Is Java on Android native or not?

Question

I recently read something about mobile Apps, especially about Android Apps. Within my research, I found out that there are two kinds of Apps, the native ones and the WebApps. So far, so good, but now I wonder whether an Android App written in Java is native or not. I ask this question because there is also the possibility to program in C/C++ with the NDK (Native Development Kit). When a Java App for Android is not native, what is it then? And when it is native, how can it be argued when there is also the NDK which has the word native already in the name?

Answer 1

"Native" is a word that has different meanings in different contexts.

When comparing and contrasting Java-based Android app development versus Web apps or so-called "hybrid" apps (e.g., PhoneGap), "native" refers to Java.

When comparing and contrasting Java-based Android app development with C/C++ Android app development using the NDK, "native" refers to C/C++.