The highly anticipated Flutter 3.19 release is here, brimming with exciting new features and enhancements to take your app development to the next level.
This update empowers you to create even more immersive and performant apps, reaching new audiences and surpassing user expectations. Whether you’re a seasoned Flutter developer or just starting your journey, get ready to unlock a world of possibilities with Flutter 3.19.
Let’s dive into the latest features and discover how they can revolutionize your app development!
Table of Contents
Introducing the Latest Features of Flutter 3.19
Elevate your app development experience with Flutter 3.19’s latest features!
Implementing AI with Gemini Models: The latest update to Flutter 3.19 introduces the beta version of the Google AI Dart SDK. It enhances mobile app development with artificial intelligence capabilities. Based on Google’s Gemini AI assistant, the SDK empowers apps with content creation and summarization features. It allows the integration of generative AI to create videos, images, and software codes.
Scrolling Enhancements: In older Flutter versions, two-finger scrolling was twice as fast. However, the new MultiTouchDragStrategy allows you to customize the default scroll behavior for multi-fingering. Additionally, bug fixes for ReorderableList and SingleChildScrollView have been included to address unexpected behavior and crashes.
Animation Style Improvements: Flutter update 3.19 introduces an animationStyle widget that improves animation curves and durations. It benefits widgets like ExpansionTitle, PopupMenuButton, and MaterialApp.
Adaptive Switch: Developers can utilize adaptive components to achieve a native lookup on macOS while implementing Material Design on other operating systems. This approach is entirely independent of the Cupertino library, ensuring consistent API appearance across different platforms.
SegmentedButton.styleFrom: Flutter community member AcarFurkan added a styleFrom static utility method. This method quickly creates a SegmentedButton’s ButtonStyle. You can share this method with additional segmented buttons or use it to configure an application’s SegmentedButtonTheme.
API Improvements
In the latest iteration of Flutter, version 3.19, notable improvements encompass AI integration, framework enhancements, and several API refinements.
Glyph Information: The new Flutter 3.19 update includes two new methods, getGlyphInfoAt and getClosestGlyphInfoForOffset, on the dart:ui Paragraph object. Both methods return a new type of object, GlyphInfo.
GPU tracking:
The Flutter engine under Impeller now supports GPU timing for debugging and profiling builds. You can check the GPU frame timing in DevTools. Developers may need to enable GPU tracing on Vulkan-powered Android devices using a flag in the AndroidManifest.xml file.
Flutter Engine Android OpenGL Enhancements
In Flutter 3.19, the following enhancements have been made to the Android OpenGL in the Flutter Engine:
Impeller Enhancement: The Flutter 3.19 update features impeller enhancement. This update introduces an impeller that can power Vulkan-enabled Android devices. The Impeller rendering engine can drive the Flutter mobile app with compelling visuals and seamless rendering speed.
MSAA (Multisample Anti-Aliasing ) for Detailed Images: Enhancing the visual appeal of the application has always been a priority, and MSAA aims to do just that. It provides smoother text and graphics to enhance the visual appeal of Flutter mobile applications.
Full-Functional Impeller on OpenGL and Vulkan backends: The Impeller is getting closer to working well on both OpenGL and Vulkan backends. Several competencies are being developed, such as optimal support for external textures and custom shaders.
Flutter 3.19 Android Updates
Support for Share.invoke: In the previous Flutter 3.16 version, the default Share button was missing from text fields and views on Android. This problem has been resolved in the recent Flutter 3.19 update, which ensures that the default context menu button is now available on all platforms.
Deeplinking Web Validator: The UI Kit in Flutter 3.19 has introduced a robust deep-linking web validation tool, unlike the one in Flutter 3.16. This tool is designed to help Flutter developers replace non-functional links and validate content, thus enabling seamless and efficient development of Flutter apps.
Native Assets Feature: If you seek information regarding Flutter’s interoperability with Flutter’s functions in various programming languages, it is now possible to utilize FFI calls via Native assets on Android. Flutter’s ongoing efforts to enable support for Native assets.
Custom System-Wide Text Selection Toolbar Buttons: The latest update to Flutter version 3.19 allows Android developers to use custom text selection menu items visible on all text selection menus. This empowers the TextField selection menu within Flutter to include these items.
Texture Layer Hybrid Composition (TLHC) Mode: The new Flutter release integrates Google Maps. Consequently, a text input magnifier in TLHC mode enhances performance. If you use Google Maps often, please review the updates and share your feedback.
Flutter 3.19 iOS Updates
Flutter iOS Native Fonts: In the latest release of Flutter 3.19, text rendering now provides a more compact and native appearance tailored for iOS devices. This update ensures easy readability for smaller fonts while saving space. It allows seamless integration of native iOS fonts into app development.
Desktop: The new Flutter features have also improved the desktop and the abovementioned features.
Windows Arm64 Support: The latest version of Flutter 3.19 for Windows now supports the Arm64 architecture. Cross-platform Flutter applications can now run directly on Windows Arm64 devices, significantly improving performance and compatibility for Windows devices.
Performance Optimizations: The recent Flutter 3.19 update has brought changes that improved performance optimization.
Specialization Constants: The latest Flutter update has added support for specialization constants to Impeller. Leveraging the benefits of this feature in Impeller’s shaders reduces the size of the uncompressed binary of the Flutter engine by up to 350 KB.
Significant Fixes in Flutter Release Notes
- Developers can use the Flutter upgrade command to switch channels.
- You can leverage the fix memory leaks in WidgetInspector and over WidgetInspectorService.
- The new version includes Windows leak-tracking targets to resolve test failures related to leak tracking in the application.
- The chip widgets are not functioning correctly with the provided application. It needs repair!
- Customize the NavigationBar indicator overlay and fix the indicator shape.
- The new version introduces a fix for the doc TODO.
- Leverage adds a command-line parameter to help you turn on leak tracking.
- The community has introduced the Bump template and integrated Gradle version 7.6.4 for testing.
- The most recent version enables [flutter_tools] to conduct tool integration tests that allow for quitting on SIGINT.
- The upgraded leak tracker libraries are now available.
- The test is currently checking for memory leaks in Cupertino. However, the issue with the Opacity Layer is still pending.
Final Takeaway!
Flutter has made various fixes and improvements to enhance the user experience with this update. The update includes AI implementation, framework enhancements, improved scrolling, animation style enhancements, and more. These improvements aim to make Flutter app development more efficient, streamlined, and secure.
After learning about the updates and benefits of Flutter version 3.19, you may be interested in Flutter app development. If so, Metizsoft is your one-stop Flutter Development Agency where you can hire Flutter developers for a wide range of Flutter development solutions.
