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MIT App Inventor
open-in-new
<p>MIT App Inventor (App Inventor or MIT AI2) is a <a href="/facts/High-level_programming_language/smjECUhx">high-level</a> block-based <a href="/facts/Visual_programming_language/j0eyIPzU">visual programming language</a>, originally built by Google and now maintained by the <a href="/facts/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology/Xk49vNA8">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (MIT). It allows newcomers to create computer applications for two operating systems: <a href="/facts/Android_(operating_system)/nNyHb0xz">Android</a> and <a href="/facts/IOS/mK5cggH5">iOS</a>, which, as of 25 September 2023<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MIT_App_Inventor&action=edit">[update]</a>, was in beta testing. It is free and open-source released under <a href="/facts/Multi-licensing/4PvsDgfB">dual licensing</a>: a <a href="/facts/Creative_Commons_license/6AV3V7UJ">Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license</a> and an <a href="/facts/Apache_License_2.0/5AeIjas8">Apache License 2.0</a> for the <a href="/facts/Source_code/o9J6Jv23">source code</a>. It's target is primarily children and students studying <a href="/facts/Computer_programming/QmSsFnu0">computer programming</a>, similar to <a href="/facts/Scratch_(programming_language)/vNfuSb2L">Scratch</a>. </p><p>The web interface consists of a graphical user interface (GUI) very similar to <a href="/facts/Scratch_(programming_language)/vNfuSb2L">Scratch</a> and <a href="/facts/StarLogo/MYRNycXd">StarLogo</a>, allowing users to drag-and-drop visual objects (blocks) to create an application that can be tested on Android and iOS devices and compiled to run as an Android app. It uses a companion mobile app named MIT AI2 Companion providing live testing and debugging. </p><p>App Inventor provides integration with different online services, such as <a href="/facts/Google_Sheets/bTTDJYFw">Google Sheets</a> and <a href="/facts/Firebase/NmblmJ4M">Firebase</a>. </p><p>When creating App Inventor, Google drew upon significant prior research in educational computing, and work done within Google on online development environments. </p>