I’ve been through the same struggle trying to connect an Android app directly to SQL Server. That Conscrypt SSL handshake error is a real headache. Like you mentioned, switching to the jTDS driver (v1.3.1) usually works like a charm since it doesn’t force SSL by default—big win for development!

That said, I strongly recommend not connecting your Android app directly to your database in production. Besides being a security risk (hello, hardcoded credentials 😬), it makes the app fragile. Any schema change or business rule update means a new app build. That’s a maintenance nightmare, especially if your project grows or includes accounting outsourcing, reporting features, or other backend services.

Instead, it’s best to build a REST API as a middleware between the Android app and your database.