Create your first Kotlin multiplatform mobile application in Android Studio

Nwokocha Wisdom Maduabuchi
3 min readSep 2, 2020

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KMM( Kotlin multiplatform mobile)

In this article, you are going to build a simple hello world application that will run in Android and IOS with a single codebase using Kotlin programming language.

Firstly, I will like to explain what is Multiplatform, its benefits, and how to implement it in your codebase.

What is Multiplatform?

If a software program is developed for multiple operating systems, it is considered to be “multiplatform.” meaning its capable of running on two or more different hardware platforms.

I believe it's clear now, lets get to know what is Kotlin Multiplatform

Kotlin Multiplatform

Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile allows you to use a single codebase for the business logic of iOS and Android apps. Sharing code between mobile platforms is one of the major Kotlin Multiplatform use cases. With Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (KMM), you can build multiplatform mobile applications sharing code, such as business logic, connectivity, and more, between Android and iOS.

For more info check out this link: https://kotlinlang.org/lp/mobile/

Steps of building a kotlin multiplatform mobile application

Kindly follow the simple steps to create your first Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile project.

Step 1:

Install Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile plugin in Android studio

Open your Android Studio -> Click Configure -> Select Plugins

Step 2:

Select Marketplace in the plugin section and search for “KMM”, Install it and restart your Android studio

Step 3:

In the Android studio first screen Select “ Start a new Android Studio project”

Step 4:

In the “ Select a project Template” screen, select “KMM Application”

Step 5:

In this section, you will have to give your project a name, select your minimum SDK, Save location, and Package name. then you will click the finish button

Now, you will have to wait while your project is set up for the first time. It may take some time to download and set up the required components.

Step 6:

You can start coding your Kotlin multiplatform mobile project now

Step 6:

Let's run our Helloworld Application by clicking on the play button

Run in an Android Studio Emulator
Run in an IOS Xcode Emulator
Android and IOS Emulator

Thank you for reading my article.

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Image Credit: https://touchlab.co/kotlin-multiplatform/?

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Nwokocha Wisdom Maduabuchi
Nwokocha Wisdom Maduabuchi

Written by Nwokocha Wisdom Maduabuchi

A software engineer with considerable experience in mobile development, native Android, and IOS development(Xcode), flutter dev, technical writing and community

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