Few languages are as practical and straightforward to use as Kotlin for anybody designing an Android app today, and for that, hire android app developer in the organization.
Java used to be the go-to language for creating Android apps until Kotlin came around. However, Google started including Kotlin in its Android Studio IDE in 2017. This led many developers to switch from Java to Kotlin.
Kotlin has become Google’s recommended language for creating Android apps since 2019. Additionally, kotlin has grown to be a well-liked programming language in its own right, despite the continued popularity of C++ and Java. According to StackOverflow’s 2021 Developer Survey, Kotlin is the third language utilized for Android app development (behind JavaScript and C++) and the eighth most desired language overall among the top programming languages.
One thing that makes using Kotlin for Android app development an easy decision is Google’s support; Kotlin users have built-in support for Android development tools, libraries, documentation, and more.
But there are many more factors at play in Kotlin’s rise to prominence in Android programming. Learn more about the reasons Kotlin is being used so often by businesses and developers to create native Android applications.
Why Should Kotlin be Used for Developing Android Apps?
Kotlin is an open-source, statically-typed programming language for JavaScript and the Java Virtual Machine created by JetBrains (JVM). Several well-known companies utilize it, like Uber, Pinterest, Trello, and Twitter.
Many of the problems that developers have with more archaic languages like Java are addressed by Kotlin. Due to the implementation of inner classes, Java is verbose, often causes NullPointerExceptions and nullability issues, and runs the risk of memory leaks. Compared to Java, Kotlin is more straightforward and capable. Additionally, it differs from contemporary frameworks like Flutter in several notable ways, including superior speed and scalability.
Kotlin’s Benefits for Developing Android Applications
Some benefits of utilizing Kotlin to create native Android applications include the following:
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Short Codes
Older programming languages like Java might produce repetitious code. Java often needs to write several lines of code in a particular order to accomplish any task. Kotlin is more succinct; it uses fewer lines of code to achieve the same goals. This frees engineers to work on more critical issues that have a more significant bearing on the project’s success rather than developing boilerplate code.
Kotlin-written code has clear syntax and is expressive and simple to understand. This enhances the code’s capacity to be maintained.
Kotlin-developed Android applications are smaller due to the lower code volume. A quicker pace of production is also possible with fewer lines of code since it is simpler to detect mistakes in the code.
This makes Kotlin an excellent choice for complicated and large-scale app development projects.
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Enterprise-Ready Technology
Since its inception in 2011, Kotlin has been a mature technology that was created to address specific issues that other technologies were unable to. Due to the fact that it was developed for usage in the corporate sector, it is well-suited for enterprise applications. Additionally, it has been tried and tested in a range of applications by several app development businesses.
It now provides great IDE and tooling support from Google and is integrated with Android Studio. This has helped Kotlin gain more traction inside the Android environment.
It is reasonable to assume that Kotlin’s future is secure, with many planned new features and libraries to come and increased resource sharing among the community of Android developers. Two major companies have invested in the expansion of Kotlin. It makes Kotlin a future-proof investment since companies creating native Android applications using it are sure to get the upgrades and support they may want.
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Code Security
Older programming languages like Java might have a high error rate. The majority of crashes in Android applications are caused by the Java NullPointerException (NPE). It takes time and money to fix these problems and prevent them from happening again.
However, this is no longer a problem when using Kotlin.
Common mistakes like NullPointerExceptions are avoided with Kotlin. Additionally, the Kotlin compiler does a lot of tests, enabling the app to fail quickly so that bugs may be found and fixed. Higher code safety and more developer productivity result from this. Kotlin allows for the construction of safe, dependable, and error-free Android applications as a consequence.
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Java Compatibility
You may utilize all of your Java code as well as Kotlin functions in your current Java Project. Did you know that? You may quickly and cleanly call your Java code from a Kotlin programme or the other way around.
Because Kotlin is meant to be entirely backward compatible with Java, creating Android apps with it is straightforward. Therefore, mix and match code as necessary without your programme breaking instead of completely rebuilding your Java application in Kotlin. The Java code may then be subsequently converted to Kotlin code.
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Support for Cross-Platform Development
Kotlin Multiplatform includes everything you need to develop multiplatform applications.
To save the time and effort required for development, you may reuse and exchange code across platforms. Writing platform-specific code can be done without the introduction of a second language at all because of Kotlin’s simple syntax and principles. Additionally, it makes application maintenance much more straightforward.
Although Kotlin for Android app development is fantastic, Kotlin Multiplatform allows you to create applications for other platforms.
Health and fitness firm Down Dog utilized Kotlin to standardize the code for its iOS and Android applications. With libraries like Ktor, SQLDelight, Apollo, and Koin adopting Kotlin Multiplatform, Kotlin allows development for a wide range of platforms, including JavaScript, Android, Linux, Mac, Windows, and many more.
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Usability
JetBrains made sure it would be relatively simple for Java users to migrate to Kotlin while creating the language. Because Kotlin is straightforward and resembles Java in many aspects, Java developers can learn it in a short amount of time.
As a result, a significant adoption barrier is lowered, and it is relatively straightforward for mobile app developers to begin creating native Android applications using Kotlin. Additionally, it reduces the expense of moving corporate applications to Kotlin.
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Reduced Development Expenses
Kotlin’s concision and increased code safety result in faster development cycles and higher-quality code in Android applications. Developers may more readily adjust the code due to its improved readability. As a result, errors are discovered sooner in the development process, minimizing crashes and failures.
In this approach, Kotlin-based Android app development enables businesses to speed up project timeframes and reduce development and maintenance expenses.
The Finest Language for Android Programming Is Kotlin.
In June 2022, Kotlin 1.7.0 was made available. With this version, the new Kotlin K2 compiler has entered alpha, bringing a lot of significant fixes and speed enhancements. This currently only works with JVM projects.
The revised method of incremental compilation in Gradle, which removes earlier restrictions, is another noteworthy development. Further Kotlin releases will aim to increase the compiler’s reliability and provide additional functionality.
Conclusion
The benefits of using the developer-friendly language Kotin are many. Kotlin is a contemporary language that increases developers’ productivity and efficiency. Additionally, since Kotlin is open-source, developers who use it to create Android apps may anticipate prompt assistance from other community members.
Kotlin is now the clear option for businesses seeking a reliable, scalable, and secure Android app development solution to meet their business objectives.