Possible to use a static library built from a different Android NDK?

Issue

The Android app I am working on is completely written in C++. I need to integrate it with a static library that also is written in C++. There is no dependency on STL in any of the projects.

The static library uses cmake to build. Unfortunately, the app is based on an old AOSP version of Android NDK and has no support for cmake.

I also have a newer version of Android NDK in a different directory. This version does support cmake toolchains.

I am thinking I will build the static library against the new NDK and use it in my main project. The ABI is the same for both the projects - armv7a.

I have tested this logic with a sample code. It seems to work. I am able to invoke methods in the static library from my main app.

Also, there are no name-mangling issues.

The question I have is if there is any issue I am overlooking.

I am thinking it should not matter that the compilers used to build the sources are different. As long as they are producing arm-compatible code, I should be able to able to integrate them.

As a matter of fact, another library that I am using, gstreamer, is available for download as pre-built binaries at https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/data/pkg/android.

Please advice.

Solution

For those interested, mixing NDKs doesn't seem to be an issue as long as you follow certain guidelines. Some of them are listed at https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/cpp-support.

Essentially, there is no problem if your project is 'C' based. However, if you are using C++, you must not use STL.

I have managed to build part of my code with two NDKs and I am not seeing any link time or runtime errors.

Answered By - Peter