Starting Your Mobile Journey

Are you looking to break into the field of mobile app development but are unsure where  to begin? Over the last decade, smartphones and mobile devices have become an increasingly integral part of our lives. As the demand for mobile applications continues to grow, so does the demand for capable mobile developers. For beginners who are just starting their journey into professional mobile app development, it can be very difficult to navigate the various programming languages and understand their uses. 

In this second part of our blog series, we will provide a comprehensive beginner’s guide to mobile development languages, including a general overview of the most popular languages along with their strengths and weaknesses. Whether you are interested in building applications for iOS or Android devices, this guide will help you choose the right language when first venturing into the mobile app development industry.

‍

Kotlin

Initially released in 2016, Kotlin is the brainchild of Czech studio JetBrains. Kotlin is open-source and supports multi-platform development, but is best suited for building Android applications. It was purposefully designed to be more expressive and concise than Java, making it an extremely popular choice among developers. Developers who already have some experience using Java should have no trouble picking up Kotlin, as it’s perfectly capable of working in conjunction with both languages. 

‍One of Kotlin’s biggest selling points is its flexibility and versatility. It is perfectly suitable for developing a huge range of applications including Android apps, web applications, and server-side software. Kotlin has a very low barrier to entry with its ease-of-use and clean, concise syntax. This makes Kotlin a great place to start for newer developers who want to specialize in building Android apps. Some of the most popular apps built using Kotlin include Pinterest, Evernote, and Trello.

‍

React Native

React Native is an extremely popular open source framework that allows developers to create mobile apps using the React JavaScript library. Like most coding languages, React Native is completely free to use and can be used to build applications across a variety of platforms including iOS and Android. One of the features React Native is known for is the ability for developers to write code only once, and use it interchangeably on either platform. Not only does this save money, it allows developers to create and launch apps for multiple platforms at once, greatly accelerating the development process. 

While React Native is both a powerful and versatile framework, it is important for developers to have a solid understanding of JavaScript before trying to dive into React Native development. Popular apps built using React Native include Walmart, Facebook, Tesla, and SoundCloud.

‍

Swift

If you are interested in developing mobile apps for the Apple ecosystem, Swift is an excellent choice. In fact, when looking only at apps on Apple devices, Swift is by far the most popular language. It is a modern language that has quickly gained immense popularity due to its simplicity, performance, security, and enormous community support. 

Apple had beginners in mind when they built Swift, putting it through extensive testing to ensure it is as easy as possible to pick up and learn. As Apple puts it, “Swift can open doors to the world of coding. In fact, it was designed to be anyone’s first programming language, whether you’re still in school or exploring new career paths."

With Apple doing more than $85 billion in sales on the app store in 2022, Swift could open the door to a very lucrative future for new developers. It’s a skill that’s in very high demand and is easy for absolute beginners to learn, making Swift an excellent choice for developers who want to work with Apple platforms.

‍

C++

Are you interested in developing video games for mobile devices? If so, then C++ is the right language for you. It’s a high-performance, object-oriented language that is particularly suited for building mobile apps with demanding requirements such as 3D games, augmented reality apps, machine learning, and data mining. C++ can be used to create cross-platform apps for both iOS and Android, and is renowned for its ability to manage system resources efficiently. 

C++ is backed by a massive developer support community and is widely used across many industries, particularly those involving mobile game development, system programming, and embedded systems. Although C++ is probably not the easiest language for rookie developers to pick up, it is certainly worth investing the time and energy to learn due to its versatility and widespread use in many industries. Before getting started with C++, we would recommend developers have a solid understanding of several foundational coding principles such as syntax, computer architecture, and memory management.

‍

SQL

First released in 1979, SQL (Structured Query Language) is a tried and tested language that has stood the test of time. SQL is a standardized programming language that is used to manage relational databases and manipulate the data on them through various operations. These relational databases are extremely common in mobile apps as they are used to store data for a multitude of features like profiles, private messages, and transaction history. If the app you are working on uses a database, it is highly likely that database uses SQL. 

Part of what makes SQL such a great choice for new developers is that it’s easy to learn and has broad applications across many industries and platforms. If you are interested in getting hands-on with the data via data analysis, database management, or backend development, then SQL is a great choice for you. Despite SQL’s application being relatively narrow in scope, it’s a skill that is in high demand in both the software development and financial industries.

‍

Lua

Lua is a powerful and efficient open-source scripting language primarily used in game development and image processing. It is unique in that it was designed to function as an “extension language,” which means it can be embedded into virtually any other system or platform. It has been used in some of the most popular video games out there, including Angry Birds, World of Warcraft, and Roblox. 

Beyond supporting features in popular video games and expanding on software functionality, Lua can also be used to build applications from scratch. For example, the mobile payment app Venmo was built using Lua. 

While developers with Lua experience may not be in as high of demand as some of these other languages, Lua is exceptionally simple and easy to learn. This makes it a perfect starting point for those who have zero development experience. In fact, Lua is often recommended for those who are trying to introduce their young children to the world of programming. We would suggest beginners who are interested in video game development but have absolutely no experience programming to give Lua a try before moving on to more advanced and in-demand languages.

‍

Final Thoughts

When it comes to picking the first language that you are going to invest your time in to learn, we know how difficult of a choice it can be. We hope this guide has provided you with a solid starting point to help you choose the language that fits you best. Whether you are interested in iOS, Android, or cross-platform apps; whether you want to work with databases or create video games, we tried to include a little bit of everything in this guide to help simplify your choices.

‍