Friday, 5 September 2025
26.9 C
Singapore
29.8 C
Thailand
19.3 C
Indonesia
28.2 C
Philippines

Google pushes for Kotlin as the preferred language for app development

At the Google I/O developer conference, the tech giant announced that Android development would become increasingly ‘Kotlin-first,’ as the company doubles down on its support of the Kotlin language for Android mobile development. Kotlin, the JVM-based alternative to Java, is a cross-platform, statically typed, general-purpose programming language with type inference. It is designed to inter-operate […]

At the Google I/O developer conference, the tech giant announced that Android development would become increasingly ‘Kotlin-first,’ as the company doubles down on its support of the Kotlin language for Android mobile development.

Kotlin, the JVM-based alternative to Java, is a cross-platform, statically typed, general-purpose programming language with type inference. It is designed to inter-operate fully with Java, and the type inference allows its syntax to be more concise.

“Many new Jetpack APIs and features will be offered first in Kotlin. If you’re starting a new project, you should write it in Kotlin; code written in Kotlin often mean much less code for you–less code to type, test, and maintain.”

Google

It was only two years ago that Google announced its support for Kotlin in its Android Studio IDE at I/O 2017. This news came as a surprise, given that Java had long dominated Android app development.

In the past two years, Kotlin’s popularity has grown with more than 50% of professional Android developers now using the language to develop their apps, and in the latest Stack Overflow developer survey, Kotlin is ranked as the fourth-most loved programming language.

But Google also confirmed that Google still supports the use of Java and C++ for Android development.

The company also announced ten new libraries for Android Jetpack, a set of components, tools, and guidance built to accelerate app development. The company also introduced Jetpack Compose, a new unbundled Kotlin toolkit.

Hot this week

YouTube tests gift goals to increase live-stream donations

YouTube is testing gift goals for live-stream donations, allowing creators to set donation targets and reward supporters on mobile streams.

FairPrice Group opens AI-powered Store of Tomorrow at Punggol Coast Mall

FairPrice Group has opened the world’s first AI-powered supermarket at Punggol Coast Mall, transforming shopping and staff experiences.

Genshin Impact introduces the new Nod-Krai region in Version Luna I update launching 10 September

Genshin Impact Version Luna I launches on 10 September, adding Nod-Krai, new characters, mechanics and rewards to mark its fifth anniversary.

Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025 launches major initiatives to fight online fraud

Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025 in Singapore unveils new initiatives to fight scams with technology, funding, and cross-border collaboration.

Samsung’s newest SmartThings hub drops Z-Wave support

Samsung and Aeotec’s Smart Home Hub 2 drops Z-Wave support, focusing on Matter, Thread, and improved local automation.

HubSpot unveils Loop Marketing playbook to drive growth in AI era

HubSpot launches Loop Marketing playbook and over 200 AI updates to help businesses grow in the era of AI search and zero-click results.

One in three Australian workers expose company data to AI platforms, Josys warns

Over a third of Australian workers upload sensitive data to AI tools, with Josys warning of rising risks from shadow AI and weak governance.

Singapore Polytechnic partners ESGpedia to strengthen sustainability efforts for local businesses

Singapore Polytechnic and ESGpedia partner to help Singapore businesses cut emissions, boost energy efficiency, and support the Green Plan 2030.

Veeam launches first software appliance for instant, secure data protection

Veeam has launched its first hardware-agnostic software appliance, offering instant, secure data protection with built-in resilience.

Related Articles

Popular Categories