Android Development using Python

Many of us aspire to develop applications; however, most are stuck with the Java programming language. It is a matter of fact or, say, a living reality that we cannot know everything in this world. And it is fine to not aware if there is a substitute for it. The alternative that we are talking about here is the Python programming language that we can use instead of Java. Now, a doubt might arise - Is it possible to make an Android Application with the help of Python? The definite answer to this question is - Yes.

It is possible to develop an application based on Android using Python. Moreover, the technology is not only limited to Python; in fact, we can develop Android applications in various programming languages other than Java. One interesting fact is that Python on android is much easier than Java and much better when it comes to complexity.

Let us now understand it in depth. The primary thing to understand is that we can use different programming languages for Android application development. These languages include - Java, Kotlin, C, C++, C#, Python, Lua, Corona, HTML5, JavaScript, and various others. Moreover, these languages are easy to understand and use. There are various Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) that we can use for Android Development. IDE is an environment that allows programmers to develop applications, in this case, Android applications.

In this tutorial, we will be discovering interesting facts about Android Development with the help of the Python programming language. So, let us begin by understanding Python in brief.

What is the Python programming language?

Python is a famous object-oriented and high-level programming language. Python was created by Guido van Rossum and released in the year 1991. It is a simple language that is easy to learn and understand. Python can work on Windows, Linux, MacOS, Raspberry Pi, and others. It works on an interpreter system, which means we can easily execute the code as soon as we write it. Python is a quick language providing much easier syntax than any other language.

Android Application with Python

Since android applications are to be operated on the Android Operating System and start developing Android applications using Python, we need platforms that allow us to write the codes completely in Python. Fortunately, various platforms allow developers in web development, app development, analysis, and computation of scientific and numeric data and software development.

Some of the platforms used for Android Development using Python are as follows:

QPython

QPython is a script engine that executes Python on Android devices. It consists of the Python interpreter, console, editor, and the SL4A Library for Android development. It lets the Android device run scripts and projects based on Python.

PySide

Pyside is a Python library that allows programmers to create cross-platform graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It is a Python binding to the QT framework. QT library is among the most powerful GUI libraries. It was developed by Digia and QT Project.

PyMob

PyMob is an open-source software library used to assess the atomic mobility parameters for CALPHAD-type Kinetic Databases with the help of the raw data, which are the experimental tracer diffusion coefficients. The software consists of an entirely automated assessment procedure.

Pyqtdeploy

Pyqtdeploy is a utility that allows the deployment of PyQt applications written with Python v3.5 or above in conjunction with other utilities offered with QT. It supports deployment to desktop platforms (like Linux, Windows, and MacOS) and mobile platforms (like Android and iOS).

Kivy

Kivy is a free and open-source Python framework used to develop mobile applications and other multi-touch application software using a natural user interface. It is distributed under the terms of the MIT License and can work on Android, iOS, Linux, MacOS, and Windows.

Apart from these above, some other tools support developers in writing code that can work on the Android Operating System. All these platforms generate a native source code for their supported platforms. The native code that is generated is identical to a hand-written script, and it can be easily optimized by using native compilers.

Some Problems in Developing Android Apps using Python

We all know that Java is the official programming language for Android, as Google declared it. Java for Android is like that Standard of Android, and other languages that we utilize might not be as up to the mark as Java. Though Android development using Python is possible, it won't be as efficient as developing Android applications using Java.

Some of the problems that might arise are as follows:

1. These frameworks might not support every feature of the Android operating system.
2. We cannot utilize our tools always.
3. These codes might not run very fast as they generate the native code at first, which are then optimized with the help of the native compilers.
4. Sometimes the High-level graphics might not be supported, and at times 2D and 3D graphic support are also not present.