News
Android makes Jetpack Compose the default path as Views enter maintenance mode
Google says Jetpack Compose is now the foundation for future Android UI tools and guidance, while legacy Views will receive only critical fixes.
Android app development has reached a clear turning point. In a post marking Jetpack Compose’s fifth anniversary, Google says new Android UI development is now Compose-first, while the older Views toolkit has entered maintenance mode. The change affects the tools, libraries, documentation and training that developers will use to build future apps.
Jetpack Compose is Android’s declarative UI toolkit. Instead of describing a screen through XML layouts and then connecting those layouts to imperative code, developers define the interface in Kotlin using composable functions. The approach is designed to keep the UI closer to the data and state that drive it, which can simplify updates, previews and adaptive layouts.
Google’s Android Developers Blog says Compose has grown from its 1.0 release in 2021 to the current 1.11 release, with more than 68% of the top 1,000 Android apps now using it in production. That figure is Google’s own measurement, but it helps explain why the company is comfortable making Compose the centre of its future Android guidance.
What “Compose-first” means in practice
The announcement does not remove the existing Views APIs from Android. Google’s Compose-first guidance says traditional Views will continue to be supported for some time, and interoperability APIs will remain available so teams can adopt Compose gradually.
The direction for new work is nevertheless unambiguous. Future Android libraries, samples, documentation, training content and developer tools will be designed with Compose users in mind. Google also says that the View toolkit, including familiar classes such as TextView and ListView, is now in maintenance mode and will receive only highly critical fixes.
Several View-based Jetpack libraries are included in that maintenance approach. Google lists components such as RecyclerView, Fragment, ConstraintLayout, ViewPager2, Data Binding and the View version of Material Design among the technologies that will not receive significant updates beyond critical fixes. The underlying android.view package remains supported as platform plumbing for Compose and other UI toolkits.
New Android UI guidance will prioritise Kotlin and Compose.
Existing View-based applications can continue to run and can adopt Compose incrementally.
Teams should not expect major new features in the legacy View-based libraries.
Why the change matters to smartphone users
This is a developer announcement rather than a consumer-facing Android update, so there is no single switch that changes the appearance of every phone. Users will continue to see a mixture of older and newer interfaces for some time, depending on how quickly individual app teams update their code.
The long-term effect should be visible in how apps handle different screens and device types. Google says Compose has expanded beyond phones to Android TV, Wear OS, widgets and display glasses. Its current development roadmap also includes adaptive APIs such as FlexBox, Grid, MediaQuery and Styles. These tools are intended to help developers build interfaces that respond more naturally to different window sizes, orientations and form factors.
That matters as Android apps increasingly move between compact smartphones, foldables, tablets, desktop-style windows, watches and connected displays. A UI framework that treats adaptability as a core design concern can reduce the amount of separate layout work required for each device category. It does not guarantee that every app will feel consistent, but it gives developers a common set of components and patterns to work with.
Compose is also closely tied to Android’s broader move toward modern, state-driven interfaces. Google’s Jetpack documentation describes Compose as a toolkit for simplifying native UI development, while its library catalogue includes adaptive layouts, navigation, camera integrations, testing tools and support for other Android form factors.
What app teams should do next
For a new Android project, the announcement makes the strategic choice simpler: Compose is the path that aligns with Google’s future documentation and tooling. Teams starting from scratch should evaluate it alongside their architecture, accessibility, testing and design-system requirements rather than treating it as a decorative UI layer.
For an established application, the message is less urgent but still important. Google is not requiring an immediate rewrite, and the availability of interoperability APIs means developers can replace screens or components in stages. A sensible migration plan can begin with a contained surface, such as a settings screen or a new feature, while the existing View hierarchy remains in place elsewhere.
Before migrating, teams should inventory their dependencies, check which View-based libraries they rely on and confirm that their testing and accessibility workflows cover Compose. They should also test the app on the smallest and largest supported window sizes, because an incremental migration can expose differences in state handling, navigation and layout behaviour.
Jetpack Compose is no longer merely an alternative Android UI toolkit. Google’s latest announcement makes it the default direction for the platform’s future developer experience, while preserving a transition path for the large installed base of View-based apps. For users, the change will arrive gradually through individual app updates. For developers, the practical signal is already clear: new Android UI investment is moving to Compose.