Many app developers rely on third-party products and services to enable key functionality in their apps. These services are often distributed through one or more code libraries that together are commonly referred to as a Software Development Kit (SDK).
Google Play SDK Index helps you learn more about most used, commercial SDKs. It combines usage data from Google Play apps with information gathered through code detection to provide attributes and signals designed to help you decide whether to adopt, keep, or remove an SDK from your app.
Using SDK Index
You can search for an SDK by its name, company name or Maven ID in the search bar, or look it up within the category it belongs to. From there, you can click on a listing to see more details. Each SDK’s listing combines usage data from Google Play apps that have at least 1,000 installs (installs on devices that turned on at least once in the past 30 days) and that share their library dependencies with Google Play.
How to understand SDK listing information
Within the SDK listing page you would find the following set of SDK signals and attributes:
- Developer details: The SDK name, logo, and company name as registered by the SDK provider. In cases where the SDK has not been registered by its provider, the details are taken from the latest SDK version's POM file, if it’s not available, the SDK's Maven ID is displayed instead, along with the domain name and a placeholder logo.
- Registration badge: Indicates that the SDK is registered in Google Play SDK Console. Here's how the badge looks:
As a Google Play developer, it is your responsibility to ensure that that any SDKs you are using do not cause you to be in violation of Google Play's Developer Program Policies.
- SDK details:
- The list of Maven artifacts that together comprise the distinct commercial product or service offered by the SDK provider. This list may not always be exhaustive, since there may be other libraries that this SDK depends on, but it will typically include any top-level libraries.
- A URL for SDK providers to link to any guidance they’re making available to help app developers complete their Data safety forms.
- Android integration: This information is based on the latest SDK version:
- Latest version
- Target API Level
- Minimum API level
- Proguard rules – checks if a proguard file exists in the AAR or JAR published on the Maven repository. If so, the proguard file is automatically merged with the app's proguard rules file.
- Note: Both Target API level and Minimum API level are extracted from the AndroidManifest.xml of AAR files. When JAR files are published, we don't have this information and instead display "Not provided."
- SDK adoption by app installs: Shows the SDK's usage by apps of different install base sizes.
- SDK version adoption: Displays the five most used versions of the SDK and the number of apps using each of those versions.
- Android permissions: Shows a list of Android permissions that guard an API(s) that at least one recent version of the SDK is using. An SDK version is considered to be recent if it has been published within the last year. This includes optional usage by the SDK where the SDK doesn't always require this permission,and may only use it if the app has made it available. Note the following:
- Note: Google Play cannot always detect all permissions used by an SDK.
- Important: As of April 2023, "Android permissions" also provides additional information about Google Play policy requirements. Use of a permission may be subject to restricted access and/or disclosure and consent requirements on Google Play (in addition to specific regulatory requirements where the app is made available).
- SDK retention by app: Presents the probability (based on what has been observed on apps published to Google Play) that an app will still be using this SDK after the specified time. An app is considered to have stopped using an SDK if there are no live versions of the app using it.
- Version overview: A summary of any version specific messages by SDK providers participating in Play SDK Console.
Which SDKs are listed on the Index?
To be listed on Google Play SDK Index, the SDK must fall into one of its categories and meet its active app and user usage installs thresholds. It also needs to be distributed through a Maven repository. If you believe your SDK should be listed, please fill out the listing request form, available from the top of the SDK Index page, and provide your SDK details. If we find that it meets the listing criteria, we will contact you to have it added.
Related content
- Learn about using third-party SDKs in your app
- If you're an SDK provider, you can view this optional format that you can use to publish guidance for your users regarding Google Play's Data safety section