[cwyers]

There are multiple native compilers for .NET. Xamarin uses one for iOS and Android apps (well, in the case of Android, you're compiling to Dalvik bytecode, but it's just as native as any other Android app).

[sochinochi]

Xamarin.Android apps do not compile to Dalvik bytecode. Every app ships with MonoVM which runs side-by-side with Dalvik.

[cwyers]

Thank you for the correction; I seem to have had Xamarin on Android confused with Xamarin on iOS, which does compile to native code.[1]

1) http://docs.xamarin.com/guides/ios/advanced_topics/limitatio...