While most Android applications are written in Java-like language, there are some differences between the Java API and the Android API, and Android does not run Java bytecode by a traditional Java virtual machine (JVM), but instead by a Dalvik virtual machine in older versions of Android, and an Android Runtime (ART) …

Why JVM is not used in Android?

Though JVM is free, it was under GPL license, which is not good for Android as most the Android is under Apache license. JVM was designed for desktops and it is too heavy for embedded devices. DVM takes less memory, runs and loads faster compared to JVM.

Is Android Java based?

The official language for Android development is Java. Large parts of Android are written in Java and its APIs are designed to be called primarily from Java. It is possible to develop C and C++ app using the Android Native Development Kit (NDK), however it isn’t something that Google promotes.