Compose Multiplatform 1.8.0 for iOS: Stable Release, Performance Benchmarks, and New Features

With the release of Compose Multiplatform 1.8.0, the iOS version has become the first stable, production‑ready release, fulfilling JetBrains' claim that "iOS is stable and production‑ready" and completing full Kotlin and Compose support on mobile platforms.

Earlier milestones include the Compose for iOS Alpha in April 2023 and the 1.6 iOS Beta in May 2024; the 1.8 version now brings the long‑awaited stable launch.

Official surveys show that over 96% of developers experience no major performance issues on iOS, and benchmark tests demonstrate:

Startup time comparable to native apps.

Scrolling performance on par with SwiftUI.

Only about a 9 MB increase in binary size.

The most notable addition in 1.8.0 is concurrent rendering support, which allows rendering tasks to be off‑loaded to a dedicated render thread, improving performance without requiring UIKit interop.

@OptIn(ExperimentalComposeUiApi::class)
fun main(vararg args: String) {
    UIKitMain {
        ComposeUIViewController(configure = { parallelRendering = true }) {
            // ...
        }
    }
}

Compose Multiplatform relies on Kotlin/Native to compile Kotlin code directly to iOS machine code or LLVM IR, producing a standard .framework that delivers near‑native performance.

UI rendering is powered by the Skia graphics library via the Skiko (Skia for Kotlin) bindings, which draw each frame onto a CAMetalLayer surface, similar to Flutter's approach.

Interoperability with UIKit and SwiftUI remains a core feature: developers can embed Compose UI inside Swift/UIKit code and vice‑versa.

Additional iOS‑specific enhancements in 1.8 include:

Scrolling behavior that matches native iOS physics.

Native selection and right‑to‑left text editing support.

System drag‑and‑drop integration.

Adaptive UI that respects system settings such as font size and contrast.

Support for native iOS navigation gestures.

Several large teams (e.g., Markaz, Wrike, Feres, Physics Wallah) have already integrated Compose Multiplatform into their apps, benefiting from the ability to adopt Compose screen‑by‑screen.

Hot‑reload is now available in Compose development mode, currently for desktop (JVM) targets, allowing developers to see code changes instantly, though iOS hot‑load still requires a custom hack as described in related Flutter articles.

Overall, with the stable iOS release, performance parity, and improved developer experience, Compose Multiplatform is catching up with Flutter in the cross‑platform mobile space.