diff --git a/examples/kotlin/build.gradle b/examples/kotlin/build.gradle
index 3abea64b03cb..0aa3dc257b09 100644
--- a/examples/kotlin/build.gradle
+++ b/examples/kotlin/build.gradle
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 import groovy.json.JsonOutput
 
 plugins { id 'org.apache.beam.module'
-    id 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm' version '1.3.72'
+    id 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm' version '1.6.10'
 }
 
 applyJavaNature(exportJavadoc: false,  automaticModuleName: 'org.apache.beam.examples.kotlin')
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ configurations.sparkRunnerPreCommit {
   exclude group: "org.slf4j", module: "slf4j-jdk14"
 }
 
-def kotlin_version = "1.4.32"
+def kotlin_version = "1.6.10"
 
 dependencies {
   implementation enforcedPlatform(library.java.google_cloud_platform_libraries_bom)
diff --git a/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/common/WriteOneFilePerWindow.kt b/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/common/WriteOneFilePerWindow.kt
index f06b5c82d521..601fe2191d0b 100644
--- a/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/common/WriteOneFilePerWindow.kt
+++ b/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/common/WriteOneFilePerWindow.kt
@@ -45,13 +45,12 @@ class WriteOneFilePerWindow(private val filenamePrefix: String, private val numS
 
     override fun expand(input: PCollection<String>): PDone {
         val resource = FileBasedSink.convertToFileResourceIfPossible(filenamePrefix)
-        var write = TextIO.write()
+        val write = TextIO.write()
                 .to(PerWindowFiles(resource))
                 .withTempDirectory(resource.currentDirectory)
                 .withWindowedWrites()
 
-        write = numShards?.let { write.withNumShards(it) } ?: write
-        return input.apply(write)
+        return input.apply(numShards?.let { write.withNumShards(it) } ?: write)
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/cookbook/DistinctExample.kt b/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/cookbook/DistinctExample.kt
index 65dbbd867bb4..f743dd1a7f70 100644
--- a/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/cookbook/DistinctExample.kt
+++ b/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/cookbook/DistinctExample.kt
@@ -71,8 +71,6 @@ object DistinctExample {
             override fun create(options: PipelineOptions): String {
                 options.tempLocation.let {
                     return GcsPath.fromUri(it).resolve("deduped.txt").toString()
-                } ?: run {
-                    throw IllegalArgumentException("Must specify --output or --tempLocation")
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/snippets/Snippets.kt b/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/snippets/Snippets.kt
index 62ef705f569b..3fdc71d0b58a 100644
--- a/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/snippets/Snippets.kt
+++ b/examples/kotlin/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/examples/kotlin/snippets/Snippets.kt
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ object Snippets {
                     .apply<PCollection<Double>>(
                             MapElements.into(TypeDescriptors.doubles())
                                     .via(SerializableFunction<TableRow, Double> {
-                                        it["max_temperature"] as Double
+                                        it["max_temperature"] as Double?
                                     })
                     )
             // [END BigQueryReadTable]
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ object Snippets {
             val tableSpec = "clouddataflow-readonly:samples.weather_stations"
             // [START BigQueryReadFunction]
             val maxTemperatures = pipeline.apply(
-                    BigQueryIO.read { it.record["max_temperature"] as Double }
+                    BigQueryIO.read { it.record["max_temperature"] as Double? }
                             .from(tableSpec)
                             .withCoder(DoubleCoder.of()))
             // [END BigQueryReadFunction]
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ object Snippets {
         run {
             // [START BigQueryReadQuery]
             val maxTemperatures = pipeline.apply(
-                    BigQueryIO.read { it.record["max_temperature"] as Double }
+                    BigQueryIO.read { it.record["max_temperature"] as Double? }
                             .fromQuery(
                                     "SELECT max_temperature FROM [clouddataflow-readonly:samples.weather_stations]")
                             .withCoder(DoubleCoder.of()))
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ object Snippets {
         run {
             // [START BigQueryReadQueryStdSQL]
             val maxTemperatures = pipeline.apply(
-                    BigQueryIO.read { it.record["max_temperature"] as Double }
+                    BigQueryIO.read { it.record["max_temperature"] as Double? }
                             .fromQuery(
                                     "SELECT max_temperature FROM `clouddataflow-readonly.samples.weather_stations`")
                             .usingStandardSql()