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Jetpack Compose

Jetpack Compose is the primary UI toolkit I use for modern native Android applications.

It allows interfaces to be built declaratively from application state instead of manually manipulating individual views. This makes UI code easier to reason about, easier to reuse and much more consistent with modern Kotlin-based Android architecture.

I use Jetpack Compose together with technologies such as ViewModel, Kotlin Flow, Room, DataStore and Material 3 to build applications that are responsive, maintainable and designed around clear state ownership.

For me, Compose is not simply a replacement for XML layouts.

It changes how the UI layer is structured.

How I use Jetpack Compose

I use Jetpack Compose for tasks such as:

  • complete Android application interfaces,
  • responsive screen layouts,
  • Material 3 design,
  • reusable UI components,
  • forms and settings screens,
  • lists and grids,
  • navigation,
  • dialogs and bottom sheets,
  • animations,
  • adaptive layouts,
  • state-driven interfaces,
  • loading and error states,
  • interaction with Android platform APIs.

I generally prefer Compose for new Android projects because it integrates naturally with Kotlin and modern Android architecture.

Declarative UI

Traditional UI development often involves creating a view and then manually changing its individual properties as application state changes.

Compose reverses that relationship.

The application describes what the interface should look like for the current state.

Conceptually:

state
→ composable functions
→ UI

If the state changes, Compose updates the affected parts of the interface.

I do not need to manually search for individual views and synchronize them with application data.

This produces a much clearer relationship between application state and visual output.

State-Driven Architecture

State is central to Compose.

I prefer interfaces where the visible screen can be derived from explicit state rather than hidden mutations scattered throughout the UI.

A screen state may contain values such as:

loading
data
error
selectedItem
dialogVisible
userPreferences

The composable renders the appropriate UI for that state.

User actions are sent back as events.

This creates a predictable flow:

State
↓
UI
↓
User Action
↓
ViewModel
↓
New State

This pattern makes complex screens significantly easier to understand.

State Hoisting

I use state hoisting to keep reusable components independent of where their state originates.

Instead of allowing a component to manage important application state internally, I pass it the current value and callbacks.

For example:

SettingsSwitch(
    checked = state.notificationsEnabled,
    onCheckedChange = onNotificationsChanged
)

The component only knows:

  • what it should display,
  • what event to emit.

It does not need to know whether the value ultimately comes from DataStore, Room or a remote backend.

This improves reuse and testability.

ViewModel Integration

I commonly use ViewModel as the owner of screen-level application state.

A ViewModel can:

  • expose UI state,
  • process user actions,
  • communicate with repositories,
  • run asynchronous operations,
  • survive configuration changes.

Compose then observes the state produced by the ViewModel.

I avoid putting business logic directly into composable functions.

The UI should focus on presentation and interaction.

Kotlin Flow

Compose works naturally with Kotlin Flow.

I use Flow to expose reactive data from sources such as:

  • Room,
  • DataStore,
  • repositories,
  • application services.

A common architecture looks like:

Room / DataStore / API
        ↓
     Repository
        ↓
       Flow
        ↓
    ViewModel
        ↓
      Compose

When the underlying data changes, updated state flows through the application and the UI reacts automatically.

Recomposition

Compose updates the UI through recomposition.

I design composables so recomposition remains inexpensive and predictable.

That means avoiding unnecessary work directly inside composable functions.

Expensive operations should not be repeated simply because a component needs to redraw.

I move such work into:

  • ViewModels,
  • repositories,
  • remembered state,
  • derived state,
  • background processing.

Understanding recomposition is important for both performance and architecture.

Stable State

For more complex interfaces, I pay attention to the stability of data passed into composables.

Unnecessary creation of new objects or unstable state structures can cause more recomposition than needed.

I prefer predictable immutable UI models where appropriate.

This makes state transitions easier to reason about and can improve rendering efficiency.

remember

I use remember for values that belong to the current composition and do not need to survive process recreation.

Typical examples include:

  • temporary UI state,
  • animation state,
  • local interaction state.

I distinguish this from application state that should live in a ViewModel or persistent storage.

Not every piece of state belongs in the same place.

rememberSaveable

For small pieces of UI state that should survive activity recreation, rememberSaveable can be useful.

Examples may include:

  • selected tabs,
  • entered form values,
  • expanded UI sections.

For more important application state, I still prefer ViewModel or persistent storage.

The correct state owner depends on how long the information needs to survive.

Side Effects

Composable functions should ideally remain declarative.

When an interface needs to interact with the outside world, I use Compose side-effect APIs deliberately.

Examples may include:

  • launching one-time operations,
  • reacting to state changes,
  • registering and cleaning up listeners,
  • updating external objects.

The goal is to keep imperative behavior controlled rather than allowing hidden side effects to happen during arbitrary recompositions.

LaunchedEffect

I use LaunchedEffect when a coroutine needs to run in response to a defined Compose lifecycle or key change.

This can be useful for:

  • reacting to state,
  • triggering an initial operation,
  • displaying events,
  • coordinating navigation.

I keep the keys explicit so the effect runs only when intended.

DisposableEffect

When Compose needs to register a resource that must later be cleaned up, DisposableEffect provides a clear lifecycle boundary.

This can be useful when interacting with:

  • listeners,
  • observers,
  • external platform APIs.

Cleanup matters.

A lifecycle-aware UI should not continue holding resources after the relevant component leaves composition.

Reusable Components

One of the main strengths of Compose is how easy it is to build reusable UI components.

I create composables for repeated interface patterns such as:

  • cards,
  • settings rows,
  • buttons,
  • information panels,
  • status indicators,
  • forms,
  • dialogs.

I prefer components that receive explicit state and events rather than depending on hidden global state.

This makes them easier to reuse in different contexts.

Material 3

I use Material 3 as the design foundation for many Android applications.

This provides established components and design patterns for:

  • buttons,
  • cards,
  • navigation,
  • dialogs,
  • typography,
  • color schemes,
  • surfaces.

I still customize the visual identity of the application.

Material provides the interaction and component foundation.

The final design should still reflect the purpose and character of the product.

Design Systems

For larger applications, I define reusable design tokens and components instead of styling every screen independently.

This may include:

  • spacing,
  • typography,
  • corner shapes,
  • component sizes,
  • custom components.

A consistent design system makes the application feel more polished and makes later visual changes significantly easier.

Dark Mode

Compose makes it straightforward to support different color schemes.

I design themes so applications can support:

  • light mode,
  • dark mode,
  • system preference.

I avoid hard-coded colors inside individual screens where possible.

Components should use semantic theme colors so the interface adapts consistently.

Dynamic Color

Where appropriate, Android can provide dynamic system-derived color schemes.

I treat dynamic color as an optional enhancement rather than assuming every application must use it.

The correct choice depends on branding and the role of the application.

Responsive Layouts

Android applications run on a wide variety of screens.

I do not design Compose interfaces only for one fixed phone size.

Layouts should adapt to:

  • different widths,
  • landscape mode,
  • tablets,
  • foldables,
  • accessibility font scaling.

I use responsive and adaptive layout strategies instead of relying on fixed dimensions unnecessarily.

Adaptive UI

For applications that may run on larger screens, I consider whether the navigation and information hierarchy should change rather than simply become wider.

For example:

small screen
→ bottom navigation

larger screen
→ navigation rail

or:

phone
→ single-pane list/detail

tablet
→ list and detail side by side

Adaptive design should use the available space to improve usability.

Lists

For large or dynamic collections, I use Compose lazy components such as:

  • LazyColumn,
  • LazyRow,
  • lazy grids.

These components render only the items required for the visible area instead of creating every item at once.

This is important for performance when lists contain many records.

Stable Keys

For dynamic lists, I use stable keys where appropriate.

This helps Compose identify items when:

  • the list changes,
  • items move,
  • items are inserted or removed.

Stable identity can improve both correctness and animation behavior.

Navigation

I use Navigation Compose to define screen-level navigation in Compose applications.

Routes should represent application destinations clearly.

I avoid using navigation itself as a place to store large amounts of application data.

Instead, I prefer passing stable identifiers and allowing the destination to retrieve its data through the appropriate state layer.

Forms

Compose is useful for building state-driven forms.

I keep form state explicit and separate:

  • current values,
  • validation errors,
  • submission state.

The UI should clearly communicate:

  • required fields,
  • invalid values,
  • loading,
  • success,
  • failure.

For more complex forms, I avoid allowing each input field to become an isolated source of application truth.

Validation

I distinguish between:

  • immediate UI validation,
  • application validation,
  • backend validation.

The UI can provide fast feedback.

The application layer can enforce business rules.

The backend remains responsible for validating any externally submitted data.

Compose handles presentation, not final trust.

Loading States

Applications frequently need to wait for:

  • network requests,
  • database operations,
  • billing,
  • background processing.

I represent loading explicitly.

The user should understand when an application is working rather than interpreting an unresponsive screen as a failure.

Depending on the operation, this may involve:

  • progress indicators,
  • skeleton states,
  • disabled controls,
  • progress information.

Error States

Errors are part of normal application state.

I design Compose screens to represent failures clearly.

This can include:

  • network unavailable,
  • invalid data,
  • permission denied,
  • operation failed,
  • empty results.

A good error state should explain what happened and, where possible, provide a clear recovery action.

Empty States

A screen with no records is not necessarily an error.

I use intentional empty states to explain:

  • what the screen is for,
  • why nothing is currently displayed,
  • what action the user can take.

This is especially important in new installations where empty databases are normal.

Animations

Compose provides a strong animation system.

I use animation where it improves:

  • continuity,
  • orientation,
  • feedback,
  • perceived quality.

I avoid adding movement simply because the framework makes it easy.

Animation should support the user’s understanding of what changed.

Accessibility

Accessibility is part of UI implementation.

I consider:

  • content descriptions,
  • semantic roles,
  • touch target size,
  • contrast,
  • scalable text,
  • keyboard or alternative input where relevant.

Custom composables should not lose semantic information that standard Android components would otherwise provide.

Font Scaling

Users may increase system font size significantly.

I design layouts so larger text does not immediately break the interface.

This means avoiding assumptions such as:

  • every label fits on one line,
  • every control has a fixed height,
  • text dimensions never change.

Supporting font scaling improves both accessibility and general layout robustness.

Touch Targets

Interactive elements need sufficient space to be used reliably.

I avoid making visually small controls that require pixel-perfect tapping.

Where the visible component is compact, the actual interactive area can still provide a comfortable touch target.

Platform APIs

Compose applications still need to interact with the Android platform.

I use appropriate Compose integration patterns when working with:

  • permissions,
  • activity results,
  • lifecycle,
  • system services,
  • external intents.

I keep platform interaction isolated where possible rather than scattering Android context dependencies throughout UI code.

AndroidView Interoperability

Not every Android library provides a native Compose component.

Where necessary, I integrate traditional View-based components through interoperability APIs.

This can be useful for:

  • older SDKs,
  • advertising components,
  • specialized platform views.

I keep these boundaries small so the rest of the application can remain fully Compose-based.

Legacy View Integration

Compose can also be introduced gradually into an existing View-based application.

This allows migration without rewriting the entire interface in one step.

For existing projects, I can choose an incremental approach rather than creating unnecessary risk through a complete UI rewrite.

Performance

Compose is capable of high-performance interfaces, but architecture still matters.

I pay attention to:

  • unnecessary recomposition,
  • expensive operations in composables,
  • unstable parameters,
  • large lists,
  • excessive state changes,
  • image loading,
  • animation cost.

I optimize based on actual behavior rather than trying to manually prevent every recomposition.

Correct state design usually provides the biggest benefit.

Main Thread Work

UI rendering happens on the main thread.

I avoid performing expensive tasks directly from composables.

Operations such as:

  • large database queries,
  • file processing,
  • network requests,
  • complex calculations

belong in appropriate background layers.

The UI should receive the result, not perform the work itself.

Room Integration

I use Room with Compose when screens need reactive relational data.

A common flow is:

Room
→ Flow
→ ViewModel
→ Compose

Database changes can therefore update the interface automatically.

The composable does not need direct access to the database.

DataStore Integration

For preferences, DataStore fits naturally into the same architecture.

For example:

DataStore
→ Flow
→ Settings ViewModel
→ Compose

Changing a setting can update persistent storage and automatically propagate the new value through the interface.

REST API Integration

For remote data, I normally keep network access behind repositories or services.

The UI receives a state representation such as:

Loading
Success(data)
Error

Compose renders the appropriate screen for each state.

This prevents network implementation details from leaking into the UI layer.

Google Play Billing

Billing integrations contain imperative SDK operations, while Compose is declarative.

I keep billing logic in a dedicated component or ViewModel and expose only the resulting state to the UI.

Compose may render:

  • available product,
  • purchase button,
  • premium state,
  • loading,
  • errors.

The billing SDK remains outside the composable layer.

Google Mobile Ads

Advertising integrations often require interaction with traditional Android SDK components.

I isolate this logic rather than spreading ad-management code through Compose screens.

The UI should know whether an advertisement needs space or whether ads are disabled.

It should not become responsible for the complete ad SDK lifecycle.

Testing

Composable functions with explicit parameters are easy to test in isolation.

I can test:

  • whether expected content is displayed,
  • interaction behavior,
  • state changes,
  • navigation triggers.

Keeping composables independent of global application state improves both testability and previews.

Previews

Compose previews are useful during UI development.

They allow components and screens to be rendered with predefined sample states without launching the full application.

I use previews to inspect:

  • normal states,
  • empty states,
  • loading states,
  • error states,
  • different themes.

A preview does not replace device testing, but it can significantly speed up interface iteration.

Maintainability

Compose works best when the project remains modular.

I avoid building one enormous composable containing:

  • data access,
  • navigation,
  • business logic,
  • platform calls,
  • rendering.

Instead, I separate:

  • screen state,
  • events,
  • reusable components,
  • application logic.

This keeps individual files understandable as the application grows.

Avoiding Over-Abstraction

Compose makes small components easy to create, but excessive fragmentation can make an interface harder to understand.

I extract components when they provide:

  • reuse,
  • clearer responsibilities,
  • easier testing,
  • meaningful separation.

I do not create a separate abstraction for every few lines of UI.

The architecture should improve readability rather than maximize file count.

Jetpack Compose in My Technology Stack

I commonly use Jetpack Compose alongside:

  • Kotlin,
  • Android Jetpack,
  • ViewModel,
  • Kotlin Coroutines,
  • Kotlin Flow,
  • Room,
  • DataStore,
  • REST APIs,
  • Google Play Billing,
  • Google Mobile Ads / AdMob,
  • Material 3.

Compose provides the presentation layer while the rest of the architecture supplies state, persistence, networking and platform functionality.

Why I Use Jetpack Compose

I use Jetpack Compose because it provides a modern, state-driven way to build native Android interfaces.

Its biggest advantage is not simply writing less UI code.

It creates a much clearer relationship between application state and what the user sees.

Combined with Kotlin, ViewModel, Flow, Room and DataStore, Compose allows me to build Android applications where the interface remains reactive, modular and maintainable as the project grows.

That makes Jetpack Compose one of the central technologies in my Android development stack.

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