Apple has unveiled a nightly build of the Swift SDK for Android, opening up new possibilities for developers to create Android applications using Swift, Apple’s own programming language. This development allows for the porting of Swift packages to Android, facilitating code sharing across different platforms. The newly introduced SDK encompasses a Swift toolchain specifically designed for Android, along with interoperable capabilities between Java and Swift through the swift-java tool. This enables smooth integration across programming languages with automatically generated bindings.
The SDK’s compatibility extends to multiple UI frameworks such as Jetpack Compose, Flutter, and even bridges to SwiftUI like Skip. Interestingly, over 25% of the packages listed in the Swift Package Index currently support compilation for Android. By adopting a framework-agnostic approach to UI, the SDK avoids commitment to any specific solution, thus appealing to a broad range of development preferences.
Included with the SDK is official continuous integration infrastructure, along with getting started guides and example projects aimed at easing the adaptation of Swift packages to the Android environment. While the potential for code sharing and cross-platform development is significant, developers have noted existing challenges, particularly around debugging experiences and platform-specific adaptations that go beyond simple toolchain provision.
This move signifies Swift’s first significant expansion beyond Apple’s Darwin ecosystems into broader cross-platform mobile development. The Swi{t Android workgroup has also published a vision document currently under development to steer future support and enhancements for Android platforms. Windows, Linux, and macOS users can access and utilize these nightly preview builds to begin exploring the intersection of Swift and Android development.

Collections

Apple released a nightly build of the Swift SDK for Android, enabling developers to build Android apps using Swift and share code across platforms. The SDK includes a Swift toolchain for Android, Java-Swift interoperability through swift-java, and supports multiple UI frameworks including Jetpack Compose and Flutter. Over 25% of Swift Package Index packages already compile for Android. The SDK provides CI infrastructure, guides, and examples, though developers note challenges with debugging and platform-specific adaptations remain.

Apple Releases Swift SDK for Android Development