Android Tag

Demystifying the No-code Development Myths in 2024

No-code development is a boon for software development. It is an exciting approach to software development that empowers people without extensive coding knowledge to build applications. Consider this like a visual playground for building software, rather than writing lines of code.

Even with its impressive capabilities, there are still some misconceptions about its usage. Is it just a fad? Can it handle real-world complexity? Is it secure? Let us begin our journey in bursting the myths of No-code development and reveal its transformative potential.

Myth #1: No-code is just for citizen developers and simple apps.

Gone are the days when no-code was used just to develop basic prototypes and internal tools. In today’s era, No-code development is upgraded to enterprise-level configurations, empowering developers to build sophisticated applications with complex logic and integrations. Leading brands like Uber, Airbnb, and Spotify leverage no-code to optimize internal workflows and enhance user experiences.

Myth #2: No-code apps can’t be secure or reliable.

Security and reliability are must for any software, and no-code platforms prioritize them. They employ industry-standard encryption, secure data storage, and regular vulnerability assessments to ensure app integrity. Additionally, continuous updates and patch deployments keep your applications running smoothly and securely.

Myth #3: No-code locks you in.

There are some platforms which restrict data portability, but many offer strong export options and API integrations. When we opt for open-source platforms while focusing on data ownership, it minimizes vendor lock-in, allowing you to migrate applications seamlessly if needed.

Myth #4: No-code restrains creativity and innovation.

Creativity thrives in freedom, and no-code provides just that. By leveraging the drag-and-drop interface of No-code development, you can focus on your creativity rather than getting stuck in tedious coding. It has a vast library of pre-built components which helps you in designing stunning UIs, implement unique workflows, and personalize experiences.

Myth #5: No-code kills the need for developers.

Consider No-code development as a strong ally, rather than a replacement. Though it empowers non-technical users in software development, developers and their skill set remains crucial for complex logic implementation and platform customization. No-code complements traditional development, enhancing and accelerating the overall development process.

Exploring Advantages Beyond The Myths

As we have cleared the misconceptions, let us look into some of the commendable advantages of No-code development:

• Democratization of software development: Break free from the dependency of complete domain knowledge, No-code empowers everyone to build, innovate, and solve problems through software.
• Faster time to market: No need to wait for months-long development cycles. With No-code development, you can build & launch MVPs initially with no-code, allowing for rapid iteration and market validation.
• Reduced costs and resources: No-code platforms require less technical expertise and infrastructure, making them significantly more cost-effective than traditional development methodologies.
• Increased agility and responsiveness: Adapting and iterating on applications is much easier with No-code.

No-code development is not any “Easy Replacement”, but it’s a process to democratize software development and empower individuals. By breaking free from the barriers of coding myths, we can explore the power of No-code development where anyone can build, innovate, and shape the digital landscape.

For more information, please head over to our Technology page. To develop Android Application, visit our Hire Android Developer page & to develop iOS Application, visit our Hire iOS Developer page. At HK Infosoft, we are destined to provide you with an innovative solution using the latest technology stacks. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

Content Source:

1. Google

Low-Code Development Takes Center Stage in Application Building

How Low-Code Development is Shaping The Future of Application Building?

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and gain a competitive edge. Traditional software development methodologies are powerful,yet can be time-consuming, expensive, and often requires a team of highly skilled developers. This is where low-code development emerges as a transformative force, democratizing application development and empowering businesses to innovate faster.

Demystifying Low-Code Development

Low-code development, as the name suggests, involves building applications with minimal coding. It utilizes visual tools, drag-and-drop interfaces, and pre-built components to streamline the development process. This approach makes application development accessible to a wider range of users, including those with limited or no coding experience.

Benefits of Low-Code Development

The adoption of low-code development is on the rise due to its numerous benefits, including:

• Accelerated Development: Low-code platforms enable rapid application development, reducing the time-to-market for new software solutions.
• Reduced Costs: By minimizing the need for extensive coding, low-code development significantly lowers development costs.
• Empowered Employees: Low-code tools empower non-technical users to contribute to application development, fostering collaboration and innovation.
• Business Agility: Low-code platforms facilitate faster adaptation to changing business needs, enhancing organizational agility.
• Reduced Shadow IT: Low-code platforms provide a controlled environment for application development, minimizing the risk of shadow IT.

Applications of Low-Code Development

The versatility of low-code platforms extends to a wide range of applications, including:

• Mobile Applications: Low-code platforms can be used to build native and cross-platform mobile apps with ease.
• Web Applications: Low-code tools can efficiently create web applications for internal and external use.
• Business Process Automation: Low-code platforms can automate workflows, streamline processes, and improve operational efficiency.
• Data Management: Low-code tools can manage and integrate data from various sources, providing valuable insights.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Low-code platforms can streamline CRM processes, enhance customer engagement, and improve customer satisfaction.

Trends in Low-Code Development

The low-code development landscape is constantly evolving, with emerging trends that are shaping the future of application development:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration: AI-powered low-code platforms are gaining traction, providing intelligent recommendations, automating tasks, and enhancing development efficiency.
• Cloud-Native Development: Low-code platforms are increasingly cloud-native, enabling seamless deployment and scalability of applications.
• Citizen Development: The rise of citizen developers, non-technical users who create applications, is driving the adoption of low-code platforms.
• Integration with Existing Systems: Low-code platforms are becoming more adept at integrating with existing enterprise systems, facilitating seamless adoption.

The Future of Low-Code Development

Low-code development is poised to revolutionize the software development landscape, empowering businesses to innovate faster, enhance efficiency, and gain a competitive edge. As low-code platforms continue to evolve, they will become increasingly sophisticated, accessible, and integrated, further democratizing application development and driving digital transformation across industries.

For more information, please head over to our Technology page. To develop Android Application, visit our Hire Android Developer page & to develop iOS Application, visit our Hire iOS Developer page. At HK Infosoft, we are destined to provide you with an innovative solution using the latest technology stacks. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

Content Source:

1. Google

Kotlin Vs Flutter – The future of Android Development in year 2024

Introduction

Kotlin and Flutter are two popular technologies for Android app development. While Kotlin is a native Android development language, Flutter is a hybrid app development framework based on Dart. Both have their own respective pros and cons, which you should analyze before starting the development procedure. In short, there is no clear answer to the Flutter vs. Kotlin question, and the choice depends on your specific needs and preferences.

Here are some key factors to consider when choosing between Kotlin and Flutter for Android app development in 2024:

1. Popularity and Community Support

Both Kotlin and Flutter are free and open-source technologies with active communities. Flutter has a larger dev community, active forums, and is constantly expanding. It is backed by Google and has a growing and vibrant community, with a wide range of packages and libraries available.

Kotlin, being a language primarily used for Android development, has a strong community and ecosystem specific to Android app development. It has also gained popularity, particularly in the Android development community, with many companies transitioning from Java to Kotlin for Android app development.

2. Learning Curve

Kotlin is interoperable with Java, and its syntax is quite simple and easy, showing many similarities with the existing languages such as Java and Swift for Android and iOS, respectively. This makes it easier for developers to learn and use Kotlin.

Flutter, on the other hand, has its own UI rendering engine and offers a rich set of customizable widgets, providing more control over the app’s look and feel. This can make it more challenging for developers to learn and use Flutter.

3. UI/UX Development

Flutter provides a variety of widgets, which makes platform-specific designing quick and efficient. It has a unified user experience on all platforms as it is a widget-based cross-platform framework with terrific options to customize the app.

Kotlin, being a language, doesn’t have a direct impact on UI/UX development. Developers have to use other tools and technologies to design the app’s user interface.

4. Code Sharing

Flutter allows for code sharing between different platforms, enabling developers to write once and deploy on multiple platforms. This can save time and effort in the development process.

Kotlin, being primarily used for Android development, doesn’t have the same level of code sharing capabilities.

5. Performance

Kotlin offers its users a plethora of advantages such as high-speed animation, the same language for both high and back-end needs, and a lot more. But when we compare it with Flutter, it surely lags.

Flutter is known for its hot reload functionality, thus, making it users to change easily and accordingly. Flutter goes over the edge by dint of its efficiency in the cross-platform frameworks’ efficiency race.

6. Testing

Flutter has various testing features and a unique widget testing feature. In comparison, Kotlin’s primary focus is to deliver backend development services and uses Firebase as a secure backend option.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Kotlin and Flutter have their own strengths and weaknesses. Flutter is a better choice for cross-platform app development, provides a variety of widgets, and allows for code sharing between different platforms. Kotlin is a native Android development language, has a strong community and ecosystem specific to Android app development, and offers a simpler learning curve. The choice between the two depends on your specific needs and preferences.

For more information, please head over to our Hire Android Developer page and to develop a web application using Android, Hire Android Developer at HK Infosoft – we are destined to provide you with an innovative solution using the latest technology stacks. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

To develop Android Mobile Apps, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

1. Flutter Official Documentation
2. Kotlin Official Documentation

Android: Most Popular Mobile Operating System in the World

Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google. It is based on the Linux kernel and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, with over three billion active users. The Android source code is open, so anyone can use it to build any kind of device.

How is Android helping?

Android is helping people in many ways. It is making it easier for people to stay connected, learn new things, and be entertained. Android devices are also becoming increasingly affordable and accessible, making them available to more people than ever before.

Here are some specific examples of how Android is helping people:

• Staying connected: Android devices make it easy to stay connected with friends and family through social media, messaging apps, and video calling.
• Learning new things: There are millions of educational apps available on the Google Play Store, covering a wide range of topics. Android devices also make it easy to access online learning resources.
• Being entertained: Android devices offer a wide range of entertainment options, including games, movies, music, and TV shows.
• Improving productivity: Android devices can be used for a variety of productivity tasks, such as checking email, creating documents, and managing presentations.
• Making payments: Android devices can be used to make payments through contactless payment systems such as Google Pay.

Benefits of Android

There are many benefits to using Android devices. Here are just a few:

• Affordability: Android devices are available in a wide range of prices, making them affordable for people of all income levels.
• Customization: Android users can customize their devices to their liking, including changing the home screen layout, installing custom launchers, and using widgets.
• Choice: There are thousands of different Android devices available, from budget-friendly phones to high-end flagships.
• Open Source: Android is an open source operating system, which means that developers are free to create apps and games for it. This has resulted in a huge ecosystem of Android apps and games, many of which are free to download and use.

History of Android

Android was first released in 2008. It was developed by a company called Android Inc., which was acquired by Google in 2005. Android quickly became popular, and it is now the most popular mobile operating system in the world.

Latest version of Android

The latest version of Android is Android 14, which was released on October 4, 2023. Android 14 includes a number of new features and improvements, such as:

• Personalized UI with Material You: Material You is a new design language for Android that allows users to personalize their devices with their favorite colors and themes.
• Improved privacy and security features: Android 14 includes a number of new privacy and security features, such as the ability to choose which apps have access to your location and camera.
• New productivity features: Android 14 includes a number of new productivity features, such as the ability to use your phone as a webcam for your computer.

Upcoming update in Android

The next major update to Android is expected to be released in 2024. This update is rumored to include a number of new features, such as:

• Foldable phone support: Android is expected to include better support for foldable phones in the next update.
• Improved battery life: Google is working on ways to improve battery life for Android devices.
• New AI features: Android is expected to include new AI features in the next update, such as improved machine translation and image recognition.

Conclusion

Android is a powerful and versatile mobile operating system that is helping people in many ways. It is affordable, customizable, and offers a wide range of features and apps. Android is also the most popular mobile operating system in the world, so there is a large community of developers and users who can provide support and assistance.

For more information and to develop Android Mobile Apps, Hire Android Developer from us as we give you a high-quality product by utilizing all the latest tools and advanced technology. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

To develop Android Mobile Apps, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

• android.com

No-code App Development Using FlutterFlow

Are you looking to revolutionize your app development workflow?

Look no further than FlutterFlow – an innovative visual development platform that’s taking app development to the next level with its intuitive Drag & Drop functionality. In this blog post, we’ll dive into what FlutterFlow is, its key features, and how you can use it to rapidly bring your app ideas to life.

What is FlutterFlow?

At its core, FlutterFlow is a powerful visual development platform designed to simplify and accelerate the process of building mobile and web applications. It’s built on top of Google’s Flutter framework, which is renowned for its ability to create high-quality, natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.

FlutterFlow takes the power of Flutter and adds an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible to developers of all skill levels. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting out, you can leverage FlutterFlow to design, develop, and deploy apps without the need for extensive coding knowledge.

Key Features of FlutterFlow

1. Visual Interface: FlutterFlow offers a visual interface that lets you design your app’s user interface by simply dragging and dropping elements onto the canvas. This speeds up the design process and ensures a pixel-perfect result.

2. Widgets Gallery: The platform provides a wide range of pre-built widgets that you can customize to match your app’s design. From buttons and text fields to complex interactive components, FlutterFlow has you covered.

3. Responsive Design: Building apps that look great on various devices is essential. FlutterFlow enables you to create responsive layouts that adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes and orientations.

4. Data Binding: Connect your app’s UI to data sources easily. FlutterFlow allows you to bind data from APIs or databases to your UI components, keeping your app’s content up-to-date.

5. Collaboration: Collaborate with team members in real-time. Whether you’re a solo developer or part of a team, FlutterFlow supports seamless collaboration, enhancing productivity.

Getting Started with FlutterFlow

1. Sign Up: To get started, sign up for a FlutterFlow account. You can choose from different pricing plans based on your needs.

2. Create a New Project: Once you’re in, create a new project and choose whether you’re building a mobile or web app.

3. Design Your App: Use the visual editor to design your app’s UI. Drag and drop widgets onto the canvas, arrange them, and customize their properties.

4. Add Functionality: Use the built-in logic builder to add functionality to your app. Define interactions, create conditional statements, and more – all without writing extensive code.

5. Preview and Test: Before deploying your app, use the preview feature to test how it looks and functions. Make adjustments as needed to ensure a seamless user experience.

6. Deploy Your App: Once you’re satisfied with your app, deploy it with just a few clicks. FlutterFlow takes care of the technical details, allowing you to focus on delivering an exceptional app.

Conclusion

In the fast-paced world of app development, tools like FlutterFlow are a game-changer. They empower developers to create robust and visually stunning applications without the worry of traditional coding methods. By harnessing the power of Google’s Flutter framework and adding a user-friendly visual interface, FlutterFlow is designed to redefine how we approach app development.

So whether you’re a startup founder looking to build a prototype, a developer aiming to speed up your workflow, or someone passionate about turning your app ideas into reality, FlutterFlow has everything you need to succeed.

For more information, please head over to our Hire Flutter Developer page and to develop a custom mobile application using Flutter, Hire Flutter Developer at HK Infosoft – we are destined to provide you with an innovative solution using the latest technology stacks. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

Content Source:

1. flutterflow.io

What is Pair Programming?

Two Minds, One Goal: The Power of Pair Programming

Pair programming is an agile software development technique in which two developers work together on the same computer to write code. One developer, called the driver, is responsible for typing the code while the other, called the observer, review the code and makes suggestions. The two developers then switch roles, with the observer becoming the driver and the driver becoming the observer.

The story of pair programming originates from a software development company called Chrysler. In the late 1990s, Chrysler was tasked with developing a new software system for its payroll operations. The project was behind schedule and the team was struggling to make progress. In desperation, the lead programmer, Xitij Kothi, suggested an unconventional solution: pair programming. He proposed that two programmers work together on each task, with one writing code while the other reviews and offers suggestions.

The strategy worked. The project was completed on time and the quality of the software was far superior to what had been expected. Since then, pair programming has become a widely accepted practice in software development.

Pair programming can reduce the time it takes to complete a task by allowing two developers to work together more effectively. By having two developers work side-by-side, they can quickly identify and resolve problems as they occur. The navigator can also provide insights into potential issues before they become problems, helping to reduce the amount of debugging and testing that needs to be done. Additionally, pair programming enables developers to learn from each other, which can help reduce the amount of time it takes to complete a task.

Pair programming also helps to spread knowledge and skills among the team members, as each programmer learns from the other. This can be especially useful in distributed software projects, where team members may be geographically dispersed.

Story Time

John and Jane had been classmates for the past couple of months, but never really got to know each other very well. They had been assigned a project in their programming class and had decided to work together. 

John was very knowledgeable in the subject and had a good understanding of what was expected. Jane, on the other hand, had little to no experience with programming but was eager to learn. Together, they decided to use the pair programming technique.

John and Jane sat down together and discussed their project. John explained the concept of pair programming, how it works, and what their roles would be. Jane was very willing to learn and was excited to get started. 

John and Jane began writing the code for their project. John took the lead and wrote most of the code while Jane watched and asked questions. Whenever Jane found a mistake or had an idea, she would suggest it to John, who would then incorporate it into the code. 

In this way, John and Jane worked together to complete their project. By the end of it, both of them had gained a better understanding of programming and had come to know each other better. 

“Pair programming had become a regular part of John and Jane’s programming class ever since.”

Issues we can face during Pair Programming and its Solutions

One type of problem that programmers can face during pair programming is communication breakdown. This is when two programmers are unable to effectively communicate with each other due to a lack of understanding or different working styles. To overcome this issue, it is important to ensure that both programmers are on the same page before starting to program. This can be done by discussing the problem, breaking it down into small manageable parts, and discussing how to approach it. It is also important to ensure that there is an equal amount of speaking and listening between the two programmers. It is also important to be aware of any language or cultural differences that may be present and to adjust your communication accordingly.

Different abilities can be a problem during pair programming because one programmer may be more knowledgeable or experienced in a certain area than the other. This can lead to the more experienced programmer taking on a larger share of the work, leaving the less experienced programmer feeling frustrated or left out. 

To overcome this, the two partners should agree on a division of tasks based on their respective strengths. For example, if one partner is more experienced with databases, they can take the lead on designing and setting up the database structure, while the other partner focuses on developing the business logic. Both partners should aim to challenge each other and provide feedback and support to ensure that the project is completed to the highest standard. Additionally, the partners should regularly rotate tasks so that both have the opportunity to learn from each other and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the project.

Task division can be a problem during pair programming if one person takes on more responsibility than the other, leaving the other feeling like they’re not contributing as much to the project. This can lead to frustration and resentment, and can ultimately undermine the collaborative nature of pair programming. To overcome this, the two people should agree on how they will divide the tasks before they begin. 

For example, they can decide that one person will take the lead on the coding while the other focuses on debugging and testing, or that each person will take turns writing sections of code. They should also make sure to have regular check-ins to discuss progress, address any issues, and ensure that both parties are on the same page. This will help ensure that both parties feel like they’re contributing equally to the project.

Distractions can be a major problem during pair programming, as they can prevent the pair from focusing on their task and completing it in a timely manner. Distractions could include anything from phones, emails, instant messages, or conversations with other people in the same room. To overcome distractions during pair programming, both partners should agree to have their phones on silent and out of sight. If possible, they should also try to find a quiet space where they can work without interruption. Additionally, they should set aside specific times to check emails and other messages and then get back to their task. They should also set specific goals and deadlines for the task ahead of time to help keep them on track.

one person may be more accustomed to writing code with fewer lines and using terse abbreviations, while the other person may prefer longer and more descriptive lines of code. This can lead to a lot of back and forth, which can slow down the programming process. To overcome this problem, it is important to have open communication and be respectful of each other’s coding styles. The pair should discuss their preferences and try to come to an agreement on which style they should use. They should also discuss the types of coding conventions they want to follow and agree on a coding style guide. Additionally, they should take time to explain their code to each other, as this can help them better understand each other’s coding styles. Finally, they should be open to feedback and criticism and be willing to compromise.

Conclusion

The importance of pair programming lies in its ability to improve the quality of code while also reducing the time it takes to develop software.

What’s new in Flutter 3.3

Only three months ago Google announced Flutter 3, a massive milestone that included stable support for all platforms! The good news is that the momentum since this major release has not slowed down. Since the release of Flutter 3, Flutter has merged 5,687 pull requests.

This release brings updates to Flutter web, desktop, text handling improvements in performance — and much more!

Framework

Global Selection

Until now, Flutter web apps didn’t match the expected behavior when attempting to select text. Like Flutter apps, native web applications are composed of a tree of elements. In a traditional web app, you can select multiple web elements with a single sweeping gesture, something that couldn’t be easily done on a Flutter web app.

Today that all changes! With the introduction of the SelectableArea widget, any child of the SelectableArea widget has selection enabled for free!

Pic courtesy: medium.com

To take advantage of this powerful new feature, simply wrap your route body (such as the Scaffold) with the SelectionArea widget and let Flutter do the rest.

Trackpad input

Flutter 3.3 provides improved support for trackpad input. This not only provides richer and smoother control but also reduces misinterpretation in certain cases. For an example of this misinterpretation, check out the Drag a UI element page in the Flutter cookbook. Scroll to the bottom of the page to get to the DartPad instance, and perform the following steps:

1. Size the window smaller so that the upper part presents a scrollbar
2. Hover over the upper part
3. Use a trackpad to scroll
4. Prior to installing Flutter 3.3, scrolling on a trackpad drags the item because Flutter was dispatching emulated general events
5. After installing Flutter 3.3, scrolling on a trackpad correctly scrolls the list because Flutter is delivering the “scrolling” gesture, which isn’t recognized by the cards, but is recognized by the scroll view

Scribble

Flutter now supports Scribble handwriting input using the Apple Pencil on iPadOS. This feature is enabled by default on CupertinoTextField, TextField, and EditableText. To enable this feature for your end users, simply upgrade to Flutter 3.3.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

Text input

To improve support for rich text editing, this release introduces the ability to receive granular text updates from the platform’s TextInputPlugin. Previously, the TextInputClient only delivered the new editing state with no delta between the old and new, TextEditingDeltas and the DeltaTextInputClient fill this information gap. Having access to these deltas allows you to build an input field with styled ranges that expand and contract as you type.

Material Design 3

The Flutter team continues to migrate more Material Design 3 components to Flutter. This release includes updates to IconButton, Chips, and large and medium variants for AppBar.

IconButton

Pic courtesy: medium.com

Chip

Pic courtesy: medium.com

Medium and large AppBar

Pic courtesy: medium.com

Desktop

Windows

Previously, the Windows desktop application’s version was set by a file specific to the Windows application. This behavior was inconsistent with the way other platforms set their versions.

Windows desktop application versions can now be set from your projects pubspec.yaml file and build arguments. This makes it easier to enable auto updates for your end customers to get the latest and greatest when an application update is pushed.

Packages

go_router

When designing apps with complex navigation needs, things can get pretty hard to wrap your head around. To extend Flutter’s native navigation API, the team has published a new version of the go_router package, making it simpler to design routing logic that works across mobile, desktop, and the web.

The go router package, maintained by the Flutter team, simplifies routing by providing a declarative, url-based API, making it easier to navigate and handle deep-links. The latest version (4.3) enables apps to redirect using asynchronous code, and includes other breaking changes described in the migration guide.

VS Code extension enhancements

The Visual Studio Code extension for Flutter has several updates including improvements for adding dependencies. You can now add multiple, comma-separated dependencies in one step using Dart: Add Dependency.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

Performance

Raster cache improvements

This release increases the performance of loading images from assets by eliminating copies and reducing Dart garbage collection (GC) pressure. Previously, when loading asset images, the ImageProvider API required the compressed data to be copied multiple times. First, it was copied into the native heap when opening the asset and exposing it to Dart as a typed data array. Then, it was copied a second time when that typed data array was copied to the internal storage of a ui.ImmutableBuffer.

With the addition of ui.ImmutableBuffer.fromAsset, compressed image bytes can be loaded directly into the structure used for decoding. This approach requires changes to the byte loading pipeline of ImageProviders. This process is also faster because it bypasses some additional scheduling overhead required bythe previous method channel-based loader. In particular, image loading time improved by nearly 2x in our microbenchmarks.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

Stability

iOS pointer compression disabled

In the 2.10 stable release, they enabled Dart’s pointer compression optimization on iOS.Dart’s pointer compression works by reserving a large virtual memory region for Dart’s heap. Since the total virtual memory allocation allowed on iOS is less than on other platforms, this large reservation reduces the amount of memory available for use by other components that reserve their own memory, for example, Flutter plugins.

While disabling pointer compression increases the memory consumed by Dart objects, it also increases the memory available for non-Dart parts of a Flutter application, which is more desirable overall.

Apple provides an entitlement that can increase the maximum allowed virtual memory allocation for an application, however this entitlement is only supported on newer iOS versions, and wouldn’t work on devices running versions of iOS that Flutter still supports. When we are able to use this entitlement everywhere, we intend to revisit this optimization.

For more information and to develop mobile apps using Flutter, Hire Flutter Developer from us as we give you a high-quality product by utilizing all the latest tools and advanced technology. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

To develop Mobile Apps using Flutter, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

1. medium.com

What’s new in Android 13

In just few weeks there will be an official release of Android 13! As at the end of finishing touches on the next version of Android, today Android provided Beta 4, a final update for your testing and development. Now is the time to make sure your apps are ready!

There’s a lot to explore in Android 13, from privacy features like the new notification permission and photo picker, to productivity features like themed app icons and per-app language support, as well as modern standards like HDR video, Bluetooth LE Audio, and MIDI 2.0 over USB. Android has also extended the updates that were made in 12L, giving you better tools to take advantage of tablet and large screen devices.

Watch for more information on the official Android 13 release coming soon!

What’s in Beta 4?

This update includes a release candidate build of Android 13 for Pixel devices and the Android Emulator. It reached Platform Stability at Beta 3, so all app-facing surfaces are final, including SDK and NDK APIs, app-facing system behaviors, and restrictions on non-SDK interfaces. With these and the latest fixes and optimizations, Beta 4 gives you everything you need to complete your testing.

Pic courtesy: android-developers.googleblog.com

Get your apps ready!

With the official Android 13 release just ahead, they are asking all app and game developers to complete their final compatibility testing and publish your compatibility updates ahead of the final release. For SDK, library, tools, and game engine developers, it’s important to release your compatible updates as soon as possible — your downstream app and game developers may be blocked until they receive your updates.

To test your app for compatibility, just install it on a device running Android 13 Beta 4 and work through the app flows, looking for any functional or UI issues. Review the Android 13 behavior changes for all apps to focus on areas where your app could be affected. Here are some of the top changes to test:

• Runtime permission for notifications – Android 13 introduces a new runtime permission for sending notifications from an app. Make sure you understand how the new permission works, and plan on targeting Android 13 (API 33) as soon as possible.
• Clipboard preview – Make sure your app hides sensitive data in Android 13’s new clipboard preview, such as passwords or credit card information.
• JobScheduler prefetch – JobScheduler now tries to anticipate the next time your app will be launched and will run any associated prefetch jobs ahead of that time. If you use prefetch jobs, test that they are working as expected.

Remember to test the libraries and SDKs in your app for compatibility. If you find any SDK issues, try updating to the latest version of the SDK or reaching out to the developer for help.

Once you’ve published the compatible version of your current app, you can start the process to update your app’s targetSdkVersion. Review the behavior changes that apply when your app targets Android 13 and use the compatibility framework to help detect issues quickly.

Tablets and large-screens support

Android 13 builds on the tablet optimizations introduced in 12L, so as part of your testing, make sure your apps look their best on tablets and other large-screen devices. You can test large-screen features by setting up an Android emulator in Android Studio, or you can use a large-screen device from our Android 13 Beta partners. Here are some areas to watch for:

• Taskbar interaction – Check how your app responds when viewed with the new taskbar on large screens. Make sure your app’s UI isn’t cut off or blocked by the taskbar.
• Multi-window mode – Multi-window mode is now enabled by default for all apps, regardless of app configuration, so make sure the app handles split-screen appropriately. You can test by dragging and dropping your app into split-screen mode and adjusting the window size.
• Improved compatibility experience – if your app isn’t optimized for tablets yet, such as using a fixed orientation or not being resizable, check how your app responds to compatibility mode adjustments such as letterboxing.
• Media projection – If your app uses media projection, check how your app responds while playing back, streaming, or casting media on large screens. Be sure to account for device posture changes on foldable devices as well.
• Camera preview – For camera apps, check how your camera preview UI responds on large screens when your app is constrained to a portion of the screen in multi-window or split-screen mode. Also check how your app responds when a foldable device’s posture changes.

Get started with Android 13

This Beta 4 release has everything you need to test your app and try the Android 13 features. Just enroll your Pixel device to get the update over the air. To get started, set up the Android 13 SDK.

You can also test your app with Android 13 Beta on devices from several of our partners. Visit android.com/beta to see the full list of partners, with links to their sites for details on their supported devices and Beta builds, starting with Beta 1. Each partner will handle their own enrollments and support, and provide the Beta updates to you directly. For even broader testing, you can try Beta 4 on Android GSI images, and if you don’t have a device, you can test on the Android Emulator. For complete details on Android 13, visit the Android 13 developer site.

What’s next?

Watch for information on the official Android 13 launch coming in the weeks ahead! Looking forward to seeing more apps on Android 13!

For more information and to develop Android Mobile Apps, Hire Android Developer from us as we give you a high-quality product by utilizing all the latest tools and advanced technology. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

To develop Android Mobile Apps, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

• android-developers.googleblog.com

What’s new in Flutter 3

The recent release of Flutter v3.0 is now stable for macOS and Linux, in addition to Windows!

There are several exciting things coming as part of this release, including the update on Flutter’s support for macOS and Linux, significant performance improvements, mobile and web updates — and much more!

Ready for production on all desktop platforms

Linux and macOS have reached stable and include the following features:

Cascading menus and support for the macOS system menu bar

You can now create platform-rendered menu bars on macOS using the PlatformMenuBar widget, which supports the insertion of platform-only menus, and control over what appears in the macOS application menus.

Full support for international text input on all desktop platforms

International text input, including for languages that make use of text input method editors (IMEs) such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean is fully-supported on all three desktop platforms, including third-party input methods such as Sogou and Google Japanese Input.

Accessibility on all desktop platforms

Flutter for Windows, macOS, and Linux supports accessibility services such as screen-readers, accessible navigation, and inverted colors.

Universal binaries by default on macOS

As of Flutter 3, Flutter macOS desktop apps are built as universal binaries, with native support for both existing Intel-based Macs and Apple’s latest Apple Silicon devices.

Deprecating Windows 7/8 for development

With this release, it has raised the recommended Windows version for development to Windows 10. While there isn’t any blocking development on older versions (Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1), these versions are no longer supported by Microsoft and there is limited testing on these releases.

Mobile updates

Updates to mobile platforms include the following:

Foldable phone support

The Flutter 3 release supports foldable mobile devices. In a collaboration spearheaded by Microsoft, new features and widgets allow you to create dynamic and delightful experiences on foldable devices.

As part of this work, MediaQuery now contains a list of DisplayFeatures, describing the bounds and states of device elements like hinges, folds, and cutouts. Additionally, the DisplayFeatureSubScreen widget now positions its child widget without overlapping the bounds of DisplayFeatures, and has already been integrated with the framework’s default dialogs and pop-ups, making Flutter aware and responsive to these elements out of the box.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

iOS variable refresh rate support

Flutter now supports variable refresh rate on iOS devices with ProMotion displays, including iPhone 13 Pro and iPad Pro. On these devices, Flutter apps can render at refresh rates reaching 120 hz, which were previously limited to 60 hz. This results in a smoother experience during fast animations such as scrolling. See flutter.dev/go/variable-refresh-rate for more details.

Gradle version update

If you create a new project with the Flutter tool, you might notice that the generated files now use the latest versions of the Gradle and Android Gradle plugins. For existing projects, you need to manually bump the versions to 7.4 for Gradle, and 7.1.2 for the Android Gradle plugin.

Web updates

Updates for web apps include the following:

Image decoding

Flutter web now automatically detects and uses the ImageDecoder API in browsers that support it. As of today, most Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Samsung Browser, and more) have added this API.

The new API decodes images asynchronously off the main thread using the browser’s built-in image codecs. This speeds up image decoding by 2x, and it never blocks the main thread, removing all jank that was previously caused by images.

Web app lifecycles

The new lifecycle API for Flutter web apps gives you the flexibility to control the bootstrap process of your Flutter app from the hosting HTML page, and helps Lighthouse analyze the performance of your app. This applies to many use-cases, including the following frequently requested scenarios:

A splash screen.
A loading indicator.
A plain HTML interactive landing page displayed before the Flutter app.

Tooling updates

Updates to Flutter and Dart tooling include:

Updated lint package

Version 2.0 of the lint packages have been released:

Flutter: https://pub.dev/packages/flutter_lints/versions/2.0.0
Dart: https://pub.dev/packages/lints/versions/2.0.0

Apps generated in Flutter 3 with flutter create automatically enable the v2.0 sets of lints. Existing apps, packages, and plugins are encouraged to migrate to v2.0 to follow the latest and greatest best practices in the Flutter world, by running flutter pub upgrade –major-versions flutter_lints.

Most of the newly added lint warnings in v2 come with automated fixes. So, after upgrading to the latest package version in your app’s pubspec.yaml file, you can run dart fix —-apply over your code base to fix most lint warnings automatically (some warnings still require some manual work). Apps, packages, or plugins that aren’t using package:flutter_lints yet can migrate by following the migration guide.

Performance improvements

Thanks to open source contributor knopp, partial repaint has been enabled on Android devices that support it. In our local testing this change cut average, 90th percentile, and 99th percentile frame rasterization times on the backdrop_filter_perf benchmark on a Pixel 4 XL device by 5x. Partial repaint when there is a single rectangular dirty region is now enabled on both iOS and newer Android devices.

It has further improved the performance of opacity animations in simple cases. In particular, when an Opacity widget contains only a single rendering primitive, the saveLayer method that is usually invoked by Opacity is omitted. In a benchmark constructed to measure the benefits of this optimization, rasterization time for this case improved by an order of magnitude.

More exciting updates

Other updates to the Flutter ecosystem include the following:

Material 3

Flutter 3 supports Material Design 3, the next generation of Material Design. Flutter 3 provides opt-in support for Material 3; this includes Material You features like dynamic color, an updated color system and typography, updates to many components, and new visual effects introduced in Android 12 like a new touch ripple design and a stretch overscroll effect. Try the Material 3 features in the new Take your Flutter app from Boring to Beautiful codelab.

For more information and to develop mobile apps using Flutter, Hire Flutter Developer from us as we give you a high-quality product by utilizing all the latest tools and advanced technology. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

To develop Mobile Apps using Flutter, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

1. medium.com

What’s new in Flutter 2.10

We can’t believe it’s time again for a Flutter 2.10 stable release!

There are several exciting things to announce as part of this release, including a big update on Flutter’s support for Windows, several significant performance improvements, new support for icons and colors in the framework, and some tooling improvements. In addition, we’ve got some updates on the removal of the dev channel, reduction in support for older versions of iOS, and a short list of breaking changes. Let’s get to it!

Ready for production apps on Windows

First and foremost, the Flutter 2.10 release brings with it the stable release of Windows support. You no longer need to flip a flag to get the functionality that produces Windows apps on the stable channel of Flutter — now it’s available by default!

Of course, we did a lot more than just flip a flag. This release includes extensive improvements for text handling, keyboard handling, and keyboard shortcuts, as well as new integrations directly into Windows, with support for command-line arguments, globalized text entry, and accessibility.

For much more on the Windows stable launch, see the Announcing Flutter for Windows blog post, which describes the architecture of Flutter on Windows that allows for deep integration and gives you a sense of just how many Flutter packages and plugins already support Windows. You can also see some examples of what our tooling and app partners are doing with Flutter on Windows!

Performance improvements

This release of Flutter includes initial support for dirty region management provided by Flutter community member knopp. He’s enabled partial repaints for a single dirty region on iOS/Metal. This change reduced 90th and 99th percentile rasterization times on a few benchmarks by an order of magnitude, and reduced GPU utilization on these benchmarks from more than 90% to less than 10%.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

We expect to bring the benefits of partial repaints to other platforms in future releases.

In the Flutter 2.8 release, we landed our own internal picture recording format. Now in Flutter 2.10, we’ve started building optimizations with it. As an example, one common case of opacity layers is now implemented much more efficiently. Even in the worst case, frame raster times in our benchmarks fell to under a third of their previous value.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

We expect this optimization to expand to cover more cases as we continue developing the picture recording format.

In profile and release modes, Dart code is compiled ahead of time to native machine code. The key to the efficiency and small size of this code is a whole program type flow analysis that unlocks many compiler optimizations and aggressive tree-shaking. However, as the type flow analysis must cover the whole program, it can be somewhat expensive. This release includes a faster implementation of type flow analysis. Overall build time for the Flutter app in our benchmarks fell by ~10%.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

As always, performance enhancements, reduced memory usage, and reduced latency are a priority for the Flutter team. Look forward to further improvements in future releases.

iOS updates

In addition to performance improvements, we’ve also added some platform-specific features and enhancements. One new enhancement is smoother keyboard animations in iOS from luckysmg, which is provided automatically to your app without you having to do a thing.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

We’ve also improved the stability of the camera plugin for iOS by fixing a few edge case crashes.

Finally, 64-bit iOS architectures get a new feature to reduce memory usage: compressed pointers.

A 64-bit architecture represents pointers as a 8-byte data structure. When you have a lot of objects, the space taken up by the pointers themselves adds to the overall memory usage of your app, especially if you have larger, more complicated apps that have more GC churn. However, your iOS app is very unlikely to have enough objects to require a significant portion of even the 32-bit address space (2 billion objects), let alone the enormity of the 64-bit address space (9 million billion objects).

Compressed pointers were provided in Dart 2.15 and in this release of Flutter, we use them to reduce the memory usage for 64-bit iOS apps. You can check out the Dart 2.15 blog post for details.

And while you’re reading Dart blog posts, don’t forget to check out the Dart 2.16 announcement for updates on supporting Flutter for Windows with package platform tagging and a new search experience on pub.dev.

Android updates

This release contains a number of improvements for Android as well. By default, when you create a new app, Flutter defaults to support the latest version of Android, version 12 (API level 31). Also, in this release, we’ve enabled multidex support automatically. If your app supports Android SDK versions below 21, and it exceeds the 64K method limit, simply pass the –multidex flag to flutter build appbundle or flutter build apk and your app will support multidex.

And last but not least, we listened to your feedback that Gradle error messages can be intimidating. For this reason, the Flutter tool now suggests resolution steps to common issues. For example, if you add a plugin to your app that requires you to increase the minimum supported Android SDK version, you now see a “Flutter Fix” suggestion in the logs.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

We continue to add more suggestions to common error messages, and would love to get your feedback on other error messages where this treatment would be useful.

Web updates

This release contains some improvements on the web as well. For example, in previous releases, when scrolling to the edge of a multiline TextField on the web, it wouldn’t scroll properly. This release introduces edge scrolling for text selection: when the selection moves outside of the text field, the field scrolls to view the scroll extent. This new behavior is available for both web and desktop apps.

Pic courtesy: medium.com

In addition, this release of Flutter includes another notable improvement in the web. We’re always looking to reduce the overhead of our mapping of Flutter to the web. In previous versions, every time we wanted to bring a native HTML widget into your Flutter app, we needed an overlay as part of our platform view support for the web. Each one of these overlays enables custom painting but represents a certain amount of overhead. If you have a large number of native HTML widgets in your app, such as links, that adds up to a lot of overhead. With this release, we’ve created a new “non-painting platform view” for the web that essentially removes that overhead. And we’ve taken advantage of this optimization in the Link widget, which means if you have many links in your Flutter web app, they no longer represent any significant overhead at all. We’ll be applying this optimization to other widgets over time.

For more information and to develop mobile apps using Flutter, Hire Flutter Developer from us as we give you a high-quality product by utilizing all the latest tools and advanced technology. E-mail us any clock at – hello@hkinfosoft.com or Skype us: “hkinfosoft”.

To develop Mobile Apps using Flutter, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

1. medium.com