There’s no denying that in the digital age, mobile apps have become a must for most companies. With the increasing use of smartphones, businesses are turning to mobile app development to reach their audiences more effectively. Just having an app, however, is not enough. An app must be smooth, functional, visually attractive, and meet user expectations to truly engage customers. 

One of the critical decisions in the development process is choosing the right technology stack. Flutter, a relatively new technology, has become increasingly popular recently. In this article, I will discuss Flutter, why it became so popular, and why it is considered future-proof.

What is Flutter?

Flutter is an open-source framework created by Google, based on the Dart programming language. It was officially released in 2018 and allowed users to develop mobile, desktop, and web applications using a single code base. In our opinion, it is the best choice for cross-platform application development, offering security, support, and stability.

Flutter has caught the attention of large companies such as Airbnb, Alibaba, Uber, BMW, eBay, and Google, all of which use it in their mobile apps. Here are the reasons why:

Single Codebase

Flutter simplifies the app development process with its single codebase feature. It allows developers to create a single codebase for both iOS and Android platforms, reducing the time it takes to develop an app and the time to market. A single codebase also minimizes the amount of required testing and maintenance, as well as increases business efficiency and productivity.

Ideal for MVPs

Flutter is suitable for companies of all sizes but especially beneficial for startups with tight budgets that want to start with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). With low development costs and reduced time-to-market, Flutter makes it easy to develop an MVP and gather quick consumer feedback. Flutter also provides all the tools needed for application development and integrates well with prominent cloud platforms such as Firebase and AWS, offering features like analytics, authentication, hosting, and storage.

Simplified customization

Thanks to a single code base, apps developed with Flutter are highly flexible, allowing changes and updates to be immediately visible on both iOS and Android (using the Hot Reload feature, it is possible to make code changes while the app is running, making improvements verifiable almost at the same time). Also, this reduces maintenance costs, allowing business owners to focus on other aspects of their organization.

Why will Flutter’s popularity grow?

There’s no denying that Flutter has gained immense popularity in recent years. It offers a fast, flexible, and efficient solution for building high-performance iOS, Android, and web apps. In 2023, it is interesting to speculate on what the future may bring for Flutter and its role in the mobile app development landscape.

  • One trend that is sure to continue is the growing demand for cross-platform mobile app development solutions. With companies and developers looking for ways to reach a wider audience and reduce development costs, Flutter is an attractive option because of its ability to build apps for multiple platforms using a single code base. This is likely to further drive Flutter adoption in 2023 and beyond.
  • Another factor that may contribute to Flutter’s growth is the increasing importance of widgets in mobile app development. By focusing on widgets, Flutter makes creating beautiful, custom, and interactive user interfaces easier and faster! As the mobile app development industry continues to grow, the role of widgets is likely to become even more prominent, making Flutter an ideal choice for developers looking to create innovative, visually appealing apps.
  • Moreover, Flutter is expected to improve in 2023 and beyond, with new features and enhancements regularly added. This could include support for new platforms and devices and improved performance and efficiency. Google has already shown its commitment to Flutter, by investing significant resources in its development, and this is likely to continue in the coming years.
  • Another trend expected to drive Flutter adoption is the growing popularity of the Dart programming language. Dart, used to write Flutter applications, is gaining recognition for its simplicity and ease of use. As more developers become familiar with the language, more of them will likely turn to Flutter as a development platform.
  • In addition, the Flutter community is growing rapidly and contributing to the growth of the framework. With more developers and companies contributing to Flutter, more features, tools, and libraries will likely be added, making it more powerful and versatile.
  • Finally, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) will also likely play a role in Flutter’s future. With IoT devices becoming more common, there is a growing need for application developers to be able to create applications that can communicate with these devices and collect and process data from them. Flutter’s ability to work with various devices and platforms makes it well-suited for this type of application development, which could lead to increased demand for Flutter in the IoT space.

What changes will 2023 bring to Flutter?

Flutter Forward, the annual conference for Flutter developers, has just wrapped up and set the direction for the development of Flutter and Dart for the coming years. The conference saw the release of Flutter 3.7 and Dart 2.19, which bring new features and improvements to the framework, making it easier for developers to build high-performance, visually appealing mobile applications.

  1. Material 3, the latest version of the Material Design guidelines, has been fully migrated to Flutter with this update. This migration brings new animations, improved typography, and new color schemes to the framework, allowing developers to take advantage of the latest Material Design features in their applications.
  1. Adaptive layout is a feature in Flutter that has been available since the beginning of the framework. It allows developers to create applications that can adjust to different screen sizes and orientations, ensuring a consistent and optimal user experience on any device, regardless of screen size or aspect ratio. With the latest updates, Google is putting even more emphasis on this feature in Flutter.
  1. The new version of Flutter also includes custom menu bars and cascading menus, as well as improved text selection with scrolling context. The team behind Flutter has also addressed animation jank issues on iOS devices, resulting in smoother and more seamless animations.
  1. Finally, several new widgets have been introduced, including CupertinoListSection, CupertinoListTile, AnimatedGrid, and SilverAnimatedGrid, providing developers with more options and flexibility when building UI. These new widgets allow developers to create more polished, visually appealing apps with less effort.

Overall, the announcements and updates at Flutter Forward demonstrate the framework’s commitment to innovation and quality, and developers can expect to see continued growth and innovation in the Flutter ecosystem.

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Flutter is the answer to the most demanding needs

In conclusion, Flutter is a popular and future-proof choice for mobile app development, offering a single code base, cost-effective MVP development, and simplified customization. At Applover, we are sure that with its focus on cross-platform development, custom user interfaces, continuous improvement, and the potential for IoT app development, Flutter is well-positioned to meet the demands of the mobile app development industry in 2023.