Google created Flutter several years ago in an effort to create a cross-platform software framework. The biggest advantage is that you can build apps with Flutter for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, macOS, and even the web, all from the same shared codebase. While building apps for the Windows platform received stable support back in February, macOS and Linux were still only in beta. Now that that’s changed, Flutter 3 has officially been released at Google I/O 2022, complete with stable support for building apps for macOS and Linux platforms. Now, let’s talk to
Build Apps with Flutter
Flutter 3 has delivery support for macOS for Universal Binaries so that applications can work natively on Apple and Intel silicon chips. In addition, Google has cooperated with Ubuntu’s Canonical for a Linux release to deliver a highly integrated cream-of-the-cream option for application development. The stable support for Linux and macOS is one of the major achievements in the Flutter journey.
In this blog, we discuss on the latest tech updates and how to build apps with Flutter 3. As a part of the Google I/O keynote, Flutter announced the launch of Flutter 3.0 with some really productive features for Flutter Developers and business owners!
Material 3 Support (Material You):
One of the most highlighted features of Flutter 3 is that it now supports Material Design 3 (Google’s in-house design concept). Material 3 included typography, dynamic color, an improvised color system, unique visual effects introduced in Android 13, and improvements in several components, all supported by Flutter 3. Also, the Flutter developer team has created an adaptable cross-platform design system that allows applications to be integrated into a beautifully designed product.
Flutter Firebase:
Publishing an app requires a comprehensive set of tools to aid you in operating, assembling, and releasing your Flutter application. These include services like data storage, validation, authentication, cloud functions, and device testing. In addition, Flutter has various third-party integrations like Firebase, Sentry, AppWrite, and AWS Amplify.
Firebase is Google’s back-end platform for developing mobile and web apps. The team at Flutter has announced that Flutter Firebase integration is fully supported for the core part of the Firebase offering.
Firebase Crashlytics:
You can now track real-time fatal crashes using the Flutter Crashlytics plugin, with the same features as Firebase’s real-time crash reporting service. It also incorporates critical alerting metrics like “crash-free users” that helps maintain the stability of applications.
Flutter Game Toolkit:
This time, the Flutter team has focussed on casual gamers to deliver an easy-to-use casual games tool kit. It offers a starter pack of templates and credits for advertisements and cloud services.
Mobile Updates in Flutter 3 to Build Apps
Foldable support
Much awaiting features to support foldable devices are now official. With the help of the TwoPane widget in Flutter 3, we can design a scalable layout to support foldable devices.
Variable refresh rate for iOS
Flutter 3 supports variable refresh rates and ProMotion displays on iOS devices, including iPhone 13 Pro and iPad Pro. The rendering refresh rates rise to 120 Hz, which was limited to 60 Hz in the past. As a result, the user can have a smoother scrolling experience while observing quick animations.
Latest Web Updates in Flutter 3 to Build Applications
Image Decoding
With the help of a new image API, images can now be decoded asynchronously. Moreover, the built-in image codecs of the browser help decode the image at 2x speed, all without slowing down the main thread and simultaneously clearing the cache from previous updates.
Web App Lifecycles
The new lifecycle API for the web helps to control the bootstrapping of the application seamlessly without any degradation in performance.
Theme Extensions
In Flutter3, one can customize the ThemeData of Material library through ThemeData.extensions features rather than lerp, copyWith.
Advertising
Flutter 3 supports the publisher’s requirements for making customized ads and dealing with Apple’s App Tracking Transparency requirements. To achieve this, Google designed a new SDK for the User Messaging Platform instead of the existing Consent SDK.
As a business owner or mobile app developer, you’re probably wondering what will truly make a difference for you. Is Flutter 3 a significant update for your company, or just another release to ignore? To help you understand, we’ve elaborated on how developers and business owners can benefit from Flutter’s latest update. Learn more about what’s in it for you.
What’s New for Flutter Developers in Flutter 3?
1. Support for the macOS System Menu Bar and Cascading Menus
Flutter 3 offers new updates for platform-specific integration, as well as interactive models for compilation to give support, internationalization, and accessibility.
The goal here is to be able to use the operating system and share UI and logic as needed.
2. Lifecycles of web apps
You can now control the process of bootstrapping your Flutter app with this new web app lifecycle API.
You can now use your app on a computer or a tablet.
3. Universal binaries by default on macOS
Flutter has been compatible with M1-powered Apple devices since its debut; Flutter now fully utilizes Dart’s support for Apple silicon. As a result, they can now enable quicker compilation on M1-powered devices while also supporting universal binaries for macOS apps.
4. Simplified and easier to use for iOS Versions
There are new ways to make publishing your iOS app easier. Try running Flutter build IPA to create an Xcode archive and app bundle when you’re ready to release to TestFlight or the App Store.
Flutter 3 for Business Owners
Flutter 3 has been updated to be stable for macOS, Linux, and Apple Silicon. With over 500,000 apps distributed to hundreds of millions of devices, it is now also the most popular cross-platform UI toolkit for developing natively compiled and interactive applications.
When you upgrade from Flutter 2 to Flutter 3, your app becomes multi-platform instead of just mobile. You can target a larger audience base for six platforms with a single code base.
Payoda Helps You Build Apps with Flutter 3
With a new batch of Flutter features and functionalities in the new version, the future of Flutter looks brighter, and Google will, of course, continue to build on it to expand Flutter’s capabilities.
We hope you keep using Flutter’s awesome features to create experiences that delight your users. You can begin using Flutter 3 by updating your current version to the most recent version. If necessary, you can hire a flutter developer to assist you with further upgrades.
