Top Programming Languages for Mobile App Development

In this era of the internet and technologies like Web3, everyone lives in the digital world. There is a massive need to develop mobile apps as these are used on mobile phones, tablets, and other portable devices. That’s why this article deals with the top programming languages required to develop mobile apps.

Android Native Apps

Java

Firstly, Java was listed as the official language for Android App Development by Google. It is the most used language as well. Java is best suited for creating Android apps since it is platform-independent, and as a result, Java apps work on any platform. 

However, Java is a complicated language for a beginner to use as it contains complex topics like constructors, null pointer exceptions, concurrency, checked exceptions, etc. Null Pointer Exceptions are way more painful and can lead to unexpected app crashes if you are using Java.

Java may not suit all requirements, but it is still one of the top programming languages. 

Kotlin

Now Kotlin is the official language for Android App Development declared by Google in 2019. Kotlin has been made a ‘first class’ language for Android development by Google in addition to existing support for Java and C++.

I learned Kotlin while I was working on the company project and after using it for a while, I quickly understood that there are many advantages of using Kotin over Java.

Compared to Java, Kotlin has more readable and precise code which makes it easier to understand the program. Kotlin reduces boilerplate code. 

Kotlin is null-safe by default. It does not allow variables to be assigned with a null value. Using Kotlin you are avoiding making “The Billion Doller Mistake”, i.e. NullPointerException that can crash the app unexpectedly.

I can confidently say, Kotlin language is far better than Java for Android development as it takes care of the drawbacks Java has. And also transition from Java to Kotlin is also very easy.

iOS Native Apps

Objective C

A typical use case for C is to build system applications and desktop apps. Objective C is also a general-purpose programming language with an object-oriented edge to it. The primary use case for Objective C is building iOS apps and macOS applications.

Objective C used to be the go-to iOS app development language but Swift has overtaken Objective C as a modern and easy-to-understand language.

Many older iOS apps are built using Objective C. This is why there are still open positions for Objective C developers in the job market to maintain these old applications.

Swift

Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Writing Swift code is interactive and fun, the syntax is concise yet expressive, and Swift includes modern features developers love.

This means Swift is not only a newer language that has useful features Objective C lacks, but it’s also receiving updates from Apple. This makes Swift a more dynamic and adaptive language for modern app development.

Another safety feature is that by default Swift objects can never be nil. This makes writing code much cleaner and safer and prevents a huge category of runtime crashes in your apps.

Swift is developed in the open at swift.org, with source code, a bug tracker, forums, and regular development builds available for everyone. This broad community of developers works together to make Swift even more amazing.

If you want to start your career as an iOS developer, start by learning Swift.

Cross Platform Apps

JavaScript

JavaScript, among all programming languages, has become a popular choice for startups and large organizations. 

JavaScript frameworks are regarded as the best when it comes to developing and creating efficient mobile apps, especially Android apps. Developers that are well-versed in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript may create powerful and efficient mobile apps.

Many people who want to create their mobile apps have found that JavaScript is the best option due to its effectiveness, cheaper cost, tremendous community support, and easy learning curve.

Dart

The last few years have seen a phenomenal rise in Dart programming language, mainly because of Flutter, a popular framework from Google for developing cross-platform native mobile applications for Android and iOS platforms.

Dart is also one of the most loved programming languages. It is somewhere between Java and JavaScript. Dart is a simple, clean, object-oriented language that has more structure than JavaScript, the programming language it is heavily based on. It supports strong typing and can be compiled into JavaScript. 

It’s optimized for building user interfaces and developed by Google. You will quickly learn Dart if you are familiar with languages like Java, C#, or Kotlin.

Now it’s totally upon you to make the correct choice of language based on your objectives and preferences for each project. Whatever choice you make, it will only expand your skill set as a Mobile developer.