Google releases code education tool Blockly on Android and iOS

On Monday, Google finalized the 1.0 release of Blockly for Android and iOS.

Based on an open source library, the app helps students learn to code with a block-based coding interface for creating simple programs.

Blockly has been used in the past to create educational platforms like Code.org and electronic kits like littleBits.

Blockly provides a toolbox with lego-like blocks, a work space and a trashcan. The multi-coloured, multi-shaped blocks snap together to create programs and solve puzzles — essentially coding without typing. The program, which is similar to MIT’s Scratch, is now available on iOS and Android, though not through App Store or Google Play. Those who’d like to run Blockly natively on their mobile device will have to import the project’s root directory on Android and use CocoaPods, Carthage or install manually on iOS.

The mobile versions of Blockly include the standard Blockly user interface (UI), as well as support for custom blocks, toolbox categories and layouts. It also supports custom functions, variables, mutators, extensions, code generation in JavaScript, Python, Dart, PHP and Lua, and has internalization support.

Google also made updates to the Blockly web project. The search-base company has made improvements to performance and testing, added more structured APIs and enhanced the touch support for mobile web browsers, as well as improved Explorer and Edge support.

You can learn how to use Blockly for iOS with the iOS Codelab. To learn how to use Blockly Android check later on the Google Developers Blog.

To start using Blockly on iOS click here, and or Android click here.

Source: Google Developers Blog