What is the purpose of using asynchronous calls in programming?

Asynchronous calls allow performing operations that take a long time (such as network requests, file reading, complex calculations) without blocking the main thread of the program. This improves the responsiveness of the application, especially the user interface, as the program can continue to operate and respond to user actions while a long-running operation is performed in the background.

For example, in Android, when loading data from the internet, an asynchronous call allows showing a loading indicator without freezing the interface, and updating the UI after receiving the data.