iOS 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

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.

Apple introduces Advanced Security features

Apple introduced three advanced security features focused on protecting against threats to user data in the cloud, representing the next step in its ongoing effort to provide users with even stronger ways to protect their data. With iMessage Contact Key Verification, users can verify they are communicating only with whom they intend. With Security Keys for Apple ID, users have the choice to require a physical security key to sign in to their Apple ID account. And with Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, which uses end-to-end encryption to provide Apple’s highest level of cloud data security, users have the choice to further protect important iCloud data, including iCloud Backup, Photos, Notes, and more.

As threats to user data become increasingly sophisticated and complex, these new features join a suite of other protections that make Apple products the most secure on the market: from the security built directly into our custom chips with best-in-class device encryption and data protections, to features like Lockdown Mode, which offers an extreme, optional level of security for users such as journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats. Apple is committed to strengthening both device and cloud security, and to adding new protections over time.

iMessage Contact Key Verification

Apple pioneered the use of end-to-end encryption in consumer communication services with the launch of iMessage, so that messages could only be read by the sender and recipients. FaceTime has also used encryption since launch to keep conversations private and secure. Now with iMessage Contact Key Verification, users who face extraordinary digital threats — such as journalists, human rights activists, and members of government — can choose to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by highly sophisticated cyberattacks, but the feature provides an important additional layer of security for those who might be. Conversations between users who have enabled iMessage Contact Key Verification receive automatic alerts if an exceptionally advanced adversary, such as a state-sponsored attacker, were ever to succeed breaching cloud servers and inserting their own device to eavesdrop on these encrypted communications. And for even higher security, iMessage Contact Key Verification users can compare a Contact Verification Code in person, on FaceTime, or through another secure call.

Pic courtesy: apple.com

Security Keys

Apple introduced two-factor authentication for Apple ID in 2015. Today, with more than 95 percent of active iCloud accounts using this protection, it is the most widely used two-factor account security system in the world that we’re aware of. Now with Security Keys, users will have the choice to make use of third-party hardware security keys to enhance this protection. This feature is designed for users who, often due to their public profile, face concerted threats to their online accounts, such as celebrities, journalists, and members of government. For users who opt in, Security Keys strengthens Apple’s two-factor authentication by requiring a hardware security key as one of the two factors. This takes two-factor authentication even further, preventing even an advanced attacker from obtaining a user’s second factor in a phishing scam.

Pic courtesy: apple.com

Advanced Data Protection for iCloud

For years, Apple has offered industry-leading data security on its devices with Data Protection, the sophisticated file encryption system built into iPhone, iPad, and Mac. “Apple makes the most secure mobile devices on the market. And now, we are building on that powerful foundation,” said Ivan Krstić, Apple’s head of Security Engineering and Architecture. “Advanced Data Protection is Apple’s highest level of cloud data security, giving users the choice to protect the vast majority of their most sensitive iCloud data with end-to-end encryption so that it can only be decrypted on their trusted devices.” For users who opt in, Advanced Data Protection keeps most iCloud data protected even in the case of a data breach in the cloud.

iCloud already protects 14 sensitive data categories using end-to-end encryption by default, including passwords in iCloud Keychain and Health data. For users who enable Advanced Data Protection, the total number of data categories protected using end-to-end encryption rises to 23, including iCloud Backup, Notes, and Photos. The only major iCloud data categories that are not covered are iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendar because of the need to interoperate with the global email, contacts, and calendar systems.

Enhanced security for users’ data in the cloud is more urgently needed than ever before, as demonstrated in a new summary of data breach research, “The Rising Threat to Consumer Data in the Cloud,” published today. Experts say the total number of data breaches more than tripled between 2013 and 2021, exposing 1.1 billion personal records across the globe in 2021 alone. Increasingly, companies across the technology industry are addressing this growing threat by implementing end-to-end encryption in their offerings.

Pic courtesy: apple.com

For more information and to develop iOS Mobile Apps, Hire iOS 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 iOS Mobile Apps, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

1. apple.com

iOS Web Push Notifications

Web Push, a multi-standard notification service for time-sensitive and high-priority events will be available for Safari 16 on macOS Ventura in October.

WebKit’s message alert service Web Push will soon be supported by WebKit for users of Apple devices, according to a tweet from Jen Simmons, a member of the Safari and Webkit web developer experience team.

Web Push is an opt-in notification service, which will require it to ask users for permission before sending notifications. No exact date was given for the release on macOS Ventura. It will be available for all users, with no Apple Developer Program membership required.

This addition comes ahead of the previous release date Apple announced, which had Web Push becoming available on its devices sometime next year. The announcement comes on the same day Safari 16.0 shipped for iOS, macOS Monterey, and Big Sur.

Web Push Allows Multiple Standards to Safari Notifications

Developers have been able to send push notifications on Safari for some time, but previously these followed a different standard.

The inclusion of Web Push support means Safari applications will now be able to send notifications with the same combination of web standards as other browsers. In other words, if a developer has coded notifications to web standards, they will no longer have to add additional lines of code or make any changes for their application to work in Safari.

Some standards that work with Web Push include Push API, Notifications API, and Service Workers. Web Push for Safari will use the same Apple notification service that powers Native Push on all iOS devices.

New end-point URLs will send notifications from subdomains of push.apple.com.

Web Push One Of A Number of WebKit Additions to Safari

WebKit is an open-source web browser engine used by many macOS, iOS, and Linux applications. In a blog post released, Simmons highlighted all the engine’s new features that will be available in Safari 16.0.

These include passkeys to provide an easy and secure way to log in, and container queries, which will allow developers to adjust the layout and styling of items on a website based on size, rather than the viewport and accessibility improvements.

A feature of particular interest for e-commerce companies is the addition of Merchant Token support in Apple Pay. This provides a “more efficient way to support recurring payments, support for multi-merchant payments, and a way to pay multiple merchants of record in one transaction”.

Safari 16 also supports Order Tracking, enabling online merchants to provide customers with detailed order and shipping information via Apple Wallet.

For more information and to develop iOS Mobile Apps, Hire iOS 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 iOS Mobile Apps, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

1. searchenginejournal.com

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

iOS 16 – here’s all the new features for your iPhone

Apple launches its newest iOS update to all the developers around the world this WWDC22. It brings a whole bunch of new changes that not only make iOS look eye-candy-er, but also help users get more done.

If you aren’t a developer, still, keep scrolling to know the most-awaited powerful features you’re gonna enjoy with in the public release of iOS 16 this September.

1. Lock Screen gets much heed

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Apple gives never-before attention to lock screen customisation in iOS 16. This update, you can create depth effect for your portraits. i.e., the time appears behind your head on the wallpaper.

You can now add widgets directly on the lock screen. This helps you keep info like weather, activity rings, today’s events handy and not unlock your iPhone for everything.

Wallpaper gallery

Apple brings its new wallpaper gallery to iOS (similar to Apple Watch’s watch face gallery) that features productive wallpapers like astronomy, weather, slideshow etc.

Notifications

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Notifications now roll up from bottom so they don’t hinder your personalised wallpaper’s beauty.

Live tracking

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You can now track the live score of an ongoing match, food delivery order, workout etc. directly on the lock screen.

2. Focus gets much focus on iOS 16

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Focus gets more powerful with iOS 16. You can now schedule different focus-es throughout the day.

Plus, you can assign a focus mode to a wallpaper, so whenever you set it, the focus gets on.

Apps like Mail, Calendar, Messages, and Safari now integrate with focus to display you only the content that’s relevant to the focus i.e., if you turn on work focus, only work things get displayed.

3. iMessage gets big changes

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If you’re a bad typer, you’ve probably repented for your typos in important messages. Thankfully, iOS 16 understands you. It brings options to edit a message even after its sent.

You can also undo send, recover recently deleted messages, and mark messages as unread to come back later.

4. Dictation and Keyboard become brothers

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With iOS 16, you can type and dictate both simultaneously. Though this is a small change, it shows a massive impact on how you type emails or create word docs.

5. Live Text will now boast itself

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Live Text goes to next level in iOS 16. It could now translate and replace what’s written on that sign-board before you. It also boasts some handy features like currency conversion etc.

And, Live Text now arrives to videos too. So, if you’re a programmer, you can now pause a video to copy the code on the frame.

6. Visual Lookup meets AI and ML

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Visual Lookup now gets smarter. It can recognise animals, birds, statues and give you the ability to lift it up and copy without background and share the image in apps like Messages, Notes etc.

7. Apple Pay, Later

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Apple now brings Apple Pay Later to users in US. If you’re in the US, this will allow you to split an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments spread over six weeks with zero interest or extra fees.

The new Apple Pay Order Tracking now allows you to track your orders paid via Apple Pay with participating merchants.

8. Maps looks beautiful

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Apple brings multistop routing which allows you to plan upto 15 stops in advance.

You’ll now get advanced transit features like

• knowing how much your journey will cost,
• add transit cards to Maps,
• view their balance,
• recharge them

without ever leaving Maps.

The street view is now supported in more than a dozen cities around the world.

9. Share Photos easily with the new iCloud Shared Photo Library

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The new iCloud Shared Photo Library offers an easy way to share photos with family. It can be collaborated with upto 5 people who have equal permissions to add, delete, edit photos.

This will especially helpful in vacations.

The photos can be set to automatically add by date, faces, and places without worrying about what photos to add. If you want to add a photo to a shared library as soon as it’s snapped, you can do it directly in the Camera app.

More amazing changes…

10. SharePlay-ing is now easier

SharePlay now comes to iMessage so you and your friends can enjoy your favourite content all while chatting together.

Not only that, you receive SharePlay suggested apps directly while on a FaceTime call so you don’t need to open the app to do that.

11. Safari gets more user-friendly

We’ve got tab groups with iOS 15. And with iOS 16, you can share and collaborate on them with friends and family.

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And, Passkey finally arrives to Safari. With this, you lose the need of storing or remembering passwords. You can easily login to supported websites by Face or Touch ID.

On non-Apple devices, just scan the displayed code with your iPhone, like you do for WhatsApp web, and you’re good to go.

12. Siri gets more convenient

On a FaceTime or phone call, you can simply say, “Hey Siri! Hang up.” to do it without lifting a finger.

13. Health becomes healthier

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The Health app can now track your medications and can also give alerts if there persist any harmful drug-drug interactions.

If you don’t have an Apple Watch, your iPhone can now fill the void, all standalone. It can almost accurately track your workouts. All you need to do is to put your iPhone in your pocket while working out.

14. Privacy is more valued

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With the new privacy tool called Safety Check, if you perceive risk from your domestic or intimate partner, you can revoke their access to your location and other data, and sign-out of iCloud on all other devices and limit messaging just to the device in your hand.

Overall, iOS 16 looks like a very useful update for all types of people, be it a busy CEO, a student, or a normal home maker. New amazing features never stop coming to iOS, right?

For more information and to develop iOS Mobile Apps, Hire iOS 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 iOS Mobile Apps, please visit our technology page.

Content Source:

1. medium.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.

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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