# Get Started with Android

## Before You Begin

- Sign up for a [Chartboost Mediation](https://chartboost.com/mediate) account.
- Add apps to the Mediation platform. (See [Import Apps](/en/mediation/import-apps/))
- Set up Ad Placements in the Mediation platform. (See [Manage Placements](/en/mediation/manage-placements/))
- Review our [Android sample app](https://github.com/ChartBoost/chartboost-mediation-android-sdk-demo).
- Set up the [Chartboost Core SDK](/en/mediation/integrate/core/android/).

**Current SDK version: 5.4.0**  
[↗ Open Source](https://github.com/ChartBoost/chartboost-mediation-android-sdk){:target="_blank"}  
[↗ SDK API Reference](https://reference.chartboost.com/mediation/android/){:target="_blank"}



## Minimum Supported Development Tools



<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Software</th>
			<th>Version</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		
		<tr>
			<td>Minimum Supported Version</td>
			<td>API 21 (Android 5.0 Lollipop)</td>
		</tr>
		
		<tr>
			<td>Compile Version</td>
			<td>API 35</td>
		</tr>
		
		<tr>
			<td>Gradle</td>
			<td>8.2</td>
		</tr>
		
		<tr>
			<td>Kotlin</td>
			<td>1.9.21</td>
		</tr>
		
		<tr>
			<td>Recommended Java</td>
			<td>17</td>
		</tr>
		
	</tbody>
</table>


Chartboost Core Android SDK is required for Chartboost Mediation 5.x+ initialization and is designed to manage and facilitate different modules for your Android application/game. Each module can be individually initialized with metrics collected and reported to offer detailed insights into the module’s performance and potential issues.

For more information, review our [Chartboost Core SDK](/en/mediation/integrate/core/android/) documentation.


## Gradle

Add the Chartboost Core SDK and the Chartboost Mediation SDK to your `build.gradle`.

```gradle
repositories {
    maven {
      name "Chartboost Mediation's maven repo"
      url "https://cboost.jfrog.io/artifactory/chartboost-mediation"
    }
    maven {
      name "Chartboost Core's maven repo"
      url "https://cboost.jfrog.io/artifactory/chartboost-core"
    }
}
dependencies {
    implementation("com.chartboost:chartboost-mediation-sdk:5.4.0")
}
}
```



## Add 3rd-Party Dependencies

```java
implementation("androidx.legacy:legacy-support-v4:1.0.0")
implementation("androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-common:2.6.2")
implementation("androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-extensions:2.2.0")
implementation("com.jakewharton.retrofit:retrofit2-kotlinx-serialization-converter:1.0.0")
implementation("org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-reflect:1.9.21")
implementation("org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-stdlib-jdk8:1.9.21")
implementation("org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-coroutines-android:1.7.3")
implementation("org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-serialization-json:1.5.1")
implementation("com.squareup.okhttp3:logging-interceptor:4.11.0")
implementation("com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:4.11.0")
implementation("com.squareup.okio:okio:3.4.0")
implementation("com.squareup.retrofit2:converter-scalars:2.9.0")
implementation("com.squareup.retrofit2:retrofit:2.9.0")
```



## Add Google Play Services

Add the Google Play Services Library as a dependency of your project. For detailed instructions, reference the official integration instructions for [Google Play Services](https://developers.google.com/android/guides/setup){:target="_blank"}.

Instead of referencing the entire Google Play Services package, you only need `play-services-base`, `play-services-ads-identifier`, and `play-services-appset`:

```groovy
implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-base:18.4.0'
implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads-identifier:18.0.1'
implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-appset:16.0.2'
```



## OPTIONAL: Mediation Android Sample App

The [Chartboost Mediation Demo App](https://github.com/ChartBoost/chartboost-mediation-android-sdk-demo) is available on our public GitHub repo.