Mobile app development is one of the fastest-growing markets in today’s economy. It seems like new apps are popping up every day, and it’s not just the big companies that are developing them anymore. The world has changed, and people everywhere want to be connected at all times.
With this said, it can be difficult to know which programming languages will give you a competitive edge when developing mobile apps for the future. In this blog post, we’ll explore 5 of the best programming languages that are currently trending in mobile app development.
Table of Contents
7 Best Programming Languages for Mobile App Development
1. JavaScript
JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages in use today. The computer language is used to power many modern websites and is used by all but a handful of the world’s top 100 websites. JavaScript can be run on both mobile devices and PCs, which makes it an attractive choice for companies looking at developing cross-platform apps that work with multiple operating systems.
Frameworks like jQuery and Angular make it even more sought after. You can’t stay away from this ever-changing world; you might as well learn how to use JavaScript now instead of later when there are so many other languages out there.
JavaScript is an essential tool for any web developer, no matter what they are using. It’s the number one language used by many popular libraries and frameworks, including Angular JS or React JS. Both have their own benefits to offer compared with older technology that will most likely still be there when you need them.
The best thing about JavaScript is that it’s a truly versatile language. You can use it to write front-end GUIs for your website or make backend servers. Some people even create mobile apps using only JS.
React Native is a popular framework for developing cross-platform apps. It allows you to write your code once and have it work on Android or iOS platforms, which makes this technology very versatile. If we were talking about any other programming language (or even if there wasn’t such a thing as React), then I would recommend using JavaScript instead because it has universal appeal.
2. C / C ++
C / C ++ are both powerful languages that have been used for years to develop mobile apps. Although they may seem archaic, these languages can be very useful when developing the low-level functionality of your app because the code is compiled directly on a device rather than being interpreted at runtime. This means it’s faster, more secure, and power-efficient.
It is important to note that C / C ++ can sometimes be a little bit more difficult for beginners.
However, if you’re up for the challenge and feel comfortable with these languages in general, they would give your mobile app development skills an edge when it comes to developing any low-level functionality of your app. C is not as popular as it used to be, but C ++ is widely popular.
C and C++ are key to developing games, computer graphics, and virtual reality. It’s projected that these areas will experience growth in 2021, with more people looking to learn these skills than ever before.
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3. Java
Java is an object-oriented programming language that Sun Microsystems first released in 1995. Introduced to the world as a general-purpose programming language, Java has since evolved into one of the top choices for mobile development due to its ability to run applications on any Android device without requiring recompiling or re-publishing apps.
Currently used in over 15 million applications, Java is one of the most popular languages in mobile app development.
Some key features of Java include:
- A simple and easy-to-learn syntax that can be used across other programming languages like C++ or Python
- An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for ease of use while programming
- Ability to execute code in multiple systems
Java is one of the best programming languages for mobile app development. It has a simple and easy-to-learn syntax, and Java has an array of dedicated IDEs that make coding easier than ever. With Google’s recent support for Kotlin (see below), Java will continue to be popular with mobile app developers for years to come.
Here are some of the related posts:
- 10 Things Every New Programmer Should Know Before Learning Programming
- 9 Questions New Developers Ask When Learning How to Code
- 9 Top Python Developers to Follow Online in 2021: Programming Gurus
- 15 Best Coding Games to Help You Improve Your Programming Skills
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4. Swift
Swift is a relatively new programming language. It was introduced in 2014 and immediately became the number one ranked programming language by LinkedIn. The main reason for its popularity? Swift helps developers create apps much faster than before.
Most mobile app development companies are using Objective-C to develop their iOS applications; however, there has been a significant push from Apple to promote Swift as the premier programming language for developing applications on their platform. In fact, there are even some signs that Objective-C will be deprecated in future versions of Xcode so that we may see an increased focus on Swift in the future.
While it is still early days regarding its overall adoption, Swift has already proven to be quite versatile. It can run on any Apple device running iOS or Mac OS X (or even Linux), and it allows developers to do a lot of things that were previously difficult with Objective-C.
The Swift programming language emerged as a replacement for Objective C, which has been used to develop apps on iOS. I love the design and ease of use associated with this new alternative as it reminds me so much of Python but also makes it an official choice by Apple themselves.
Finally, while some may argue the merits of coding in an interpreted language versus a compiled one, there’s no denying that Swift is much easier to learn than Objective-C. In short, if you’re looking for a programming language that will allow you to develop mobile apps more quickly and easily while still being compatible with Apple devices, then the future belongs to Swift.
5. Python
Python is an incredibly versatile language that can be used for web development, desktop applications, and mobile apps. A big reason why Python has become so popular in the last few years is because of its huge community of developers who are constantly pushing it forward with new updates to make it faster and more efficient. Because of this ever-evolving community, Python has the most third-party libraries in existence, which makes it incredibly easy to add features and functions to your app.
Python is an object-oriented programming language with many different implementations (i.e., Jython for Java). However, its greatest strength lies in how easily it can be integrated into other systems like Django that allow Python developers to create full-stack web apps.
Python is a great language to learn because it’s much more readable than other languages and easier for beginners without any programming experience to understand. If the future of mobile app development involves cloud services like AWS Lambda or Google Cloud Functions, then learning how to use Python makes you even more marketable to employers because of its versatility.
6. Kotlin
If you are thinking of developing an Android app, I would suggest learning Kotlin. It is probably one of the next big things in this industry and will likely stay around for a while.
Kotlin is a modern programming language that has gained momentum in recent years. Android developers created it for use with the application frameworks of today and tomorrow, including Java or Kotlin.
Kotlin is a statically typed programming language with support from JetBrains. Before this announcement, it was primarily known for its IntelliJ IDEA development environment. Kotlin’s most notable feature is its syntax, which enables developers to write less code with fewer keystrokes while retaining Java’s ability to run on the JVM. Kotlin is also very similar to Swift, which has made it a popular choice for iOS development.
7. Dart
Dart is a general-purpose programming language that can be used to build pretty much anything. It was originally developed by Google in 2011 but has since become an open-source project and is currently under the stewardship of the Dart Foundation. Although it’s typically considered more of a beginner-friendly alternative to JavaScript, there are some major benefits to using Dart for mobile app development.
Dart can often compile to JavaScript, meaning apps built using the language are typically easy to port over into other browsers that support JavaScript (like Safari or Firefox). Mobile web applications written with Dart may also be more optimized than their native counterparts since they don’t have to run on a virtual machine like iOS or Android.
Dart can also be compiled to native code and be used with Google’s mobile operating system, Fuchsia. Since the project is still in its infancy at this point (it was announced just last year), it may not yet be worth considering Dart as an option if you want your app on iOS or Android anytime soon. As time goes on, however, Dart could become a great alternative to Objective-C or Swift for building native mobile apps.
Summing It Up: If you want to develop an app that can run in multiple browsers and be ported over to Fuchsia later down the road (assuming it gains more widespread support), then Dart is worth considering as one of the best programming languages for mobile app development.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we explored five of the best programming languages for mobile app development currently trending in the industry. We hope you now have a better idea as to which language might be right for your project, so feel free to check out our website if you want more information about our services.
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Resources
Mobile Application Development Program: https://digital.gov/resources/mobile-application-development-program/
Successful Strategies for Recruiting, Training,
and Utilizing Volunteers: https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/volunteer_handbook.pdf
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