Programming languages for Android: current developer choice

The creation of mobile applications today is one of the most popular areas of the IT industry, and the Android platform occupies the lion's share of the market here. Developers have to deal with a huge variety of tools, frameworks and approaches to writing code. The question of which programming languages ​​are used to write apps for Android has ceased to be a simple choice between two options and has turned into a multifaceted dilemma depending on the specifics of the project.

Previously, the dominance of one tool was absolute, but the modern landscape has changed dramatically. Today, the choice of technology stack determines not only the speed of development, but also the performance of the final product, its security and scalability. Understanding the differences between them is critical for both beginning developers and customers planning to create new digital products.

Kotlin's dominance in the modern ecosystem

Today Kotlin is officially recognized as the preferred language for Android development by Google. This modern, statically typed JVM language platform was introduced by JetBrains and quickly won the hearts of developers due to its conciseness and security. Unlike its predecessors, Kotlin frees the programmer from many of the common errors typical of older languages.

One ​​of the main advantages is full compatibility with existing Java libraries, which allows you to smoothly migrate old projects to the new standard. Code in Kotlin is usually shorter and clearer: where in other languages ​​dozens of lines were required to describe a simple data class, here one annotation @data classis sufficient. This significantly speeds up the process of writing and maintaining code in the long run.

In addition, the language offers powerful mechanisms for working with asynchrony through coroutines, which make multi-threaded programming much more readable and manageable. Android Studio provides first-class Kotlin support, including smart autocompletion and refactoring, making it the best choice for new projects in 2026.

⚠️ Attention: When migrating an old project from Java to Kotlin, be sure to check the versions of the libraries used, as some outdated dependencies may not work correctly with new versions of the compiler.

The role of Java in supporting legacy code

Despite the active promotion of Kotlin, the language Java still remains the foundation of a huge number of existing applications. Millions of lines of code written over the past 15 years continue to run on users' devices around the world. It is impossible to completely abandon Java in the next decade due to the enormous volume of accumulated knowledge base and ready-made solutions.

Many large corporate systems and banking applications are still supported and developed in Java. This is due to the fact that rewriting working and stable code is often not economically feasible and carries the risk of introducing new errors. Knowledge of Java remains a requirement for many jobs supporting and upgrading existing products.

However, for creating fundamentally new applications from scratch, choosing Java is becoming less and less justified. The language requires more boilerplate code (template constructs), which increases development time and makes the app logic more difficult to read. However, a deep understanding of the JVM and Java-based object-oriented programming is an excellent foundation for any mobile developer.

The integration of Java and Kotlin into one project is seamless, allowing teams to gradually update application modules. You can call Java methods from Kotlin and vice versa without any additional settings or converters.

Native development in C and C++ via NDK

When it comes about high-performance computing, graphics or working with complex equipment, a combination of C and C++comes onto the scene. To access these languages ​​in the Android environment, a set of tools called Android Native Development Kit (NDK)is used. This allows developers to write parts of the application in native code, which compiles directly into the processor's machine instructions.

The use of C++ is justified in cases where the speed of operations is critical or the use of existing libraries written in these languages ​​is required. Typical use cases include:

• 🎮 Development of complex game engines and graphics renderers.
• 📷 Real-time signal processing, camera and audio processing.
• 🧮 Scientific computing and machine learning algorithms requiring maximum performance.
• 🔐 Implementation of cryptographic algorithms and systems for protection against reverse engineering.

However, developing in C++ through the NDK is associated with increased risks. Unlike managed languages ​​like Kotlin or Java, here the developer is responsible for memory management. Errors in working with pointers can lead to unpredictable failures, memory leaks and application crashes, which are extremely difficult to debug.

⚠️ Attention: Using the NDK significantly complicates the debugging process and increases the size of the final APK file, since it is necessary to include native libraries for different processor architectures (armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86).

Typically, C++ is used only for individual application modules, while the user interface and core business logic remain in Kotlin or Java. This hybrid approach allows you to benefit from the performance of native code without losing the convenience of interface development.

Comparison table of programming languages

To organize the information and help you make an informed choice, let's look at the key characteristics of the main languages ​​in table form. This will help you quickly assess the pros and cons of each tool in the context of specific project tasks.

Language	Main purpose	Login complexity	Performance
Kotlin	Main application development	Medium	High (JVM)
Java	Legacy support, backend	High (verbosity)	High (JVM)
C++	Games, graphics, high-load computing	Very high	Maximum (Native)
Dart (Flutter)	Cross-platform development	Low/Medium	High (AOT compilation)

As can be seen from the table, for most standard tasks Kotlin remains the optimal choice. It offers the perfect balance between performance, security and coding speed. Java fades into the background, remaining an important tool for maintaining infrastructure.

Cross-platform solutions and alternatives

Although the question initially sounded like “what programming languages ​​are used to write apps for Android,” the trend towards cross-platform cannot be ignored. Technologies that allow you to write code once and run it on both Android and iOS are gaining enormous popularity. The leaders here are frameworks that use their own languages ​​or adapted versions of existing ones.

For example, Flutter Google uses the language Dart. It compiles to native code, providing high performance and smooth animations. Another popular option is React Native, which allows you to write applications in JavaScript or TypeScript, using the knowledge of web developers. This opens the door to mobile development for a huge army of front-end specialists.

It is worth noting that even when using cross-platform tools, knowledge of native languages ​​(Kotlin/Java) is often required to write specific modules or optimize performance in bottlenecks. The pure division between "native" and "cross-platform" is gradually being erased, giving way to hybrid architectures.

Why Dart and not JavaScript?

Dart was chosen for Flutter because it compiles ahead of time (AOT) to machine code, which provides a stable 60 FPS, while JavaScript usually runs in a virtual machine or interpreter, which can cause delays.

Tools and development environment

The choice of language is inextricably linked with the choice of an integrated development environment (IDE). For Android development, the de facto standard is Android Studio, built on the basis of IntelliJ IDEA. It provides a powerful set of tools for working with Kotlin, Java and C++.

Inside the environment, the developer has access to emulators of various devices, memory and processor profilers, as well as tools for analyzing network traffic. Setting up a project begins with selecting a language in the Create a New Application wizard, which automatically configures the necessary assembly files build.gradle.

To work with C++ inside Android Studio, CMake or ndk-build support is used. This allows you to edit native code, set breakpoints and debug it together with Java/Kotlin code in one window. It is important to correctly configure the paths to the SDK and NDK in the file local.propertiesso that the build proceeds without errors.

android {
defaultConfig {
externalNativeBuild {
cmake {
cppFlags ""
}
}
ndk {
abiFilters "armeabi-v7a", "arm64-v8a", "x86", "x86_64"
}
}
externalNativeBuild {
cmake {
path "src/main/cpp/CMakeLists.txt"
}
}
}

In addition to the official IDE, there are alternatives such as VS Code with plugins that can be convenient for working with Flutter or React Native, but for deep native development Android Studio remains the unrivaled leader.

⚠️ Attention: Versions of build tools (Gradle, Android Gradle Plugin) must strictly correspond to the version of Android Studio, otherwise the project may not compile or work incorrectly.

Trends and future of mobile development

The mobile development industry does not stand still, and the requirements for programming languages are constantly evolve. Google is actively introducing support for Kotlin Multiplatform, which allows you to use the same Kotlin code not only for Android, but also for iOS, web and desktop applications. This is blurring the lines between native and cross-platform development.

There is also an increase in interest in declarative UI frameworks, such as Jetpack Composewhich are written entirely in Kotlin and abandon the legacy XML layout system. This requires developers to have a deep knowledge of the functionality of the language and reactive programming.

In the future, we can expect even greater automation of routine tasks with the help of artificial intelligence, which will suggest optimal solutions directly in the code editor. However, fundamental knowledge of algorithms and data structures implemented in selected languages ​​will remain the basis of the developer’s profession, regardless of the tools.

Is it possible to write applications entirely in C++?

Technically this is possible using NativeActivity, but is highly not recommended for regular applications. You will lose access to many standard Android UI components, notifications, and the app lifecycle as they are available in Java/Kotlin. It is better to use C++ only for computing cores.

Do you need to learn Java before Kotlin?

No, this is not necessary. Kotlin was created as a better replacement for Java, and its syntax is more beginner-friendly. Many modern courses and documentation are focused directly on Kotlin. However, understanding the OOP principles common to both languages ​​will certainly come in handy.

Which language is better for creating games on Android?

For complex 3D games, the standard is C++ in conjunction with engines like Unreal Engine. For 2D games and projects of medium complexity, Kotlin or the use of C#-based engines (Unity), which compile into native code for Android, are excellent.

Will Java become obsolete in Android development?

Java will not completely disappear in the next 10-15 years due to the huge amount of existing code. However, new Android SDK features will be primarily focused on Kotlin, making development in Java less and less convenient and more verbose.