You’ve had a painful breakup. Didn’t you see it coming? Someone else has had a seductive hold on your life. Your object of obsession has been eating up your waking hours, lying snugly under your bed sheet and even accompanying you for a run.

On a lighter note, you would have guessed this ‘sweet disruptor of relationships’ is your smartphone. How many times do you check your phone in a day?

The Importance of Smartphones

According to a Statista survey conducted on US citizens last year, almost half of the respondents spent 5-6 hours on their phones daily. Statista claims there are 3.3 billion smartphone users in the world. This figure is estimated to skyrocket to 3.8 billion in the next three years.

Think of the way smartphones connect the dots in our lives. That itch to respond to tweets feels incurable. The sensorial experience of Instagram and YouTube seems hard to resist. Loners find companionship in WhatsApp communities.

Our phones streamline work. They’ve become the medium for virtual meetings. Stock market updates on these 7 cm wide and 15 cm long devices regulate the heartbeats of brokers.

Our phone is a book, a bank statement, a payment device, and a pocket encyclopedia.

But it’s smartphone apps that have a say in our lives. Designed to perform specific tasks – online shopping, ordering food, watching movies, ordering a cab and whatnot – they’re an integral aspect of our day.

Do you know you can create the best smartphone apps too? All you need is the right guidance and understanding of the best language for mobile app development.

Welcome to the fascinating world of app programming. First, which is the easiest language for app development?

Java, the name matters

Java is one of the most-reviewed languages in android programming. Don’t be overawed by the name Java which has a ring of grandeur to it. Java is quite easy to learn, compile and debug.

All you need is basic web knowledge to understand this flexible, general-purpose language. Being object-oriented, you can create reusable codes and modular programs on Java. It can run on different systems and is also platform-independent both at the source and binary levels (Source: IBM.com).

How about trivia here? Modern lore has it that the name Java was derived from Java coffee. The name fits since programmers, who stay up nights, are known to consume a lot of java (or coffee if you like).

JavaScript, in comparison, is a lightweight programming language that makes web pages interactive. According to a recent survey from Coursera, JavaScript is the most popular language among developers, with around 69.7% of users. Called a client-side script, and it connects to servers in a quick time. No wonder, developers take a liking to JavaScript’s easy structure.

But there’s a catch to it. Although most mobile browsers support JavaScript, they tend to interpret the script differently. A lack of debugging facility and not-too-strong client-side security could be JavaScript’s limitations. Yet, the benefits outnumber the concerns. Software developers trust the language so much that they can access different resources for app development with JavaScript mobile app frameworks.

If JavaScript features among the five very best programming languages for mobile app development software, then Python applications may not be far behind.

Solving complex problems

Like Java, Python is easy to write, and understand and equipped to handle complex problems. While Python doesn’t have in-built mobile development capabilities, it offers packages to create mobile applications. Kivy and PyQt are examples of multi-platform application development frameworks for Python.

This high-level, multi-purpose programming language can be used on various platforms such as Windows phones, Android, iOS, and desktops. Of course, no language is perfect.

Python applications are slower at runtime compared to C++, Java, JavaScript PHP, and Swift. That’s because of the presence of the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) that allows only one thread to execute at a time. Swift-ly done

Meanwhile, a new language (Swift) is making itself heard in the mobile app development world. Inspired by Apple’s engineering culture, it’s a secure, fast, and interactive programming language. Swift combines the features of old programming languages with its originality.

The simplicity of codes, minimal errors, and short and standardized syntax make Swift the language for the future. It has emerged that Google is contemplating making Swift a first-class language for Android according to Ideamotive. For the record, Instagram, one of the finest downloadable apps, uses Swift.

Kotlin, not far behind

Swift has competition from other dynamic and compact languages. This language is called Kotlin, and it too takes little time to write and can be deployed quickly.

The features:

• Interoperable with Java codes.

• Provides stable codes in production, so reduces bugs.

• Combines the best of functional and procedural programming.

• Kotlin and Java have similarities but App developers just can’t make the switch seamlessly.

• Android apps developed with Kotlin don’t need as many lines of code as opposed to Android apps that are created using Java.

Now hold on, a conversation on mobile apps and web application development is incomplete without PWA.

PWA, bringing a paradigm shift

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are developed with established web technologies like CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. One of the most popular languages for app development, they deliver native-app experiences. For the unversed, a native application is a software program for a particular platform or device.

The characteristics:

• Allows you to surf your favorite online store offline via a cached webpage. As soon as you’re connected to the internet, order processing is done.

• Offers push notifications. Customers can re-engage with items stored in carts.

• Has a loading time that is quick.

• The user has enhanced security.

• Does have high maintenance costs.

Web.dev claims that businesses that launched PWA have witnessed a remarkable turnaround. Twitter, for example, saw a 65% increase in pages per session, 75% more Tweets and a 20% decrease in bounce rate. Nikkei experienced 2.3 times more organic traffic, 58% new subscriptions, and an increase of 49% daily active users. Hulu saw a 27% increase in return visits after switching to PWA.

Creating your own mobile app can give you an immense thrill if you learn the top-rated languages. But why not make life even easier? The world’s best mobile app developers are just a call away. Talk to one of our experts to make an award-winning mobile app. Call us at +1.408.621.8481 or write to us at team@sdi.la.