Since 2008, when Android app development experienced tremendous growth, it has been a cornerstone of the mobile app development industry. To participate in this fast-growing and lucrative industry, programmers explore leading Android app programming languages. Therefore, this article covers each top-tier programming language for Android app development to ease your explorative journey.
What Programming Languages Are Used for Developing Android Apps?
With over 3 billion active users, the Android operating system has the most extensive user base worldwide, supporting smartphones and tablets. It leads developers and businesses to build Android apps and engage the largest audience with their services. Hence, the need to discover an appropriate Android software programming language arises so this overwhelming process runs smoothly.
1. Kotlin
Regarding the common question, “What programming language does Android use?” Google declared Kotlin the answer in 2019. It is an alternative to Java and can interoperate with Java as it runs on the Java Virtual Machine. Talking about the differences, Kotlin eradicates the additional features of Java and removes the obligation of wind-up lines with Semicolons.
Besides that, Kotlin is a simpler Android programming language for beginners and is an entry point for Android app development processing. Some of its advantages involve seamless refactoring, an array of libraries, code readability, fast compilation, and reduction of verbosity. Moreover, this language is becoming standard as it needs a few lines of code to accomplish precise functionalities.
2. Java
Beyond Kotlin, Java is the oldest and one of the two official native Android app development languages supported by Android Studio. It has remained at the top for years because of its stability, security, portability, and multithreading support. Despite being popular, it has a rich ecosystem of libraries, tools, frameworks, and even Java Virtual Machine to execute Java code.
Using this language will give you the most considerable edge in security and stability, which could prevent malicious code from being executed. You will also witness an enhanced performance through garbage collection and memory management mechanisms. However, it is notorious for being verbose, meaning you could have to write lengthy codes with extensive boilerplate.
3. C++
After Java and Kotlin, C++ is another considerable Android programming language because of its high portability across operating systems. It is more object-oriented and generic and can support dynamic memory allocation to make code execution faster than ever. Moreover, this powerful and versatile language can build everything, including 3D games and complex applications for Android.
Notably, it’s not a native Android language, and to use it, you must convert the code using an Android Native Kit. Unlike Java, it complies with machine code and runs directly on the underlying devices without interpreters or other runtime machines. However, it may cause bugs while dealing with complexities and could not provide enough results of efforts as Java could.
4. C
This language is similar to Java as it implements garbage collection to avoid risks of memory leaks. Besides, it offers a more straightforward and cleaner syntax to make coding more effortless than other Android application programming languages. Primarily, it is a .NET programming language by Microsoft that supports Visual Studio and is known as the core language.
Using this language, you can spend time on programming toolsets and Visual Studio’s extensive debugging to speed up your work. Considering its minor drawbacks, there isn’t a vast developer community for this language, so you might face troubles when you need assistance. Furthermore, apps designed with this language could only run on Windows until combined with Xamarin. Android.
5. HTML/CSS
While addressing queries like “What language are Android apps programmed in?” we must suggest HTML and CSS other than Java, Kotlin, etc. They can help in creating Android apps through the Adobe PhoneGap frameworks by Apache Cordova. Since the Adobe PhoneGap framework is enough for basic tasks, you don’t need programming unless you practice JavaScript.
Delving into details, HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is a fundamental component of Android app development due to its capabilities for designing webpage structures. Conversely, CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, enhances web pages’ visual appearance and empowers good-looking web pages. It leads developers toward applying formatting and design techniques through CSS versatility and crafting compelling web pages.
Factors to Consider when Choosing Android Programming Language
Before heading directly to the selection stage, read this section and learn some points you must ensure while choosing one programming language. It will expand your knowledge and let you make a wise choice based on your app requirements.
1. Project Requirements
Since the application category heavily influences the development process, you must choose an Android programming language accordingly. Therefore, developers have to clarify their app’s type, necessities, and essential requirements while choosing a language. Additionally, they must consider factors like complexity, performance expectations, and must-have features of their Android project.
2. Team Expertise and Skills
After considering your project requirements, pay attention to your team’s expertise and available resources. For instance, if your team is an expert in Kotlin and Java, Android app development can go more smoothly. Even when hiring new developers, it will be easy for you to covey your agenda to them because you know the languages.
3. Budget and Time Constraints
Some Android app programming languages can speed up the development process, while others require more coding for each function. That’s why you must count your project goals and delivery dates when deciding on a programming language and think of SDK. Depending on your MVP launch dates and rapid test on the market instincts, consider budget and time simultaneously when selecting a language.
4. App Complexity and Expectations
As your app’s complexity and size are crucial in determining the technologies you need, decide on a programming language accordingly. Usually, minor projects, such as web apps that gather data, can be built with some CMS systems like WordPress. Conversely, the complex application requires segregation into pieces, where each function requires a different technology language and stack for optimal results.
5. Maintenance and Community Support
Select a programming language for Android app development that allows code maintenance and scalability with easy debugging and updating capabilities. In this regard, you can choose Kotlin and Swift, which have features that enable you to write maintainable code and clean syntax. Also, look for a well-developed environment such as community support, documentation, and libraries that shorten development time.
Enhancing Android App Development with ZEGOCLOUD Real-Time Communication
Alongside choosing a robust Android app development language wisely, you must consider the abovementioned factors. However, to speed up the app development process and save effort, the ZEGOCLOUD APIs and SDKs are must-know technologies. This is because they contain fully customizable SDKs and more than 20 UIKits and UI components to accelerate app delivery.
With industry-standard security measures, it can ensure your data security and compliance. Additionally, it allows you to scale up your app, whether designed for the social, education, or health sector. Regardless of the app’s primary purpose, some features such as video calling, in-app chat, and voice conferencing are crucial.
Therefore, ZEGOCLOUD provides easy-to-integrate APIs that allow apps to embed video streaming, screen sharing, and other interactive features with just a few lines of code. Through them, your app users will experience less than 300ms latency and crystal-clear communication with countless collaboration features.
Conclusion
In summary, this article has provided a descriptive analysis of the 5 best Android programming languages to help you make an informed selection. Upon reviewing the discussion, if you are considering exploring tactics that can speed up development, remember that ZEGOCLOUD APIs and SDKs are your next stop. It is because they offer scalable, secure, and easy-to-embed communication APIs and SDKs to make your Android apps feature-rich.
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Android Programming Language FAQ
Q1: What programming language is primarily used for Android development?
The primary programming languages used for Android development are Java and Kotlin. Java has been the traditional language for Android, while Kotlin, introduced by Google as an official language in 2017, is now preferred by many developers due to its modern syntax and enhanced features.
Q2: Is Kotlin better than Java for Android development?
Kotlin is often considered better than Java for Android development because it offers a more concise and expressive syntax, reduces boilerplate code, and provides better safety features, such as null safety. However, Java is still widely used and is essential for understanding legacy Android projects.
Q3: Is it necessary to learn Java before learning Kotlin for Android development?
It is not necessary to learn Java before learning Kotlin for Android development, especially since Kotlin is now the preferred language for many new Android projects. However, having a basic understanding of Java can be helpful, as many Android libraries and older projects are written in Java.
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