Gone those days when Swift was confined to iOS app development.
Today, with the help of SCADE, Swift has stepped into the world of cross-platform application development.
The programming language that had once superseded Objective-C to be the first-choice for iOS development, has now come up with features and functionalities to build Android apps. It has unveiled new ways to deliver native exceptional Android app experience using Swift – something about which we will talk about today.
But first, let’s dive into what makes Swift effective for Cross-platform environments.
Swift, with the help of SCADE SDK, has introduced various options in the development environment, such as:-
- attaining feature completeness,
- enhancing usability and productivity,
- upgrading communication with Swift development community, and more.
The SDK has also provided iOS app development with access to Eclipse-based IDE such as Code Wizard and Visual UI designer and a SCADE simulator along with Swift Foundation frameworks to get started with their project effectively.
It also offers the option to employ native controls of the particular mobile platforms for delivering native look and feel. The controls, which includes a wider set of visual controls like camera control, web control, map control, etc., can be accessed via a unified and simple Swift API.
It has also enabled mobile app developers to build applications that support a complete set of platforms, such as:-
- OSX using ultra-speedy SCADE simulator.
- Android ARM & x86 binary for both 32-bit and 64-bit (apk)
- Android Simulator ARM & x86
- iOS Simulator and Binary (ipk)
Besides, it will be supporting Autolayout on Android that eases the process of creating UIs on both platforms as well as offering an opportunity to employ third-party frameworks, such as CryptoSwift, C libraries, SQLite, and others.
In this way, the SDK has put every possible effort to make Swift ready for building Android mobile applications.
Now, with this attended to, let’s turn towards our next question – What Does it Mean to App Developers?
This announcement of Swift offering options to create Android apps provides developers with a new market to explore. It would enable iOS mobile application developers to enter into the world of Android, and that too without turning towards Flutter or React Native framework.
Now, while this seems like Apple’s Swift will get an advantage over Android and become the first choice of developers, it is not so.
Just like SCADE introduced the idea of using Swift for Android app development, OpenJDK had also announced to be preparing to bring Java on iOS platform
These instances are a clear indication that both Google and Apple are putting efforts into getting into the space of the rival OS. Both are striving to enter the Cross-platform development market and prove themselves a better option over each other, which eventually make developers more interested in getting onboard with Cross-platform app development using their programming language.
But who will succeed in this attempt is still a mystery. So, let’s wait to see what will the Cross-platform app development market inclined to – Apple’s Swift, Android’s OpenJDK, or existing frameworks.