MobilePro #177: Apple’s AI paper’s shocking revelations, Kotlin updates, Claude Code gains MCP support, iOS 26 Beta 2 out, and more…
Latest Mobile Dev Insights: iOS, Android, Cross-Platform
Welcome to the 177th edition of MobilePro! This week’s edition highlights cutting-edge updates across AI research, mobile platform fixes, and powerful enhancements for developer tooling—from Apple’s critique of AI reasoning to Kotlin’s progressive evolution and the upcoming FlutterCon event:
🧠 Apple AI Paper: Apple’s “The Illusion of Thinking” paper exposes top AI models’ failures in complex reasoning under pressure.
🧩 Kotlin 2.2.0: Kotlin 2.2.0 brings context parameters and stabilizes modern language features for expressive, powerful coding.
🤖 Claude Code MCP: Claude Code gains remote MCP support for seamless external tool integration like Sentry and Linear.
🍏 iOS 26 Beta 2: iOS 26 Beta 2 resolves iPhone boot issues and unlocks access to Apple’s on-device AI for developers.
🦋 FlutterCon USA 2025 and 🏙️ Droidcon NYC 2025: FlutterCon and Droidcon light up NYC with expert talks, workshops, and community experiences.
📝 WWDC 2025 Commentary: John Gruber offers sharp insights into Apple’s hits and misses from WWDC 2025.
⚡ Vibe Coding Debate: “Vibe coding” with AI sparks debate—efficiency enhancer or risky dev shortcut?
Stick around for this week’s Developer Tip to learn why AI features break Microservices testing and how to fix it and the Did You Know? section to learn about AntiDot, a new Android malware.
Let’s dive in!
P.S.: If you have any suggestions or feedback, or would like us to feature your project on a particular subject, just leave a comment!
📱 What's Happening in Mobile Development?
If there’s any major news in the world of mobile app dev in the last week, MobilePro has you covered.
Apple
Apple paper criticizes AI models’ reasoning abilities: Apple’s study “The Illusion of Thinking” shows that top AI models struggle with complex reasoning, suffering from “complete accuracy collapse” under pressure. The findings suggest these models rely on pattern recognition rather than true understanding. The paper questions industry claims about the reasoning strength of current AI systems, including OpenAI's o3, Anthropic's Claude 3.7, and Google's Gemini.
iOS 26 Beta 2 fixes boot issue on iPhone 15 and 16 models: Apple's iOS 26 Beta 2 addresses a critical issue where some iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 devices displayed a low battery symbol and failed to start after updating to Beta 1. Apple’s Foundation Models framework also now gives developers direct access to the on-device large language model powering Apple Intelligence.
Android
Kotlin 2.2.0 introduces context parameters and stabilizes key features: Released on June 23, 2025, Kotlin 2.2.0 brings context parameters in preview, enhancing dependency injection and DSL design. It also stabilizes guard conditions, non-local break/continue, and multi-dollar interpolation.
Android Studio Narwhal 2025.1.2 Canary 6 enhances developer tools: Android Studio Narwhal 2025.1.2 Canary 6 includes fixes for AGP multi-variant issues and permission documentation. It also adds targetSdk support for Kotlin Multiplatform and updates Jetpack Compose Preview guidelines.
June 2025 Google Play services update brings new developer tools and UI enhancements: The June 2025 Google Play services v25.24 update introduces new features including support for expressive account design and enhanced Find Hub setup for improved phone tracking. Developers gain new APIs for Utilities and Device Connectivity processes, alongside UI updates for cross-device settings. Additionally, Android WebView v138 receives privacy improvements and new web content display features.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Claude Code adds remote MCP support for seamless tool integration: Anthropic has introduced remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) support in Claude Code, enabling developers to integrate external tools and data sources without managing local servers. This enhancement allows direct access to services like Sentry and Linear, facilitating real-time debugging and project management within the coding environment.
Events & Conferences
FlutterCon USA 2025 on June 25–26 in Brooklyn, NYC: FlutterCon USA 2025 is set to bring together Flutter developers for two days of tech talks, workshops, and networking. The event features prominent speakers like Andrew Brogdon (Google), Simon Lightfoot (DevAngels London), and Ty Smith (Uber), and includes unique experiences such as a silent disco and an unsolved unconference.
Droidcon NYC on June 25–26 in Brooklyn, NYC: Droidcon NYC 2025 is set to offer two days of Android-focused sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities. Attendees can look forward to expert-led talks, including sessions on Kotlin Multiplatform, Jetpack Compose, and AI-driven development, as well as unique events like the unsolved unconference and a silent disco. Notable speakers include Jake Wharton (Cash App), Sumayyah Ahmed (Square), and Huyen Tue Dao (Netflix).
AI features can break microservices testing by introducing unpredictable behaviors. Learn how to fix it with smart strategies in this insightful piece from The New Stack.
💭 What is the Mobile Community Talking About?
What are mobile app developers discussing? Do you have any concerns, advice, or tutorials to share? MobilePro brings them to you all in one place.
Brief thoughts and observations on WWDC 2025: Take a sneak peek at John Gruber’s candid take on this year’s WWDC. Did Apple learn from its past missteps? Learn about it in John’s blog.
AI trends shaping software development in 2025: Did you know that 78% of global participants in the GitLab DevSecOps survey use AI in their software development processes? Enterprises are increasingly recognizing the potential of AI-assisted development. To understand where the industry is heading, explore this insightful article by Emilio Salvador.
Why Navigation 3 is a Game-Changer!: Android’s new Navigation 3 library offers developers full control over the navigation backstack, aligning seamlessly with Jetpack Compose's state-driven architecture. Is this the Compose-native solution developers have been waiting for? Learn more in the full blog post.
Vibe coding: Future of development or risky shortcut?: The thrilling—and at times unnerving—buzz around AI coding has sparked countless online debates. Is it the future of software development or just a passing trend? Ryan Daws breaks it all down in his latest blog.
📚️ Latest in Mobile Development from Packt
MobilePro presents the latest titles from Packt that ought to be useful for mobile developers.
Build your future-ready stack at $9.99
A new Android malware called AntiDot has compromised over 3,775 devices across 273 campaigns. This sophisticated threat exploits accessibility services and overlays to steal sensitive data, posing significant risks to mobile users.
Sourced from The Hacker News.
👋 And that’s a wrap. We hope you enjoyed this edition of MobilePro. If you have any suggestions and feedback, just leave a comment!