Google adds Android and iOS emulator to cloud-based Project IDX-ide

Google has added an Android and an iOS simulator to its cloud-based ide Project IDX. This allows developers to see what their apps will look like on those platforms. The company is also releasing the promised support for Python and Go.

Google writes that it made the updates after feedback from beta testers. Google developers also already use the integrated development environment internally. The most important addition is that of emulators for Android and iOS. This allows users to see a preview of the Flutter or web app they are building in the IDE directly in the IDE. The emulator automatically shows the correct environment, so a Safari or Chrome environment for web apps and Android for Flutter apps. This way, developers no longer have to switch between different apps. Google warns that the emulator is still experimental, but that applies to the entire Project IDX.

Project IDX will also receive templates for various programming languages ​​and frameworks. There will be support for Astro, Go, Python, Qwik, Lit, Preact, Solid.js and Node.js. Google is also making improvements to package manager Nix, including changing templates and adding support for syntax highlights.

Google announced Project IDX last year. IDX is an idea that should work entirely in a browser. The most striking element of the tool is the addition of an artificial intelligence code generator: Codey. It works on Google’s own language model PaLM 2. The tool is still in a closed beta phase. Users can join a waiting list, but it is not clear when Google will make the product generally available.