Developers Can Now Make Android Apps With Apple’s Swift
The developer world just got a major surprise — developers can now make Android apps with Apple’s Swift. This marks a groundbreaking shift, bridging the gap between iOS and Android app development like never before.
The first preview release of the Swift SDK for Android went live this week, giving developers official tools to build Android apps in Swift. This means creators no longer have to rely on unofficial workarounds to bring their Swift-based projects to Android.
A Major Step for Cross-Platform Development
For years, Swift has been the go-to language for iOS and macOS developers. But now, with Swift for Android, Apple is opening new possibilities for multi-platform app development.
The new SDK allows Android apps to be built in Swift using officially supported tooling, ensuring better stability, performance, and compatibility. This is a huge win for developers who’ve long wanted to share code seamlessly between iOS and Android apps.
How Swift Works on Android
The magic happens through swift-java, a tool that automatically generates bindings between Java and Swift. This lets developers integrate Swift code with existing Android APIs and Java code effortlessly.
To make things even easier, the Swift Package Index now highlights packages with Android support. Impressively, over 25% of all Swift packages already build successfully on Android — providing a strong foundation of reusable components for developers.
Tools, Documentation, and Examples
The Swift SDK for Android is now available in nightly preview builds. Developers can access it through the Swift for Windows installer or download it separately for Linux and macOS.
Apple’s Swift team has also released a comprehensive Getting Started guide that walks developers through setup, sample Android projects written in Swift, and complete workflows. This makes it easier for newcomers to jump right into Android app creation using Swift.
What’s Next for Swift and Android
The newly formed Android Working Group within the Swift open-source project is driving this expansion. They’re currently developing a vision document to outline long-term goals and tracking progress via a public project board.
This official support for Android signals that Swift is evolving beyond Apple’s ecosystem — becoming a truly cross-platform programming language. With this step, developers can finally write once and deploy everywhere, making Swift one of the most versatile languages in modern app development.
The fact that developers can now make Android apps with Apple’s Swift is more than just a technical update — it’s a statement about the future of software development. Apple’s decision could redefine how cross-platform apps are built, encouraging more collaboration across ecosystems that were once separate.
For developers, this means one thing: a faster, more unified way to build the next generation of mobile experiences.
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