What is the purpose of using the equals method in Kotlin?

The equals method in Kotlin is used to check logical equality of objects. Unlike the == operator, which in Kotlin calls equals under the hood, the equals method can be overridden in your classes to define when two objects are considered equal in meaning, not just by reference.

For example, for a data class, equals is automatically implemented, comparing all properties:

data class User(val id: Int, val name: String)

val user1 = User(1, "Alice")
val user2 = User(1, "Alice")
println(user1.equals(user2)) // true

Thus, the purpose of the equals method is to determine whether two objects are equal in terms of their content or logic, rather than simply being the same reference in memory.