Is there a good reason why we should not always use the Google API SDK?

Question

So far, I have used the standard SDK in most projects and used the Google API SDK only when part of the Google function is used in the project.

Now I wonder, is there a good reason why I should NOT always use the Google APIs?

Answer 1

There are devices without Google services installed. In this case, the Google API is not available. Without using the Google API SDK, your application can still run on these devices.

eg. consider the Kindle Fire, it does not have a Play Store installed, as well as various inexpensive tablets and Chinese phones. Open source custom builds such as Cyanogenmod also do not have Google applications installed (although many users add them manually).

Although Android itself is open source, Google applications require the seller to obtain a license from Google. I know this because custom builds asked Google not to include their applications. In addition, having their own store instead of the Play Store is attractive to some manufacturers, because then they get a share of the income instead of allowing Google to make all the profit. This is why not all devices have them.

Answer 2

One potential reason is this: why should you include something if you are not using it? When you write a new class, are you import full Android framework? No, you wouldn’t do it, because in the worst case it can cause problems in your code, and even in the best case it will take an extra place in your APK.

I'm not sure how much extra space would be taken up in memory / storage by creating an application using the Google API SDK, but I cannot imagine it 0, and in mobile development you cannot allow yourself to be smart using resources.