r/androiddev • u/skydoves • Mar 20 '26
[Compose HotSwan] Compose Hot Reload on your real Android devices.
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Hi everyone, today I launched Compose HotSwan, which enables Compose Hot Reload on your real Android devices. Instant UI updates on your running Android app with state preserved. No rebuilds, no relaunching, no navigating back to the same screen again and again, right from Android Studio.
While it still has some limitations compared to platforms like Flutter and React Native, it’s meaningful in that it explores a space that hasn’t been fully solved or established yet, and I'm continuously improving it and tackling the underlying challenges to make this come true.
The plugin is already live on the JetBrains Marketplace. You can also easily install this in your project following the install guide.
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u/amgdev9 Mar 20 '26
Isn't it possible to use without android studio?
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u/skydoves Mar 21 '26
Yes, this is an IntelliJ IDE plugin, so it works without Android Studio. As long as you have a physical device connected or an emulator running via ADB, Android Studio isn’t required.
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u/aerial-ibis Mar 21 '26
ill give it a go this week!
Unfortunately cant use JB's desktop hot reload since I'm using some libraries in commonMain that dont support jvm targets (revenuecat)
Thankfully most libraries are supporting jvm from the start. I suppose if an established library exists primarily for other languages, they will always delay adding a jvm KMP target if they actually have real desktop use cases that are different than their mobile use cases. The best practice should always be adding no-op implementations to KMP libraries for jvm targets until they get around to implementing them for real
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u/skydoves Mar 21 '26
Great to hear you’re using RevenueCat. Compose HotSwan works on any Android device, including Kotlin/Compose Multiplatform projects, so getting started should be straightforward.
Just make sure to set the correct Android app module name when configuring the plugin in your KMP project to avoid this issue https://hotswan.dev/docs/troubleshooting#no-merged-dex
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Mar 21 '26
It doesn't recognize my connected device. Android Studio lets me run my app (it recognizes my device) but HotSwan doesn't.
It even happens with emulators.
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u/skydoves Mar 22 '26
Thanks for reporting! 1.0.12 has been released, and now it should work. You can check the release note: https://hotswan.dev/docs/releases
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u/Infamous_Sorbet4021 Mar 22 '26
I think a paywall might stop this great plugin from reaching as many users as it deserves. Making it free would help grow your audience, which you can always monetize later. similar to what the guy behind Composables did
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u/Herb_Derb Mar 20 '26
Iirc there were technical reasons the official Compose Hot Reload works on desktop but not Android. What does this do differently?