed at consumers.

For historical context, during the event Made by Google 2017 and the launch of Pixel 2, the word Android was mentioned only once. Google touted the latest features of Android Oreo by claiming that those whoalready have a pixel recently has received the update Android Oreo ", and that" like you are a Pixel user, always be the first to get the operating system and security updates without having to do no matter what. "

During the talk of Made by Google 2016, during which the company launched Google Pixel, Google Wifi, Daydream View headset, Google Home, etc., Google mentioned six times Android. So, if we look only at this metric – certainly specific -, there has been a notable decline.

But Android is not gone yet

That said, the Android brand is far from dead. At least technically, there is no reason to expect Google to rename its mobile operating system in the near future. Android was mentioned many times during the Google I / O 2018 speech, and I expected it to continue for years. And even on Google Pixel phones, some latecomers have stayed. The Android Auto app is preinstalled to connect your phone to car infotainment systems.

But when will Google's self-entertainment system get a name change to give up the Android name? I would not be surprised if it is as soon as possible.