Build Android and iOS apps with SwiftUI

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Stackademic

4 min read6 days ago

In today’s world, having an app for both iOS and Android is a crucial aspect of any successful business strategy. However, creating separate apps for each platform can be both time-consuming and costly. To address these challenges, many companies opt for hybrid or cross-platform app development using popular frameworks such as Flutter, React Native, and Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP).

For developers, transitioning to these frameworks can be relatively straightforward. Native Android developers can easily adopt KMP, while React developers can leverage their existing skills with React Native. However, iOS developers often face a steeper learning curve, as they need to acquire new knowledge to build apps for both platforms.

This is where Skip comes to the rescue. Skip allows iOS developers to use their existing knowledge of Swift and SwiftUI to create Android apps within their familiar Xcode environment. This not only streamlines the development process but also enables iOS developers to continue working with the tools and languages they love, ultimately bridging the gap between iOS and Android app development.

Build native apps for iPhone and Android with Skip:

Skip brings Swift app development to Android. It is a tool that enables developers to use a single modern programming language (Swift) and first-class development environment (Xcode) to build genuinely native apps for both iOS and Android.

How Skip Works

As you build your Swift and SwiftUI app in Xcode, the Skip Xcode plugin continuously transpiles it into the equivalent Kotlin and Jetpack Compose for Android. Develop dual-platform libraries or entire apps, with native performance and native user interfaces on both platforms.

Getting Started with Skip: Installation Guide

System Requirements

Before diving into the installation, ensure your development environment meets the following requirements:

macOS 13: Your machine should be running macOS 13 or later.
Xcode 15: Ensure you have the latest version of Xcode installed.
Android Studio 2023: This will be used for managing Android emulators and other Android development tasks.
Homebrew: The package manager for macOS.

Installing Skip

Skip simplifies the process of building cross-platform applications using Swift and SwiftUI. Follow these steps to install Skip:

Step 1: Install Skip via Homebrew

Open your Terminal and run the following command:

brew install skiptools/skip/skip

This command will download and install the Skip tool, along with necessary dependencies such as Gradle and JDK for building and testing the Kotlin/Android side of your apps.

Step 2: Verify Installation

After the installation is complete, verify that Skip and its dependencies are correctly installed by running:

skip checkup

Troubleshooting

If the checkup fails, it’s recommended to run the command with verbose output for more details.

skip checkup --verbose

Check the FAQ section in the Skip documentation for common solutions to issues that may arise during the checkup process.

Step 3: Ready to Develop

Once the checkup passes, you are ready to start developing with Skip!

/*Create project by running below cmd in terminal*/

skip init --appid=bundle.id project-name AppName

After opening the project, you will see a layout similar to this, although I have modified the ContentView:

That’s it! The most interesting part is that with just two commands, my project is ready to run. You don’t have to do anything else — simply install Skip, check Skip, and create the project to run on both Android and iOS.

Conclusion

Skip offers an innovative solution for Swift and SwiftUI developers aiming to build cross-platform applications. By simplifying the setup process and leveraging familiar tools.

Although Skip is very new and currently only supports iOS 16 and above, which might present some issues, it’s exciting to know that we can develop both Android and iOS apps using our beloved SwiftUI. This is a promising step forward for developers looking to streamline their cross-platform development process. Happy coding!

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