diff --git a/android/build.gradle b/android/build.gradle
index beafef4f..1383db5e 100644
--- a/android/build.gradle
+++ b/android/build.gradle
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
+def safeExtGet(prop, fallback) {
+    rootProject.ext.has(prop) ? rootProject.ext.get(prop) : fallback
+}
+
 apply plugin: 'com.android.library'
 
 android {
-    compileSdkVersion 23
-    buildToolsVersion "23.0.1"
+    compileSdkVersion safeExtGet('compileSdkVersion', 23)
+    buildToolsVersion safeExtGet('buildToolsVersion', "23.0.1")
 
     defaultConfig {
-        minSdkVersion 16
-        targetSdkVersion 22
+        minSdkVersion safeExtGet('minSdkVersion', 16)
+        targetSdkVersion safeExtGet('targetSdkVersion', 22)
         versionCode 1
         versionName "1.0"
         ndk {
@@ -16,6 +20,6 @@ android {
 }
 
 dependencies {
-    compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.0.0'
-    compile 'com.facebook.react:react-native:0.19.+'
+    implementation "com.android.support:appcompat-v7:${safeExtGet('supportLibVersion', '23.0.0')}"
+    implementation "com.facebook.react:react-native:+"
 }
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