Google has now expanded on its initial rebranding of Android to include Android Auto, Android TV, and Android One. That’s based on recent reports noting that the logos for those products and brands have been reworked at their respective websites.
The changes range from relatively reserved to drastic depending on the brand in question.
For Android Auto, the change is subtle. Google seems to have simply made both words in the logo less bold, subsequently increasing the spacing between the letters and the two words. The font used for the word “android” is still slightly more bold than that for the word “auto” but neither is as prominent as it was before. Both words in the logo are still shown in a stark white coloration.
The Android TV logo, conversely, drops all coloration entirely. Prior to the change, “android” was shown in a traditional green hue while “tv” took on a grey tone. Both are white now. Like the Android Auto logo, boldness has been scaled back with Android TV too. The two services’ logos are much more consistent following the change.
The last big change that’s been noticed is much bigger and arguably inconsistent with those noted for Android TV and Android Auto. Google’s near-stock Android One program logo has not abandoned its colorful aesthetic and changes have been made on the boldness front too. Where the entire logo used to be a traditional Android green, the outline surrounding “one” is now a dark blue and so is the word “android.”
The word “one” in the logo takes on the newer standard for Android. More succinctly, that’s a brighter, more blue-shifted green instead of the transparent white from the previous version of the logo.
Is this Android rebranding just part of growing up?
As noted above, this isn’t the first time Google has given Android a rebranding within the last several months. The search giant announced a new design for the Android logo itself following its decision to reveal that Android would no longer come with a secondary — arguably more recognizable — treat name. For instance, Android 9 Pie would, under the new convention, simply be called Android 9.
Google announced that change near the end of August. The biggest noticeable change in the new Android logo at the time was its color. Rather than the standard Android green, the new logo reads “android” in a high-contrast black color. Accompanying the word, the standard Android robot icon took on a bluer green hue. The color is not dissimilar to that found in the new Android One logo.
The naming convention, meanwhile, is intended to help the international community better recognize the order of Android releases. Android 9 Pie is fairly clear to users in English-speaking areas since it follows Android Oreo and Android Nougat before that. But alphabets and languages differ from region to region. So the treat names weren’t necessarily appearing in chronological order elsewhere.
The alteration is also intended to represent a more mature product. Android now owns the majority of the world market share in mobile.
This is not a widespread change yet
The new logo hasn’t made any known appearances on any smartphones, televisions, tv boxes, or aftermarket stereos. In fact, it only seems to have appeared on Google’s official websites for Android-related brands. So it isn’t immediately clear if or when the logos might appear on user devices.
Most likely, Google is working with its partners to ensure the rebranding is pushed through with the next software or firmware update across each of the respective categories.
