At Google I/O 2017, Google announced that it will officially support Kotlin on Android as a “first-class” language.
Kotlin is a new programming language built by JetBrains, the same team that develops the JetBrains IDE that Android Studio is based on.
Like Java, Kotlin runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and it’s already possible to use Kotlin and many other JVM languages for Android development. As reported by The Verge, Android doesn’t use the JVM exactly, but the Java roots are strong, and Kotlin’s interoperability with Java have made it a popular choice for developers.
Official Google support is a big deal. Especially to developers who had already adopted the language. Kotlin tools will be included with Android Studio 3.0 by default, and JetBrains and Google are pledging to support the language going forward.
Just like Java, Koitlin is an object-oriented language, however Kotlin adds decent features such as functional programming, better syntax and enhancements over Java.
JetBrains is partnering with Google to set up nonprofit Kotlin foundation to support the language. Kotlin will remain a property of JetBrains, so throw out any suspicions or hopes that you may have that Google will be taking over.
