Once we have already discussed the features of native vs cross-platform apps and we came to the conclusion that when it comes to functionality and performance, native apps are better. As you know, the term native app refers to a software program built for the target operating systems. As for today, I’m going to investigate the features of Android development, especially the Android app in Kotlin.

Kotlin is relatively new, yet it has already been used by top companies in developing their Android applications. Kotlin is a statically transcribed, modern, and open-source programming language that provides the developers with a native solution to build mobile applications for Android OS. Kotlin is a concise, easy-to-use, and simple language.

Android App in Kotlin

If you have already come to the point to develop an Android app, then Kotlin is the right choice for you. Below we’ll together investigate the features of this app development language that is widely accepted by various influential companies.

Fast

Kotlin is clear and brief. Android development with Kotlin helps increase the efficiency of developers thanks to its succinct and instinctive syntax. As a result, more work is done in less time, and fewer lines are required to be written to complete the working code.

The Kotlin Android app projects can be set up to function within a short time. Yet, the most essential part is that this language can easily debug without any difficulty.

Adaptable

While dealing with a Kotlin app, the major emphasis is placed on making sure that the existing codebase can be used for any kind of development, either be it server-, client-side, web or Android.

Modern

In terms of the avant-garde, a great fit for developing native applications is Kotlin for Android developers. This brings new advantages of a modern development language to the Android platform, yet, no new restrictions are introduced. And the fantastic thing is that Google announced the language official for Android development and it reached official support.

Safe

Kotlin has a new improved type system that brings better type safety and fixing. Although Java has been around for years, if we compare it with Kotlin from the perspective of the Android App Development, definitely, Kotlin has an advantage over Java.

Kotlin focuses on null safety. One of the main objectives of the system is to eliminate the danger of null reference (NullPointerException) from the code. Generally, Kotlin introduces two types of references that are interpreted to give the developer information about the accuracy of a program along with the time. These references are either nullable or not. As a rule, Kotlin accepts that the value can never be null. If null is assigned to the reference "a", it causes an error.

Kotlin system also introduces a syntax for safe calls. It gives the developers an opportunity to execute any action only in the case when the particular reference holds a not nullable value.

For Android app development, Kotlin offers better benefits than Java. This app development language requires lesser code so that there is a less chance that code to fail. On the other hand, the code written in Kotlin is easier to understand. As a result, reading the codebase, different developers do not require much effort to understand the already written codes. All in all, it offers more code implemented in less time, yet less time is spent on fixing errors.

Kotlin over Java

Currently, one of the trending topics in Android app development is Kotlin vs Java competition. Although Java is everywhere, significant improvements are made in Kotlin for android app development.

One of the core purposes of Kotlin is interoperability. Initially, the project aims at using the already existing knowledge and experience. Accordingly, all libraries of Java are available to Kotlin programmers. In Kotlin, developers just write the modules that work within the existing Java codebase. Kotlin compilers allow two languages to work in accordance with the same project.

The Kotlin Android app incorporates inherent null security. It prevents the developers from writing additional codes that forbid null to destroy the application.

However, Java has a ternary operator, that is missing in Kotlin. This ternary operator works like a basic "if" statement. It consists of a condition that evaluates to either true or false. The Java ternary operator introduces two values. Depending on whether the of them is returned the condition is true or false.

While in comparison, in many cases, Kotlin is more concise than Java that, on its turn, solves the same problem with fewer lines of code. It takes to the improvement of code maintainability and readability. As a result, the developers understand and edit code in a more effective and efficient way. Kotlin covers several features that help to achieve conciseness. These features include:

type inference

smart casts

data classes

properties

Kotlin offers better support for functional programming. It provides the possibility to improve performance through inlining. Currently, Java misses that function. On the other hand, Kotlin offers a variety of handy features that facilitate daily development tasks - something not included in Java.

Unlike Java, Kotlin compiler makes it easier to search for and find bugs in advance. It performs several checks and reduces both the cost and efforts required for error fixing.

Another essential factor in Kotlin’s productivity is brevity. Writing large projects currently becomes easier because the developer receives more influence on each line of code. The syntax is brief and still substantially coherent. The concise nature of Kotlin simplifies the work of the developer and minimizes the possibility of errors.

Android Applications Written in Kotlin

Many famous companies have used Kotlin for their Android app development and achieved the success they looked for. Find some of the most popular Android apps in Kotlin below.

Pinterest

Pinterest, which is a famous photo-sharing platform moved away from Java and decided to use Kotlin for its Android app. The brand went on experimenting on Kotlin and it worked - they introduced the benefits.

Trello

Trello is a highly-known application for project management that is used by millions of people today. Although Trello hasn’t made or plan to implement a full code-conversion from Java to Kotlin, the new code for their Android app is written in Kotlin.

Uber

When it comes to global on-demand space, Uber is the leader. They adopted Kotlin for the internal tooling process for their Android app.

To Sum Up

Having analyzed the main characteristics of Kotlin, we may say that although this programming language is relatively new, it has already been used by various companies while developing their apps. The fantastic thing is that one will never return to another programming language after using Kotlin because it proves to be useful and functional. If you also want to build an Android App, then a Kotlin App Development is the right way for you to go.