and Why You Should Too!
Ever since Google made Kotlin as the official language for Android, there is one question we’ve been asked at least one-hundred times!
“Should we move from Java to Kotlin?”
To this, we always ask a counter question — do you know what Kotlin offers?
Because knowing all the details automatically answers the former question — whether you should shift from Java to Kotlin or not.
However, if you don’t know anything about Kotlin and would like find out whether you should migrate from Java to Kotlin, just read the entire article.
In this article, we’ll be looking at 4 famous startups that have adopted Kotlin and explore whether it’s worth to follow their lead or not.
Here are the 4 Famous Startups’ Android Apps That Were Either Made Using Kotlin or Migrated from Java to Kotlin:
1 — Pinterest
The popular Photo Sharing App officially moved from Java to Kotlin soon after Kotlin was launched. The brand started experimenting with Kotlin and finally showcased the benefits of migrating from Java to Kotlin during Droidcon NYC 2016.
2 — Uber
The global leader of on-demand space, specifically in the on-demand commutation market, Uber has adopted Kotlin for their internal tooling process like gradle plugins and annotation processors.
3 — Trello
Trello is one of the popular project management tools that is used by millions today. Though Trello has not done full code conversion from Java to Kotlin nor does it plans to, but because of great interoperability between Java and Kotlin, Trello is writing new code using Kotlin.
4 — KickStarter
The famous crowdfunding platform has also used Kotlin for its Android app development. Those who don’t know, Kickstarter helps designers, filmmakers, and other creatives get support and required resources to convert their ideas/projects into reality.
Now that we know that many hot-shot apps are benefiting from Java to Kotlin Migration, should you get your app’s name added in the above list?
Before you make any uniformed decision, let’s find out why these 4 famous startups migrated their Android apps to Kotlin.
Image Credit — Zealous System
1 — Mass Adoption
While Kotlin was in development since 2011, but its adoption rate skyrocketed after Google’s 2017 I/O event. Kotlin is an open-source and free programming language created by JetBrains.
In fact, according to JetBrains, the adoption rate of Kotlin has become so high that they predict Kotlin will overtake Java for Android App Development this year.
Image Credit: https://blog.jetbrains.com/kotlin/2017/11/kotlin-1-2-released/
In the early days, only professional and experienced Android app developers were using Kotlin for Android development. But, since the announcement in Google I/O Event 2017, it’s usage exploded with students and newer developers.
2 — Concise
Kotlin is a very concise modern programming language. It reduces the total number of boilerplate code, resulting into enhanced productivity. Not only that, but there is also a less room for error, making the code a lot more reliable and safer than Java.
3 — Enhanced User Experience
Kotlin is not just concise, but it also makes the Android app development process a lot more stable by reducing app crashes and removing bugs. That means, when your Android app is missing these common issues, the user experience automatically gets better.
4 — Fail Fast & Move Ahead
Ever since Google announced Kotlin as the official language for Android app development, Google has been bringing new changes every now and then. And one of these changes include adding fail-fast system.
Fail-Fast System basically reports any issue in coding immediately that is most likely to lead to a failure. Simply put, when an issue arises, the fail-fast system fails on the spot, requiring Kotlin developers to fix it immediately before moving ahead with their development process.
5 — Kotlin Makes Android App Development a Breeze for Developers
Kotlin has become developers’ retreat for Android application development. Since Kotlin is easy-to-learn and has support from Google and its own community, Kotlin has now become the common answer to the question — “What programming language to be used to build Android app.”
Not only that, but due to its great adoption rate mentioned earlier in the article, the probability of one of the Android apps you’re using are built using Kotlin is very high.
So now that you the benefits of using Kotlin for developing your next Android app and why famous startups are also using the same, we’ve come to the end of this article.
However, before we say goodbye, we’ve a bonus information for you all.
Bonus - What You Must Know Before Migrating Your Java-Coded Android App to Kotlin
While Java-Kotlin interoperability is the best part about the Kotlin programming language. However, there are two question we strongly believe that you need to ask yourself if you want to migrate your existing Android app to Kotlin.
Let’s see those questions:
1 — Does Your Team Has In-depth Knowledge to Make the Switch Happen?
Let’s be clear on one thing. — Shifting the development method from Java to Kotlin, or in fact any other programming language comes with a learnability curve. There is no way around it.
Therefore, before you decide to make the switch, make sure that your Android app developers are 100% on-board to support this journey of yours.
2 — Is Your Existing Android App’s Architecture Created Using Loosely Coupled Components?
Get this one thing straight. — if your Android app is built using loosely coupled components, it will be more difficult (not impossible!) to migrate from Java to Kotlin.
Why? — because when you make changes to existing code, it results in creation, deletion, and merging some class, which ultimately makes your App’s architecture a total mess.
Therefore, find out first if the app’s architecture is loosely coupled, and if it is, we suggest to consult with an experienced Android App Development Company proceeding further.