January 3, 2026
Swift vs Flutter: Tap Wars
Swift on Android: Full Native App Development Now Possible
Swift invades Android: devs cheering, Flutter fans sweating
TLDR: You can now build full Android apps in Swift—no Android Studio or Java—via the new Droid framework and Swift Stream IDE. The crowd is split between hype to drop old tools and claims Flutter still rules for one codebase across platforms, with comparisons to Skip and SwiftCrossUI.
Swift just crashed the Android party, and the comment section went full popcorn mode. Creator mihael dropped Swift Stream IDE v1.17, letting developers build real Android apps entirely in Swift with a shiny “Droid” framework and a SwiftUI-like style—think simple, readable code and no scary plumbing. The headline promise? No Android Studio, no XML layout files, no Java or Kotlin. Fans cheered like they’d deleted a cursed folder: “Not touching Android Studio is already a huge improvement,” one wrote. Another went bigger, calling for a platform shakeup: “Time to ditch Flutter/React Native?” Cue gasps, clutching pearls, and instant debate.
The skeptics rolled in with checklists and memes. One commenter sighed, “So many ways to do things,” then declared “Dart + Flutter is still the only way to hit every target.” Translation: Flutter (Google’s toolkit) promises one codebase for phones, desktop, web; React Native is close but messy on desktop. Others asked how this stacks against SwiftCrossUI and Skip, projects that run Swift across Apple and Android. Fans clarified: Droid is Android-only with Swift-style vibes; Skip translates Apple’s SwiftUI to Android; SwiftCrossUI aims broader. The room split between “new freedom!” and “yet another tool.” Jokes about never touching XML were the victory dance.
Key Points
- •The article demonstrates native Android UI development using Swift via a declarative code example.
- •Droid framework is presented as the foundation for building rich Android apps in Swift.
- •The framework includes AndroidX, Flexbox, and Material Design components.
- •A SwiftUI-like declarative syntax simplifies development and abstracts Android complexities.
- •The framework hides the JNI layer, and documentation is actively being updated.