feat(android)!: upgrade Intercom Android SDK to 18.0.0

[imSzukala]

Why?

Android SDK 18.0.0 is a major release that removes the handlePushMessage() API (the SDK now auto-opens conversations on push tap), raises compileSdk/targetSdk to 36, and migrates internal storage from SharedPreferences to DataStore. The React Native wrapper needs to be updated to align with these breaking changes.

• https://github.com/intercom/intercom-android/releases/tag/18.0.0

How?

Remove the handlePushMessage() method from native modules, TurboModule spec, and public JS API. Bump build tooling (AGP 8.9.0, Gradle 8.11.1, compileSdk/targetSdk 36) to match SDK requirements. Clean up dead code left behind by the removal.

Implementation Plan

Evaluation of Changes

Change	File(s)	Verdict
SDK bumped to 18.0.0 (intercom-sdk + intercom-sdk-ui)	android/build.gradle	✅ Correct
compileSdk/targetSdk → 36, buildTools → 36.0.0	android/build.gradle	✅ Correct
AGP 8.6.1 → 8.9.0	android/build.gradle	✅ Correct (AGP 8.9 requires Gradle 8.11+)
Gradle 8.7 → 8.11.1	gradle-wrapper.properties	✅ Correct (compatible with AGP 8.9)
handlePushMessage() removed from newarch module	newarch/IntercomModule.java	✅ Correct
handlePushMessage() removed from oldarch module	oldarch/IntercomModule.java	✅ Correct
handlePushMessage() removed from TurboModule spec	src/NativeIntercomSpec.ts	✅ Correct
handlePushMessage removed from public API + type	src/index.tsx	✅ Correct
Example apps upgraded (RN 0.74 → 0.81)	examples/	✅ Correct (no handlePushMessage refs remain)

The static helper methods (handleRemotePushWithCustomStack, handleRemotePushMessage) correctly use intercomPushClient.handlePushWithCustomStack() — the replacement API that's been stable since SDK 16.2.0. All other Intercom.client().* calls in the wrapper remain unchanged in 18.0.0.

Cleanup

• Remove dead HANDLE_PUSH_MESSAGE error code constant
• Remove unused Toast and ReadableArray imports from both arch modules
• Migrate deprecated lintOptions to lint block in build.gradle
• Update README to remove handlePushMessage docs and fix SDK version numbers
• Remove handlePushMessage AppState listeners from all example apps

Considerations for release

• Semver: Removing handlePushMessage from the public JS API is a breaking change — warrants a major version bump
• Data migration: Upgrading triggers a one-way migration (SharedPreferences → DataStore). Downgrading back to 17.x will lose local SDK state.

Verification

• Android project builds successfully (assembleDebug)
• Example app launches on emulator without crashes
• Intercom SDK initializes correctly (shows logged-in status and unread count)
• No remaining handlePushMessage references in codebase

_{Generated with Claude Code}