Наталя Хандусенко Gadgets 27 June 2025, 10:32

Apple wants to expand its Swift programming language for Android app development

Today, Android apps are typically coded in Kotlin, but Apple is looking to offer its Swift coding language as an alternative.

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Apple wants to expand its Swift programming language for Android app development

Today, Android apps are typically coded in Kotlin, but Apple is looking to offer its Swift coding language as an alternative.

Apple launched its coding language back in 2014. It was originally designed for the iOS platform, but later its support was expanded to the company's other platforms, such as macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It then also became available to developers on Linux and Windows.

Apple's open-source Swift programming language is officially expanding its scope to the Android operating system.

The initiative is led by the newly formed "Android Working Group," which aims to adapt Swift for Android app development, the website reports .

While developers have previously had the technical ability to write Android apps using Swift through third-party tools, this move marks the first time that the Swift project itself has officially allowed and supported Android.

The working group’s primary goal is to improve and support Android in the official Swift distribution, eliminating the need for developers to rely on unofficial or modified versions of the language. The group will also focus on improving core Swift packages, such as Foundation and Dispatch, to better integrate with the established idioms of the Android platform. This will be critical to ensuring that Swift apps not only run on Android, but also feel “native” to the operating system.

The working group will also work with the platform steering group to formally define the level of support that Android will receive and work to achieve these standards. Other critical tasks for the group include defining the range of supported Android API levels and processor architectures, and establishing continuous integration for the Swift project, which includes rigorous testing on Android.