Jetpack Compose 2025: Declarative UI for Android & Beyond
Quick Answer
Jetpack Compose is Google’s modern declarative UI toolkit for building native Android applications using Kotlin. It replaces the imperative XML-based View system with a composable function approach, reducing boilerplate by 50-70%. The BOM (Bill of Materials) 2025.12.00 release stabilizes the API surface, while Compose Multiplatform enables sharing UI code across Android, iOS, and desktop.
What is Jetpack Compose?
Jetpack Compose transforms Android UI development from imperative (XML layouts + findViewById) to declarative (Kotlin functions describing UI). The framework handles optimization, recomposition, and state management automatically.
BOM 2025.12.00 Highlights
Key Features:
- Material 3 integration complete
- Stable WindowInsets and navigation
- Live Edit in Android Studio
- Compose Multiplatform (iOS, Desktop, Web)
- Performance improvements (lazy layout stabilization)
Maintainer: Google
Core Architecture
Composable Functions
UI is built from @Composable-annotated functions:
@Composable
fun Greeting(name: String) {
Text(text = "Hello, $name!")
}
State Management:
- remember (local state)
- mutableStateOf (observable state)
- viewModel() (integration with ViewModel)
Recomposition (Smart Re-rendering)
Compose intelligently skips unchanged composable execution:
- Input-based recomposition skipping
- Stability system optimization
- 100x faster than traditional diffing
Platform Support
| Platform | Support | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Android | ✅ Stable | Production-ready |
| iOS | ✅ Experimental | Compose Multiplatform |
| Desktop | ✅ Experimental | Compose Multiplatform |
| Web | ✅ Experimental | Compose for Web |
Key Features
1. Material 3 Integration
Full Material You support:
- Dynamic color schemes
- Adaptive components
- Elevation and overlay handling
2. Navigation
Compose Navigation:
- Type-safe navigation
- Nested routing support
- Animation transitions
3. Performance
Lazy Layouts:
- LazyColumn/LazyRow (virtualized lists)
- 60fps scrolling with large datasets
Jetpack Compose vs SwiftUI
| Feature | Jetpack Compose | SwiftUI |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Kotlin | Swift |
| Platforms | Android (native), iOS (exp) | Apple platforms (native) |
| UI Sharing | Via Compose Multiplatform | N/A (Apple-only) |
| Preview | Android Studio Live Edit | Xcode Canvas |
Best Use Cases
Ideal For
- New Android applications
- Kotlin-first teams
- Applications requiring custom, animated UIs
Avoid For
- Legacy Android projects (pre-API 21)
- Projects requiring extensive XML custom views (initially)
Conclusion
Jetpack Compose is the future of Android UI development. For all new Android projects in 2026, Compose should be the default choice, offering better developer experience and performance than the legacy View system.
Last Updated: 2026-01-20