Apple's Swift Working to Support Android App Development

Apple's Swift programming language is being extended to support Android app development through the creation of an Android Working Group within the Swift open-source project. Swift was originally introduced in 2014 for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, but has since expanded to support Linux and Windows. The new effort aims to enable developers to build Android applications using official Swift tooling and infrastructure. The Android Working Group's charter outlines responsibilities to integrate Android into Swift's officially supported platforms, including compiling and running Swift on Android without modifications. The group will also enhance Swift's standard libraries for better Android API compatibility and introduce native tools and workflows for Android development. Previously, developing Android apps with Swift required third-party solutions or custom toolchains, which often lacked full Android API support and introduced maintenance issues. The working group's initial goals include improving Android support in the official Swift distribution and recommending enhancements to core Swift libraries. The group plans to establish proper toolchain integration for Android targets and obtain consistency with other officially supported platforms. Android app development is currently dominated by Kotlin, which was announced as Google's preferred language for Android in 2017. The extension of Swift to Android app development is a significant move that could potentially challenge Kotlin's dominance.