It is generally not a good practice to include secret keys or sensitive information in your Android app's source code. This is because the source code is typically stored in a version control system and is easily accessible to anyone with access to the repository. If the secret keys are included in the source code, they could potentially be compromised by unauthorized users.
Instead, it is recommended to store secret keys and sensitive information in a separate configuration file and include that file in your app's build process. There are a few different ways you can do this:
Use a build system like Gradle to define properties that can be replaced with different values for different builds. For example, you can define a secrets.properties file that contains your secret keys and use the buildConfigField option in your build.gradle file to include those values in your app's BuildConfig class.
Use a tool like Fabric's Fastlane to manage your app's build process and securely store your secret keys. Fastlane allows you to define key-value pairs in a .env file that can be accessed by your app during the build process.
Use an environment variable to store your secret keys. You can set an environment variable on your development machine or build server, and then use it in your app's build process to replace a placeholder value in your code.
Regardless of which approach you choose, it is important to keep your secret keys and sensitive information secure and protect them from unauthorized access.