We’re all waiting impatiently for Google I/O, where Google is expected to announce the next major version of Android. However, according to findings by Android Police, the eagerly anticipated Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie may not come to pass – instead, the next Android version will be Android 4.3 and carry the Jelly Bean tag yet again.

Digging through their server logs, AP came across a build named Android 4.3 JWR23B, and while these can be faked, they were also able to trace the IP address ranges to Google employees. The same IP range has helped people determine previous versions of Android, meaning we are looking at the real deal here. Also, since the build number starts with J and not with a K, it’s a surefire guarantee that Android 4.3 will still be called Jelly Bean.

Furthermore, these Android 4.3 devices were found to be the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7, which further confirms the build’s existence as those two devices would be first in line to get the update. Oh, and several recent comments by a Google developer on the official Chromium bug tracker list the build number JWR23B, so it is pretty much confirmed that the next Android version isn’t going to be as major an upgrade as we were expecting.

Several reasons are being attributed to this incremental update to the OS – that no massive improvements or features are needed right now for a jump to Android 5.0, or that Google is now taking it slow in order to give manufacturers some breathing space, as the last couple of Android releases have come in quick succession and left non-Nexus playing catch up with Nexus ones.

Don’t be disappointed though – Android 4.1 wasn’t a major version bump from 4.0 but still had major improvements like Project Butter, which made Android an extremely smooth and responsive operating system, so Android 4.3 might just have some major changes as well, changes that aren’t exactly visible but do a lot to improve performance, battery life, or something like that.

Guess we’ll find out what’s cooking at Google I/O, which starts on May 15th.

Source: Android Police