Building Android Apps with Rust and Iced: A Promising Frontier In the ever-evolving world of mobile app development, the combination of Rust and the Iced GUI library has emerged as an intriguing approach for Android app creation. Recently, a developer shared their experience of delving into this unique intersection, shedding light on the potential and challenges of this burgeoning cross-platform solution. Rust, the systems programming language renowned for its focus on performance, safety, and concurrency, has long been recognized as a powerful tool for building high-performance applications. Its growing popularity in the mobile space is a testament to its versatility and the community's efforts to bridge the gap between Rust and the mobile ecosystem. The developer's journey began with a decision to explore building an Android app using Rust, a decision driven by a desire to expand the reach of Rust beyond its traditional desktop and server-side domains. After a few weeks of experimentation, they successfully got their Rust-based Android app up and running, a milestone that piqued their interest in sharing their experience with the broader community. One of the key foundations of this Rust-powered Android adventure was the utilization of several open-source projects, including android-activity, jni-rs, wgpu, and winit. These foundational crates and tools, developed by dedicated contributors, have played a pivotal role in enabling Rust's integration with the Android platform. The developer's approach involved leveraging the existing examples and resources within the rust-android-examples repository, which showcases the integration of Rust with both the NativeActivity and GameActivity Android APIs. This provided a solid starting point, allowing the developer to familiarize themselves with the necessary tools and techniques. However, the developer's ambitions didn't stop there. They were determined to combine the power of Rust with the Iced GUI library, a cross-platform solution primarily focused on desktop and web applications. Iced's explicit non-goal for mobile support posed a challenge, but the developer recognized the potential in integrating it with their Rust-based Android app. Through a combination of research and experimentation, the developer discovered a way to integrate Iced with their wgpu-powered Android application. This involved leveraging the "integration example" provided by the Iced project, which demonstrated how to incorporate the GUI library into a wgpu-based application. The integration process, though not without its hurdles, proved to be relatively straightforward. The developer encountered an initial issue with the lack of text rendering, which they resolved by implementing a font-loading solution inspired by a community discussion. Additionally, they made minor patches to some Iced widgets to ensure proper touch support. The success of this integration effort showcases the flexibility and adaptability of both Rust and the Iced library, as well as the dedication of the developer in overcoming the challenges posed by the non-mobile focus of Iced. Beyond the Iced integration, the developer also highlighted other Rust-based approaches to building Android apps, including the xilem project, which explicitly aims to support mobile platforms, as well as game engines like Fyrox and Bevy, which have demonstrated mobile capabilities. The developer's article also touched on the potential for Rust-based iOS app development, noting that the approach should be similar or even simpler compared to the Android journey. While they haven't yet ventured into the iOS realm, the developer expressed a desire to explore this avenue in the future, leveraging the same foundational tools and techniques. The significance of this developer's experience lies in the broader context of Rust's growing presence in the mobile app development landscape. As a language known for its emphasis on performance, safety, and concurrency, Rust has become an increasingly attractive option for developers seeking alternatives to the traditional platforms and languages dominating the mobile ecosystem. By demonstrating the feasibility of building Android apps using Rust, coupled with the integration of a GUI library like Iced, this developer's journey opens up new possibilities for developers who wish to leverage Rust's strengths in the mobile arena. It suggests that the barriers to Rust-based mobile app development are steadily being broken down, paving the way for more widespread adoption. Moreover, the developer's willingness to share their experience and the broader community's ongoing efforts to create supporting tools and resources are crucial in fostering the growth and adoption of Rust-based mobile development. As more developers explore and contribute to this emerging field, the potential for Rust to become a viable and compelling choice for building high-performance, cross-platform mobile applications continues to grow. In conclusion, the developer's exploration of building Android apps using Rust and Iced represents a promising frontier in the world of mobile app development. By leveraging the strengths of Rust and the flexibility of the Iced GUI library, this developer has demonstrated the feasibility of this approach and has shared valuable insights to inspire and empower others to venture into this exciting realm. As Rust's presence in the mobile space continues to evolve, the potential for innovative and high-quality mobile experiences powered by this versatile language is sure to capture the attention of developers and users alike.