3 Fast Facts: The Webex Teams SDK for Android

What a whirlwind few months it's been for the Cisco-Google partnership! It hasn't even been a full year since we first kicked things off, but we've already come up with so many ways to enable customers like you to tackle some of your biggest challenges. We're helping to drive flexibility, simplicity, and scale-with a focus on value.

Let's take a moment to review, shall we? By combining Google's agility and scale with our networking, security, and compute power, we've built the Cisco Container Platform and introduced Kubernetes support for Cisco CloudCenter and AppDynamics. We're also working to grow the Kubernetes and Istio platforms. And stay tuned: The Cisco Hybrid Platform for Google Cloud is on the horizon!

That's not all. In case you haven't heard, we've created a way for developers to add Cisco collaboration capabilities into Android apps.

What It Means

Simply put, the Webex Teams for Android SDK makes it easier for you to access the robust collaboration features of Webex Teams-features like video and voice calling, as well as 1:1 and group messaging. How? By opening up the Webex Teams platform, developers are now able to build a whole new world of third-party integrations for your benefit. And since it's open source and free to try, there's so much room for them to experiment.

Think of all the possibilities! Say you're a customer service rep who needs a channel for providing live support for clients on your company's platform. Or maybe you're a doctor using a patient-monitoring app and want a way to securely send medical information and receive real-time updates. Either way, the Android SDK would pave the way for streamlined, intuitive options for messaging the people you need to connect with-or even for connecting on voice or video calls.

But don't just think about the possibilities-take a firsthand look at what the Android SDK has already enabled.

What It Looks Like

Take this mixed reality device from the remote assistance leaders at ivii (part of the KNAPP Group) for example. Consisting of a headphone, microphone, camera, and transparent display, the ivii.assist headset allows field engineers to connect with global experts to address machine maintenance issues. It's a 'see what I see' support experience that's never been seen before.

Here's how it works: When the field engineer needs advice, they boot up the headset, enabling an expert on the other end to hear and see what's going on in the warehouse through the Webex Teams interface. The expert can then guide the engineer through the troubleshooting process. If quality assurance is required, the engineer can even take a snapshot of their work, letting advanced software determine if all the necessary steps have been taken.

The results so far? By powering up ivii.assist with the Android SDK, ivii has been able to reduce travel turnaround time by 90% and support ticket turnaround by 40%. Not to mention, they've earned endless bragging rights for themselves. (ivii.assist is pretty slick, no?)

And the Android SDK wins don't end there. Thanks to our SDK's easy one-click approach, integrating Webex Teams couldn't have been easier for the ivii team.

As CEO Peter Stelzer summarizes, 'We wanted to rely on a stable vendor that further develops the product-and an open API, which makes it easy to integrate the functionality of applications.'

What's Next

Keep in mind that this is only the beginning of the road for the Android SDK. What can you expect next? For one thing, we're currently putting the finishing touches on a whiteboarding function which will allow you to design, draw, and doodle with all your teammates in real-time. Stay tuned!

Last thing: Calling all developers! We encourage you to head over to Github to check out our Android SDK example app. Then, get building with the Android SDK, or take a closer look at our full suite of SDK and widget offerings. We can't wait to see what you create!