ADVERTISEMENT

Based on the amount of sightings of Android 4.4.3 we expect that the new Android version will be launched soon. Today we spotted Android 4.4.3 running on both a Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. The last build we found so far is KTU83, again running on a Hammerhead device, the codename for the Nexus 5. Previously we reported about a Nexus 5 running build KTU65.

ADVERTISEMENT

Besides the new Nexus 5 build, we also spotted a Google employee using build KTU79 on a Nexus 7. This build was created on the 21th of March.

According to the convention the first letter is the codename of the release family (e.g. ‘K’ for Kitkat) The second letter is a branch code that allows Google to identify the exact code branch that the build was made from, and ‘R’ is by convention the primary release branch. The next letter and two digits are a date code. The letter counts quarters, with ‘A’ being Q1 2009. Therefore, ‘F’ is Q2 2010. The two digits count days within the quarter, so F85 is June 24th, 2010. Finally, the last letter identifies individual versions related to the same date code, sequentially starting with ‘A’; ‘A’ is actually implicit and usually omitted for brevity.

ADVERTISEMENT

If we take the build string KTU83, the codename starts with the expected ’K’, for Kitkat the second letter is a ‘T’, although Google has used many different letters in that position. The ‘U’ and the numbers next to it should identify the quarter, and as expected ‘U’ is Q1 2014. The 83 means the 83th day of Q1 2014 which makes it the 24th of March 2014 which means a very new, 3 days old Android build. The 79th day, as in KTU79 means it was build on the 21st of March.