The hidden cost of SDKs

Modern mobile apps rely on dozens of third-party SDKs for analytics, payments, ads, monitoring, and more. While these SDKs accelerate development, they also introduce hidden costs that are rarely discussed: slower startup times, increased memory pressure, background execution side effects, subtle privacy risks, and long-term maintenance burden.

This session takes a deep dive into what really happens when SDKs are added to a mobile app. We’ll explore how SDKs affect app lifecycle, performance, stability, and developer experience, often in ways that aren’t visible during development or testing.

Rather than focusing on specific tools, this talk equips developers with mental models and practical techniques to evaluate, integrate, and isolate SDKs responsibly, so they can make informed trade-offs without sacrificing app quality or user trust.