In this article, we’ll understand if Python is a good option to develop Android applications.
In particular, we will look at the advantages and disadvantages of building Android applications via Python and see
- What scenarios are best if you wish to develop in Python and
- In which scenarios, developing in Python might not be such a good idea.
We will also go through some popular use cases of Python.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Good scenarios to use Python
To begin with, here are a few cases where Python is good for Android development. You can go through them and see if it matches your requirements:
Cross-platform application
If you are aiming to develop something that needs to be capable of being used across multiple platforms, Python might be your friend here.
Python is a cross-platform language. This means that it can run on different operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, etc. So when you develop the application in Python, it can easily be reused across all these platforms. As you can guess, this saves a ton of time and effort.
This level of flexibility that you find in Python may not be available in other languages.
Data analysis and visualization
Python is the king when it comes to data analysis and data visualization. From its simple syntax to tackle complex concepts to the variety of libraries and frameworks provided such as Pandas and Matplotlib.
If you need to develop an app that relies heavily on these areas, you may choose Python to develop it!
Machine Learning and AI
In the same vein, Python is the first and best choice to work in the machine learning or artificial intelligence space. Python also has a rich ecosystem of libraries and frameworks like TensorFlow or Scikit-learn.
If this is what you’re looking for, you can utilize these libraries and easily integrate them into your Android application.
Research
Python is a good choice for many scientists and researchers. This is again thanks to Python’s libraries like SciPy. These libraries can perform heavy calculations all the while maintaining simple readability.
Prototyping
One benefit of using Python is the rapid development of the application due to its syntax and simplicity. Hence if you quickly need to test ideas and build prototypes, Python is a very good choice in this matter!
Bad scenarios to use Python
Every choice has its tradeoffs, and there are certain scenarios where picking Python to develop your Android application might not be the best pick:
Performance
Python is not known for its speed. If your scenarios will need critical performance then Python is not the go-to choice! For instance, games might require performance-critical operations, else might result in poor user experience. In these cases, C++ may be a better pick.
Android platform features
If your application requires specific Android functionalities, Python has its limitations here. This is because your Python frameworks may not have full access to all the features of the Android platform. This is because Android’s official language is not Python, it is Java.
Community support
If you heavily rely on community support whenever you face challenges in your journey, using Python might be a problem. Whilst Python has its own active community, the community for Android application development usually resorts to Java or Kotlin for their development, not Python. So it won’t be as easy to engage and get help from the community as it will be when using Java/Cotlin.
Famous successful use cases of Python in the World Wide Web
While we do not have any good examples of Android apps built using Python, Python is widely used in the server-side counterparts of those apps.
If the app you’re planning to build ends up being similar to any of the apps below, Python might as well be a good option for you:
1. Instagram:
- One of the biggest social media applications with over 2 billion monthly active users
- Python is used in their server-side
2. YouTube:
- Second most visited website in the world with more than 2.5 billion monthly users
- YouTube programming consists mixture of Python, C, C++, Java, JavaScript, etc.
3. Reddit:
- Mega social media app valued at $10 billion
- Transition from Lisp to Python which was faster and easier to read and maintain
4. Spotify:
- One of the largest music streaming service providers with over 590 million monthly active users
- Uses Python for analyzing user data and gets their accurate music taste
5. Dropbox:
- File hosting service with more than 700 million registered users across 180 countries
- Heavily uses Python for both backend services and the desktop client app
6. NASA:
- Leading U.S. government for space exploration and aeronautics programs
- Utilizes Python for data analysis, scientific research, etc.
Helpful Python Resources
If you have decided by now to start with Python, here are some resources that might help you on your journey:
- For web development:
- Django: high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design
- Flask: Flask is a lightweight Web Server Gateway Interface web application framework.
- For Data Science and Machine Learning:
- TensorFlow: Library for high-performance numerical computations
- SciPy: Open-source library used for high-level computations
- For Automation:
- Selenium: An open-source suite of tools used for browser automation
- For Gaming:
- PyGame: Gaming library to create games and rich multimedia programs in Python.
- Panda3D: Framework used to create 3D games
- For Finance:
- Quandl: A platform that offers economic, financial, and alternative datasets to its users.
- Zipline: A Pythonic algorithmic trading library
- Statsmodels: Helps users to construct statistical models
And with that, let’s end the article!
I hope you got the answer you were looking for!
Good luck on your application-building journey!
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Thanks to Namazi Jamal for his contributions in writing this article!
