What are the uses of each mobile SDK?

Question

I see that Zendesk has multiple mobile SDKs. What can I use each one for? 

Answer

Zendesk SDK for Messaging

This SDK is associated with messaging and it is available for both iOS and Android. They're also referred to as the Zendesk SDK for iOS and the Zendesk SDK for Android. A web version is available called the Zendesk SDK for Web.

Talk SDK

The Talk SDK is also available for both iOS and Android. This SDK is used as the mobile implementation of your Talk product to use phone support with the Talk digital line.

Unity SDK

Not to be confused with the Unified SDK below. The Unity SDK was created to bring Zendesk features to Unity games so that players could access requests, Help Center content, and be in contact with your support team without having to leave the app.

You can find more information about this SDK in this article: Announcing the new Zendesk SDK for Unity.

For more technical information about this SDK, see our developer documentation.

Unified SDK

What is referred to as the Unified SDK is not technically a SDK, but rather the foundation that makes the Chat SDK, Support SDK, and AnswerBot SDK work in the same place. Those are also called the Classic SDKs and are developed so you could use them together within the same application:

• Support SDK (iOS/Android): This SDK uses both Support and Help Center features. You can use this SDK to help your customers submit or view their requests, and access your knowledge base.
• Chat SDK (iOS/Android): This SDK lets customers initiate a live chat with your support team. 
• AnswerBot SDK: Paired with Support, this SDK allows your customers to receive article suggestions and empowers the self-service capabilities of your app.

Note: The AnswerBot SDK is bundled with Support SDK. The functionality of AnswerBot depends on Support.  

Web SDK

The Web SDK is not technically a mobile SDK but to avoid confusion it is included here. It can refer to the Zopim Web SDK, which allows you to develop your own version of the Chat Widget.

The term can also refer to the Zendesk SDK for Web, a new version of the Web Widget that integrates the features of messaging.

Other considerations

• The Zendesk SDK for Messaging is not part of the Unified SDK family and has not been developed to work with those SDKs. They can however be used side by side in order to facilitate your migration toward Zendesk SDK (Android/iOS).
• The Support and Chat SDKs can be independent if you want them to be. Each has its own JWT system for user authentication.
• Each of the SDKs has a default UI and a provider version to build your own interface and add Zendesk functions to it.

If you observe an issue with any of the mobile SDKs, contact our support team with the information described in this article: Ticket submission guidelines for mobile SDK developers.