The use of mobile applications is increasing, and the demand for application development is driving them. By the end of 2021, 73% of eCommerce sales will be on mobile devices, and high demand is not just for electronic products. Due to fierce market competition, the demand for Kotlin multiplatform app development services is also growing.
Therefore, mobile application development is in the fastest-growing stage, and a better way is needed to build applications more efficiently and at a faster pace. For developers, the question is whether the application needs to be embedded or multiplatform. The problem with mashups is that they degrade performance when they are large or complex, and you always have an extra layer of programming. Sometimes, there will be problems with the framework you are using, and you will waste hours.
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What is Kotlin multiplatform?
Using Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile, you can use a foundation for iOS and Android application logic. You only need to write platform-specific code when necessary, such as implementing your user interface or using platform-specific APIs (FaceID, geographic location, camera, etc.).
Cross-platform code with Kotlin
You can make your application cross-platform without introducing new languages into the codebase. kotlin multiplatform app development services which are already familiar with Kotlin know that this is a safe, concise, and easy-to-use language that can greatly improve the developer experience. iOS developers can easily learn Kotlin syntax because it is based on the same modern language. They are accustomed to using concepts so that your entire team can write multiplatform code efficiently.
Advantages and disadvantages of Kotlin multiplatform
Advantages of KMM:
- For each platform, the developed applications are 100% native. It is easy to integrate with libraries and third-party code currently in use.
- Easy to use because almost all Android developers have used Kotlin, so almost no additional knowledge is required to get started.
- The user interface can be split for each target platform; the app is suitable for every ecosystem.
- Using common logic, developers can add new features and fix bugs in both operating systems simultaneously.
Disadvantages of KMM:
Many components are still in beta testing and may become unstable or change in the future
Which companies use KMM?
According to the official website, the company is showing increasing interest in this technology, and the list is getting longer and longer. These include well-known brands such as VMWare, Netflix, Autodesk, and Yandex.
The state of Kotlin multiplatform
The Kotlin framework provides all these functions to achieve the greatest degree of code sharing. The goal is not to replace your native application with a cross-platform Kotlin application. The cross-platform status of Kotlin seems too good, unbelievable.
Why is this a vision? Industry-standard? Because it does not yet exist:-(Kotlin for JVM (including Android) is powerful and has been widely used in production. You can also use Kotlin to create cross-platform libraries out of the box. All tools, but most of them are missing, prepare to produce in the Alpha stage or even the experimental stage.
The following are some of the main build areas:
- The cross-platform Kotlin version is alpha.
- Kotlin native (iOS) is currently completely redesigning memory management and parallelism.
- Native Kotlin has not been optimized for current performance.
- Kotlin JS received the new Kotlin JS IR compiler, which is still in alpha testing.
- TypeScript definition generation is only available in the new Kotlin JS IR compiler.
- Dutcat, Kotlin’s TypeScript link generator is still in the experimental stage.
Nowadays, it is usually necessary to manually adjust links that are automatically generated using TypeScript.
None of this prevents you from preparing for cross-platform Kotlin. You can try it now.
The Kotlin team is working hard to ensure that Kotlin Native and Kotlin JS comply with the Kotlin JVM standard. I am confident that when I am ready, I can develop cross-platform applications in this way. I know that there is no single truth in the developer community when it comes to cross-platform operations.
Although I am sure that Kotlin will dramatically change cross-platform development, you may have a completely different view. Feel free to comment and have a lively discussion.
Summary
Answer the question in the title: Is Kotlin Multiplatform the future of Kotlin multiplatform app development services? – It all depends on the requirements. Suppose you want to build a small and identical application for two mobile platforms simultaneously. In that case, it may not be because you need to have the necessary development skills for both platforms.
However, if you already have an Android and iOS development team and want to provide the best user experience, you can greatly shorten the development time. As shown in the above example, due to common modules, the application logic is only implemented once, and the user interface is completely created for a specific platform.