Why Unstable SDKs Cause More Bugs Than You Think

While using SDKs is a go-to choice for building platform-specific apps, relying on buggy SDKs can undermine all your hard work and lead to issues that may not be evident at first. This can be exemplified by a few incidents from 2020, when a bug in the Google Maps SDK affected apps like Lyft (ridesharing app) and GrubHub (food-delivery app), leading to millions of dollars in lost revenue as they relied on it for maps and directions for their services. Several weeks in, a bug in Facebook’s (Meta) iOS SDK caused widespread app crashes across the globe, affecting popular iOS apps like Spotify, Pinterest, TikTok, and others that used the same SDK to provide services to millions of global users.

In this article, we’ve covered the challenges associated with using unstable SDKs and described why they can be a significant source of bugs for your apps.

Before we discuss the “whys” behind unstable SDKs causing more bugs and issues in your apps, let’s drill down on the common challenges associated when using them. 

External Dependencies

While SDKs are a preferred way to build platform-specific apps using pre-built toolkits, keep in mind that most SDKs rely on external components, APIs, libraries, and packages to power their own tooling. This becomes a double-edged sword with unstable SDKs. Here’s how:

• Ripple Effects of Bugs — Any problems or bugs with these third-party components can ripple through the SDK to your own apps. For example, if the SDK uses an external package with memory leaks, your app might suffer from stability issues even if your code is top-notch.
• Version Conflicts — Any discrepancies between versions of third-party dependencies required by the SDK and those used in your app can lead to code conflicts, build failures, or unexpected errors.
• New Issues or Breaking SDK — In some cases, changes or modifications in the external components may create new issues in the SDK or even break it.

Also Read: How to Fix ANR (Application Not Responding) Error in Android?

Security Concerns

Third-party SDKs often explicitly (sometimes implicitly too) ask apps for extensive permissions to function correctly. While this isn’t usually a problem with SDKs from trusted providers (like Google, Android, and iOS), it can be a serious concern with unstable or less-reputed SDKs. This could lead to:

• Data Breaches — Poorly secured SDKs with read-and-write permissions can put sensitive data, user information, system data, and API credentials out in the open. This could become a ticking clock for data breaches and cyber-attacks.
• Unauthorized Actions — SDKs might perform unauthorized actions without the user's knowledge or prior consent, leading to security vulnerabilities within apps.

Also Read: How to Test Third-party SDKs for Performance and Security Risks

Lack of Control Over SDK Code

Using third-party SDK puts you in the back seat where you have little to no control over its internal workings. Simply put, they are like black boxes, which could pose problems, such as:

• Inability to Fix Bugs — With limited control over SDKs, users are solely dependent on the SDK providers to issue a patch or a fix, which may or may not align with their project timelines. 
• Limited Customization Options — Since most SDKs are built to work well for broader audiences, it limits your ability to do workarounds or add custom layers for your specific needs.
• Increased Complexity in Debugging — When issues arise, it’s extremely difficult to zero in on the root causes and determine whether they stem from your code or the SDK. 

Performance and Network Overheads

Unoptimized SDKs may introduce resource overheads for your app, resulting in insufficient memory, network, and processor usage. Common reasons for this include:

• Unoptimized Code Functions and Logic — SDKs may include generic functions and logic that aren't optimized for your specific use cases.
• Resource Intensive Operations — Several abstraction layers and unnecessary code within the SDK can result in spikes in memory, network communications, and processing power usage. This can be critical for resource-constrained devices like smartphones.

Dependency on the SDK Provider

Relying heavily on a specific SDK ties your app's functionality with the provider's stability and support. This could cause constraints, such as:

• Vendor Lock-in — Deep integrations with a specific SDK can make it extremely hard to switch to different providers or market options. This can become a problem if the SDK functions that you might be using are deprecated. Or if you’re on a budget and there’s a steep subscription bump for paid functions.
• Dependency for Support and Updates — Since you’re dependent on the provider for updates, bug fixes, and support, delays or lack of regular updates to the SDK can leave your app with outdated or insecure components.

Documentation Quality and Availability 

Not all SDKs come with top-notch and updated documentation when made available to end users. This could lead to problems, such as:

• Ambiguity and Missing Information — Poorly documented SDKs make it tough for users to implement features as intended or integrate them correctly with apps, thus, increasing the likelihood of frequent and unexpected bugs.
• Outdated Information — Documentation that isn't updated in line with SDK changes can mislead developers to use deprecated methods or miss out on new, improved functionalities.

Key reasons why unstable SDKs cause more bugs than you think:

Inconsistent APIs

Unstable SDKs may contain inconsistent APIs that could undermine developers' ability to integrate and function correctly with the connected apps. This can force them to write additional code and fix any unpredictability or reliability issues. Eventually, this leads to increased development time plus the risk of introducing new bugs.

Examples

• Breaking Changes without Proper API Versioning — An SDK updates the authenticateUser(credentials) method to authenticateUser(credentials, options) without altering the API versions with semantics or providing backward compatibility for the previous version. As a result, apps relying on the original method might face authentication issues and even break. 
• Different Naming Conventions  — An SDK using a mix of snake_case and camelCase name conventions for method names (get_user_profile() vs. updateUserProfile()), thus, causing confusion among users and increasing the likelihood of typos and unexpected errors.

Also Read: API Testing 101: Types, Benefits, Steps, and More

Buggy Third-Party Libraries 

New or existing bugs in third-party libraries and packages used by the SDKs can also be a source of issues within your app. As a result, you might face frequent or inadvertent app crashes, data corruption, and security vulnerabilities. Moreover, tracing the real source of such issues essentially becomes a witch-hunt.

Examples

• Memory Leaks — When an external library within an SDK processes videos but doesn't release the memory it used after finishing, your app gradually uses up more and more memory. Over time, the app runs out of memory due to memory leaks, causing the entire system to become unstable. 
• Concurrency Issues  — If an SDK's data caching mechanism, which relies on an external package, is not thread-safe when used in a multithreaded app, it can lead to race conditions. This may result in corrupted cached data, causing sporadic errors during data retrieval.

Also Read: [2025 Updated] How to Fix Error Code Out of Memory in Chrome

Compatibility Issues 

Frequent compatibility issues with each update to the SDKs can force developers to continually refactor their code and make rushed modifications to meet project deadlines. These hurried adjustments significantly increase the risk of introducing new bugs into their apps.

Examples

• Removed Features Without Alternatives — When an SDK removes the encryptData(data) method and replaces it with secureData(data, options) without offering a migration path, existing apps that depend on the encryptData fail after the SDK update. 
• Changes with Default Behaviors  — An update to the SDK changes the default sorting order from ascending to descending in getList() methods, leading to sorting-related errors in apps.

Inadequately Tested Components

Unstable SDKs may not be adequately tested which could lead to critical bugs silently slipping into apps.

Examples

• Edge Case Failures — A financial calculations SDK handles typical values well but fails when dealing with very large or very small numbers due to floating-point precision errors.
• Platform-Specific Bugs — An SDK works well on Windows but encounters file permission errors on Linux systems due to differences in file system handling not being accounted for during QA and testing procedures.
• Integration Issues — SDK conflicting with commonly used libraries such as React Native or Django, causing runtime errors when used together due to namespace collisions or incompatible dependencies.

Security Vulnerabilities 

Unstable SDKs may have unaddressed vulnerabilities that expose apps to significant risks leading to data breaches and legal troubles.

Examples

• Hard-coded Credentials  — SDKs with hardcoded API keys within their code, if decompiled, can be extracted and exploited by malicious actors.
• Insufficient Authentication — SDK methods that perform critical operations lack proper authentication checks, allowing unauthorized actions if misused.
• Improper Input Handling  — An SDK failing to validate input lengths or formats, thus, opening the door to buffer overflow attacks that could compromise the app using it.
• Outdated Cryptography — SDK relying on weak cryptographic algorithms like MD5 (which is broken) or SHA-1 (which is deprecated) instead of modern alternatives like SHA-256.