DeviceConnect: Android SDK setup

The DeviceConnect Android SDK enables the collection of anonymized, non-PII data from user devices, ensuring compliance with privacy policies by obtaining explicit user consent before initiating data sync processes.

Requirements

DeviceConnect Android SDK works on Android 5.0+ (API level 21+), on Java 8+ and AndroidX. In addition to the changes, enable desugaring so that our SDK can run smoothly on Android 7.0 and versions below.

• Kotlin
• Groovy

android {
    ...
    defaultConfig {
        ...
        // Minimum 5.0+ devices
        minSdk 21
        ...
    }
    ...
    compileOptions {
        // Flag to enable support for the new language APIs
        coreLibraryDesugaringEnabled = true
        // Sets Java compatibility to Java 8
        sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
        targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    }
    // For Kotlin projects
    kotlinOptions {
        jvmTarget = "1.8"
    }
}

dependencies {
    coreLibraryDesugaring("com.android.tools:desugar_jdk_libs:1.1.5")
}

android {
    ...
    defaultConfig {
        ...
        // Minimum 5.0+ devices
        minSdkVersion 21
        ...
    }
    ...
    compileOptions {
        // Flag to enable support for the new language APIs
        coreLibraryDesugaringEnabled true
        // Sets Java compatibility to Java 8
        sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
        targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    }
    // For Kotlin projects
    kotlinOptions {
        jvmTarget = "1.8"
    }
}

dependencies {
    coreLibraryDesugaring 'com.android.tools:desugar_jdk_libs:1.1.5'
}

Adding Dependency

In the project level build.gradle file or settings.gradle, add the repository URLs to all allprojects block or repositories block inside dependencyResolutionManagement.

• Kotlin
• Groovy

maven {
    setUrl("s3://risk-manager-android-sdk/artifacts")
    credentials(AwsCredentials::class) {
        accessKey = <ACCESS_KEY>
        secretKey = <SECRET_KEY>
    }
    content {
        includeGroup("in.finbox")
    }
}

maven {
    url "s3://risk-manager-android-sdk/artifacts"
    credentials(AwsCredentials) {
        accessKey = <ACCESS_KEY>
        secretKey = <SECRET_KEY>
    }
    content {
        includeGroup("in.finbox")
    }
}

Now add the dependency to module level build.gradle.kts or build.gradle file:

• Kotlin
• Groovy

implementation("in.finbox:mobileriskmanager:<DC_SDK_VERSION>:parent-release@aar") {
    isTransitive = true
}
implementation("in.finbox:common:<COMMON_SDK_VERSION>:<COMMON_FLAVOR>-release@aar") {
    isTransitive = true
}
implementation("in.finbox:logger:<LOGGER_SDK_VERSION>:parent-release@aar") {
    isTransitive = true
}

implementation('in.finbox:mobileriskmanager:<DC_SDK_VERSION>:parent-release@aar') {
    transitive = true
}
implementation ('in.finbox:common:<COMMON_SDK_VERSION>:<COMMON_FLAVOR>-release@aar') {
    transitive = true
}
implementation ('in.finbox:logger:<LOGGER_SDK_VERSION>:parent-release@aar') {
    transitive = true
}

NOTE

Following will be shared by FinBox team at the time of integration:

• ACCESS_KEY
• SECRET_KEY
• DC_SDK_VERSION
• COMMON_SDK_VERSION
• COMMON_FLAVOR
• LOGGER_SDK_VERSION
• CLIENT_API_KEY

Create User

To create a user, call the createUser method with the following arguments:

• Client API Key
• Customer ID

IMPORTANT

• CUSTOMER_ID Must be alphanumeric (no special characters).
• Should not exceed 64 characters.
• Must not be null or an empty string "".

The response (success or failure) is handled using the FinBoxAuthCallback callback.

• Kotlin
• Java

FinBox.createUser("CLIENT_API_KEY", "CUSTOMER_ID",
    object : FinBox.FinBoxAuthCallback {
        override fun onSuccess(accessToken: String) {
            // Authentication is success
        }
        
        override fun onError(@FinBoxErrorCode errorCode: Int) {
            // Authentication failed
        }
    })

FinBox.createUser("CLIENT_API_KEY", "CUSTOMER_ID",
    new FinBox.FinBoxAuthCallback() {
        @Override
        public void onSuccess(@NonNull String accessToken) {
            // Authentication is success
        }

        @Override
        public void onError(@FinBoxErrorCode int error) {
            // Authentication failed
        }
    });

You can read about the errors in the Error Codes section.

Start Periodic Sync

The startPeriodicSync method should be invoked only after receiving a successful response from the createUser method callback. This method initiates background syncing for all data sources based on the permissions granted by the user. Data is synced at regular intervals in the background, ensuring continuous and seamless data collection.

• Kotlin
• Java

val finbox = FinBox()
finbox.startPeriodicSync()

FinBox finbox = new FinBox();
finbox.startPeriodicSync();

RECOMMENDATION

To handle cross-login scenarios:

When a user logs back into the app with fresh credentials:

• Call the createUser method to register the new user.
• Follow it by startPeriodicSync to resume data syncing for the new user. Even though the SDK automatically adapts to a new user, this approach minimizes potential delays in syncing during the first session

Match Details on Device

Device matching enables additional pattern recognition to match email, phone numbers and name. The matching happens on the device and the user phone numbers, email addresses won't leave the device.

Create the builder by passing email address, phone number and name of the customer.

• Kotlin
• Java

val deviceMatch = DeviceMatch.Builder().apply {
    setEmail("useremail@gmail.com")
    setName("Full Name")
    setPhone("9999999999")
}.build()

final DeviceMatch.Builder builder = new DeviceMatch.Builder();
builder.setEmail("useremail@gmail.com");
builder.setName("Full Name");
builder.setPhone("9999999999");
final DeviceMatch deviceMatch = builder.build();

Once the in-device values are set, call setDeviceMatch before starting the syncs.

• Kotlin
• Java

finbox.setDeviceMatch(deviceMatch)

finbox.setDeviceMatch(deviceMatch);

TIP

For Device Match to work at full potential, the SDK expects android.permission.READ_CONTACTS, android.permission.GET_ACCOUNTS, android.permission.READ_SMS to be accepted by the user.

Forward Notifications to SDK

Certain phone manufacturers, implement aggressive battery optimization features that kill apps running in the background after a certain period of inactivity. This can prevent the DeviceConnect SDK's continuous syncing from functioning properly, as it relies on background data collection. In such cases, FinBox’s server may need to request data from the SDK when continuous sync has stopped.

To enable this functionality, we use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) notifications process. Forwarding these notifications allows the app to "wake up" if it has been killed by the device’s background processes, ensuring continuous data collection. When the app receives an FCM notification, it "wakes up" and continues collecting the necessary data for integration.

Add the following lines inside the overridden onMessageReceived method available in the service that extends FirebaseMessagingService.

• Kotlin
• Java

if (MessagingService.forwardToFinBoxSDK(remoteMessage.data)) {
    val firebaseMessagingService = MessagingService(this)
    firebaseMessagingService.onMessageReceived(remoteMessage.data)
} else {
    // Rest of your FCM logic
}

if(MessagingService.forwardToFinBoxSDK(remoteMessage.getData())) {
    final MessagingService firebaseMessagingService = new MessagingService(this);
    firebaseMessagingService.onMessageReceived(remoteMessage.getData());
} else {
    // Rest of your FCM logic
}

Multi-Process Support

DeviceConnect uses a content provider to automatically initialize the SDK. However, Android has a limitation: in multi-process applications, content providers are only initialized in the main process. This means that any SDK calls from other processes may result in unstable behavior

If you need to use the SDK in a process other than the main process, you must:

1. Remove the auto-initializing content provider.
2. Manually initialize the SDK in the required processes

Remove the Content Provider

Remove the content provider from your AndroidManifest.xml file using the following snippet:

<provider
    android:name="in.finbox.mobileriskmanager.init.AutoInitProvider"
    android:authorities="in.finbox.lenderapplication.riskmanagerprovider"
    android:enabled="true"
    android:exported="false"
    tools:node="remove" />

Initialize the SDK

After removing the auto-initializing content provider, you must manually initialize the FinBox SDK in your app. This ensures the SDK is properly set up whenever the app starts

Open your app’s custom Application class. Override the onCreate method in the Application class and add the Finbox SDK initialization code.

Use the following example as a guide:

• Kotlin
• Java

FinBox.initLibrary(this)

FinBox.initLibrary(this);

Cancel Periodic Sync

Make sure to cancel data synchronization tasks when the user logs out of the app by using the stopPeriodicSync method. This ensures that no background sync operations continue unnecessarily, maintaining data security.

• Kotlin
• Java

finbox.stopPeriodicSync()

finbox.stopPeriodicSync();

Handle Sync Frequency

By default, the sync frequency is set to 8 hours. You can customize this frequency by calling the setSyncFrequency method and passing your preferred interval in seconds as an argument. Ensure this method is invoked after the user is created

• Kotlin
• Java

finbox.setSyncFrequency(12 * 60 * 60)

finbox.setSyncFrequency();

Reset User Data

If you need to clear a user's data stored on the device and initiate a fresh data sync, use the resetData method. This ensures that all previous data is removed, and syncing starts from scratch.

• Kotlin
• Java

FinBox.resetData()

FinBox.resetData();

Forget User

If a user requests to be forgotten, use the forgetUser method. This will delete all user details from our system, ensuring this meets digital guidelines for right to be forgotten.

• Kotlin
• Java

FinBox.forgetUser()

FinBox.forgetUser();

RECOMMENDATION

• When a user logs out, call both stopPeriodicSync and resetData to:
  • Stop any ongoing periodic sync processes.
  • Clear existing user data. This approach ensures a clean state before the next user session.