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What you need to know
Web Hot Reload: No More Full Restarts for Simple Changes
Experimental hot reload for the web lets you see UI updates instantly without a full restart. Though still experimental, this feature brings web development closer to the fast iteration experience Flutter offers on mobile. To enable it, run:
flutter run -d chrome --web-experimental-hot-reload
Flutter Property Editor: Simplifying Widget Customization
The new Property Editor in DevTools lets you adjust widget properties visually, without digging through code. It’s a faster, more intuitive way to modify your UI directly from the Flutter DevTools.
Squircles and expansible: More UI features
Two new additions help you build cleaner, more modern UIs: Squircles, a rounded rectangle shape popular on iOS, and Expansible, a new widget for handling collapsible content more effectively.
For example, you can use ClipRSuperellipse to apply a squircle clip to any widget:
Or let ExpansionTile handle collapsible content with the improved Expansible logic now integrated internally:
To see more, make sure to check the Flutter announcement of Squircles and the Expansible documentation.
Null Aware Collection Elements: Less Boilerplate
Dart introduces a concise way to include elements in collections only if they're not null:
Documentation Imports: Referencing Code in Docs
You can now reference external code in the documentation without having to import it as a regular Dart import. Instead, just use:
Dart Cross Compilation: This Time For Linux
Dart code can now be compiled into Linux native binaries from macOS, Windows, or Linux itself, enabling smoother cross-platform development workflows. See more at https://dart.dev/tools/dart-compile#cross-compilation-exe
Gradle Plugin Migration: From Groovy to Kotlin
The Flutter Gradle Plugin is rewritten in Kotlin for better maintainability and testing.
Be aware: Important changes before you migrate
Discontinued Packages
The following packages have been deprecated and are no longer maintained. If your projects depend on any of these, we recommend reviewing and migrating to supported alternatives to ensure future stability:
- flutter_markdown
- ios_platform_images
- css_colors
- palette_generator
- flutter_image
- flutter_adaptive_scaffold
Minimum iOS and macOS Versions
Flutter now requires a minimum deployment target of iOS 13.0 and macOS 10.15. Make sure your projects are updated accordingly to maintain compatibility with the latest Flutter releases.
Dart Formatter Changes
The Dart formatter now decides whether to split code constructs before adding or removing trailing commas. This change alters how code is formatted by default. You can revert to the previous behavior by adding this to the analysis_options.yaml file:
ThemeData Migrations
Update your cardTheme, dialogTheme, and tabBarTheme properties to use CardThemeData, DialogThemeData, and TabBarThemeData, respectively.
What’s coming (start preparing for the near future)
Looking ahead, several important features and changes are on the horizon for Dart and Flutter. While not part of the current release, these updates are worth tracking to ensure your projects are ready to leverage new capabilities.
Dart Direct Native Interoperability
Dart is evolving to improve native interoperability, making it easier to integrate Dart code with platform-specific APIs. See more at https://medium.com/flutter/flutters-path-towards-seamless-interop-4bf7d4579d9a
Dart Dot Shorthand
Dart will soon support shorthand member access, letting you omit type or class names when they’re already implied. For example:
can become:
Swift Package Manager Migration
Flutter is migrating from CocoaPods to Swift Package Manager to manage iOS and macOS native dependencies. You can enable this experimental feature by running:
See more at https://docs.flutter.dev/packages-and-plugins/swift-package-manager/for-app-developers
Conclusion
Flutter 3.32 and Dart 3.8 bring targeted improvements that enhance UI design, platform support, and developer workflows. At Somnio Software, we’re already incorporating these changes into our projects to ensure our clients benefit from the latest performance and productivity gains. Contact us today to learn how we can help you turn your vision into reality with our tailored, high-quality solutions.
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