diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index de77d82..e79b2ff 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ app.*.symbols
 # Obfuscation related
 app.*.map.json
 
+# Google Services
+google-services.json
+
 # Android Studio will place build artifacts here
 /android/app/debug
 /android/app/profile
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6b420e1..0a15f49 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -159,8 +159,8 @@ lib/
 
 ### Prerequisites
 
-- Flutter SDK (>=3.0.0)
-- Dart SDK (>=3.0.0)
+- Flutter SDK (>=3.27.0)
+- Dart SDK (>=3.8.0)
 - Android Studio / VS Code with Flutter extensions
 - Xcode (for iOS development on macOS)
 
@@ -219,7 +219,8 @@ lib/
 1. **Rename the project** (if needed) - Update package name from `flutter_starter` to your project name
 2. **Configure your environment** - See [Configuration System](#-configuration-system) below
 3. **Set up Firebase** (optional) - For remote feature flags and performance monitoring
-   - Add `google-services.json` (Android) and `GoogleService-Info.plist` (iOS)
+   - **Setup Firebase Config**: Add `google-services.json` (Android) and `GoogleService-Info.plist` (iOS).
+     > **Note**: These files are gitignored for security. You must add them manually for local development. For CI/CD, use environment variables to generate them.
    - Initialize Firebase in your app
 4. **Customize the theme** - Edit `lib/shared/theme/app_theme.dart`
 5. **Explore example features** - Check out `lib/features/` for examples:
diff --git a/android/app/build.gradle.kts b/android/app/build.gradle.kts
index 5d0276d..efe974a 100644
--- a/android/app/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/android/app/build.gradle.kts
@@ -42,3 +42,5 @@ android {
 flutter {
     source = "../.."
 }
+
+apply(plugin = "com.google.gms.google-services")
diff --git a/android/build.gradle.kts b/android/build.gradle.kts
index dbee657..edb19ba 100644
--- a/android/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/android/build.gradle.kts
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+plugins {
+    id("com.android.application") version "8.11.1" apply false
+    id("org.jetbrains.kotlin.android") version "2.2.20" apply false
+    id("com.google.gms.google-services") version "4.3.15" apply false
+}
+
 allprojects {
     repositories {
         google()
@@ -5,18 +11,26 @@ allprojects {
     }
 }
 
-val newBuildDir: Directory =
-    rootProject.layout.buildDirectory
-        .dir("../../build")
-        .get()
+val newBuildDir: Directory = rootProject.layout.buildDirectory.dir("../../build").get()
 rootProject.layout.buildDirectory.value(newBuildDir)
 
 subprojects {
     val newSubprojectBuildDir: Directory = newBuildDir.dir(project.name)
     project.layout.buildDirectory.value(newSubprojectBuildDir)
+
+    afterEvaluate {
+        if (project.plugins.hasPlugin("java") || project.plugins.hasPlugin("com.android.library")) {
+            project.extensions.findByType<JavaPluginExtension>()?.apply {
+                toolchain { languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(17)) }
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }
+
 subprojects {
-    project.evaluationDependsOn(":app")
+    if (project.name != "app") {
+        project.evaluationDependsOn(":app")
+    }
 }
 
 tasks.register<Delete>("clean") {
diff --git a/android/gradle.properties b/android/gradle.properties
index fbee1d8..fad9e3e 100644
--- a/android/gradle.properties
+++ b/android/gradle.properties
@@ -1,2 +1,6 @@
 org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx8G -XX:MaxMetaspaceSize=4G -XX:ReservedCodeCacheSize=512m -XX:+HeapDumpOnOutOfMemoryError
 android.useAndroidX=true
+# Enable toolchain auto-provisioning
+org.gradle.java.installations.auto-download=true
+# Use Java 21 from Android Studio for Gradle daemon (to compile build scripts)
+org.gradle.java.home=C:\\Program Files\\Android\\Android Studio\\jbr
diff --git a/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
index e4ef43f..ca025c8 100644
--- a/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ b/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 distributionPath=wrapper/dists
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.14-bin.zip
+networkTimeout=10000
+validateDistributionUrl=true
 zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 zipStorePath=wrapper/dists
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.14-all.zip
diff --git a/android/settings.gradle.kts b/android/settings.gradle.kts
index ca7fe06..8337b61 100644
--- a/android/settings.gradle.kts
+++ b/android/settings.gradle.kts
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ plugins {
     id("dev.flutter.flutter-plugin-loader") version "1.0.0"
     id("com.android.application") version "8.11.1" apply false
     id("org.jetbrains.kotlin.android") version "2.2.20" apply false
+    id("com.google.gms.google-services") version "4.3.15" apply false
+    id("org.gradle.toolchains.foojay-resolver-convention") version "0.8.0"
 }
 
 include(":app")
diff --git a/docs/deployment/deployment.md b/docs/deployment/deployment.md
index 0a91219..c99f0dd 100644
--- a/docs/deployment/deployment.md
+++ b/docs/deployment/deployment.md
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ firebase deploy --only hosting
 1. **Add Dependencies** to `pubspec.yaml`:
 ```yaml
 dependencies:
-  firebase_core: ^3.0.0
+  firebase_core: ^2.24.2
   firebase_crashlytics: ^4.0.0
 ```
 
@@ -477,6 +477,7 @@ void main() async {
 3. **Configure Firebase Projects**:
    - Create Firebase projects for each environment
    - Add `google-services.json` (Android) and `GoogleService-Info.plist` (iOS)
+   - **Note:** These files are gitignored. For CI/CD (e.g., GitHub Actions), store them as Base64 secrets (`ANDROID_GOOGLE_SERVICES_JSON`, `IOS_GOOGLE_SERVICE_INFO`) and decode them during the build process.
    - Place in appropriate flavor directories
 
 ### Analytics Integration
diff --git a/docs/deployment/monitoring-analytics.md b/docs/deployment/monitoring-analytics.md
index 55d9e70..a2d6c0f 100644
--- a/docs/deployment/monitoring-analytics.md
+++ b/docs/deployment/monitoring-analytics.md
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Update `pubspec.yaml`:
 
 ```yaml
 dependencies:
-  firebase_core: ^3.0.0
+  firebase_core: ^2.24.2
   firebase_crashlytics: ^4.0.0
 ```
 
diff --git a/docs/guides/onboarding/getting-started.md b/docs/guides/onboarding/getting-started.md
index 6b5c80b..4280a22 100644
--- a/docs/guides/onboarding/getting-started.md
+++ b/docs/guides/onboarding/getting-started.md
@@ -2,21 +2,6 @@
 
 This guide will help you set up your development environment and get the Flutter Starter project running.
 
-## Prerequisites
-
-Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:
-
-- **Flutter SDK**: Version 3.0.0 or higher
-  - Check your version: `flutter --version`
-  - Install/update: [Flutter Installation Guide](https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/install)
-  
-- **Dart SDK**: Version 3.0.0 or higher (included with Flutter)
-
-- **IDE**: Choose one of the following:
-  - **VS Code** (recommended): Install Flutter and Dart extensions
-  - **Android Studio**: Install Flutter and Dart plugins
-  - **IntelliJ IDEA**: Install Flutter and Dart plugins
-
 - **Platform-specific tools** (for your target platforms):
   - **Android**: Android Studio with Android SDK
   - **iOS**: Xcode (macOS only)
diff --git a/lib/core/config/env_config.dart b/lib/core/config/env_config.dart
index 4d3f436..79c110a 100644
--- a/lib/core/config/env_config.dart
+++ b/lib/core/config/env_config.dart
@@ -2,8 +2,11 @@ import 'package:flutter_dotenv/flutter_dotenv.dart';
 
 /// Environment configuration loader with fallback chain:
 /// 1. .env file (for local development)
-/// 2. --dart-define flags (for CI/CD)
-/// 3. Default values
+/// 2. Default values
+///
+/// Note: --dart-define flags are compile-time only and cannot be accessed
+/// dynamically at runtime. They must be accessed via const
+/// String.fromEnvironment() for specific known keys if needed.
 ///
 /// Usage:
 /// ```dart
@@ -20,7 +23,7 @@ class EnvConfig {
   /// This should be called before runApp() in main.dart
   ///
   /// The .env file is optional. If it doesn't exist, the system will fall back
-  /// to --dart-define flags or default values.
+  /// to default values.
   ///
   /// Note: For .env to be loaded, it must be added to pubspec.yaml assets
   /// after creating it from .env.example
@@ -50,13 +53,11 @@ class EnvConfig {
 
   /// Get environment variable with fallback chain:
   /// 1. .env file value (if loaded)
-  /// 2. --dart-define flag value
-  /// 3. Default value (if provided)
+  /// 2. Default value (if provided)
   ///
   /// Parameters:
   /// - [key]: The environment variable key
-  /// - [defaultValue]: Optional default value if not found in .env or
-  ///   --dart-define
+  /// - [defaultValue]: Optional default value if not found in .env
   ///
   /// Returns:
   /// The environment variable value, or [defaultValue] if not found
@@ -78,17 +79,14 @@ class EnvConfig {
           return value;
         }
       } on Exception {
-        // Variable not found in .env, continue to next priority
+        // Variable not found in .env, continue to default
       }
     }
 
-    // Priority 2: Check --dart-define flags
-    final dartDefineValue = String.fromEnvironment(key);
-    if (dartDefineValue.isNotEmpty) {
-      return dartDefineValue;
-    }
-
-    // Priority 3: Return default value
+    // Return default value
+    // Note: --dart-define flags are compile-time only and cannot be
+    // accessed dynamically at runtime. They must be accessed via
+    // const String.fromEnvironment() for specific known keys.
     return defaultValue;
   }
 
@@ -102,21 +100,11 @@ class EnvConfig {
       try {
         return dotenv.getBool(key, fallback: defaultValue);
       } on Exception {
-        // Variable not found in .env, continue to next priority
+        // Variable not found in .env, continue to default
       }
     }
 
-    // Priority 2: Check --dart-define flags
-    final dartDefineValue = String.fromEnvironment(key);
-    if (dartDefineValue.isNotEmpty) {
-      final lowerValue = dartDefineValue.toLowerCase().trim();
-      return lowerValue == 'true' ||
-          lowerValue == '1' ||
-          lowerValue == 'yes' ||
-          lowerValue == 'on';
-    }
-
-    // Priority 3: Return default value
+    // Return default value
     return defaultValue;
   }
 
@@ -129,17 +117,11 @@ class EnvConfig {
       try {
         return dotenv.getInt(key, fallback: defaultValue);
       } on Exception {
-        // Variable not found in .env, continue to next priority
+        // Variable not found in .env, continue to default
       }
     }
 
-    // Priority 2: Check --dart-define flags
-    final dartDefineValue = String.fromEnvironment(key);
-    if (dartDefineValue.isNotEmpty) {
-      return int.tryParse(dartDefineValue) ?? defaultValue;
-    }
-
-    // Priority 3: Return default value
+    // Return default value
     return defaultValue;
   }
 
@@ -152,23 +134,17 @@ class EnvConfig {
       try {
         return dotenv.getDouble(key, fallback: defaultValue);
       } on Exception {
-        // Variable not found in .env, continue to next priority
+        // Variable not found in .env, continue to default
       }
     }
 
-    // Priority 2: Check --dart-define flags
-    final dartDefineValue = String.fromEnvironment(key);
-    if (dartDefineValue.isNotEmpty) {
-      return double.tryParse(dartDefineValue) ?? defaultValue;
-    }
-
-    // Priority 3: Return default value
+    // Return default value
     return defaultValue;
   }
 
   /// Check if an environment variable exists
   ///
-  /// Returns true if the variable exists in .env file or --dart-define
+  /// Returns true if the variable exists in .env file
   static bool has(String key) {
     // Check .env file (if loaded)
     if (_isInitialized) {
@@ -181,8 +157,8 @@ class EnvConfig {
         // Variable not found in .env
       }
     }
-    // Check --dart-define flags
-    return String.fromEnvironment(key).isNotEmpty;
+    // Note: --dart-define values cannot be checked dynamically at runtime
+    return false;
   }
 
   /// Get all environment variables as a map
diff --git a/macos/Flutter/GeneratedPluginRegistrant.swift b/macos/Flutter/GeneratedPluginRegistrant.swift
index e6a15b0..4dbb4ea 100644
--- a/macos/Flutter/GeneratedPluginRegistrant.swift
+++ b/macos/Flutter/GeneratedPluginRegistrant.swift
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import shared_preferences_foundation
 
 func RegisterGeneratedPlugins(registry: FlutterPluginRegistry) {
   FLTFirebaseCorePlugin.register(with: registry.registrar(forPlugin: "FLTFirebaseCorePlugin"))
-  FirebaseRemoteConfigPlugin.register(with: registry.registrar(forPlugin: "FirebaseRemoteConfigPlugin"))
+  FLTFirebaseRemoteConfigPlugin.register(with: registry.registrar(forPlugin: "FLTFirebaseRemoteConfigPlugin"))
   FlutterSecureStoragePlugin.register(with: registry.registrar(forPlugin: "FlutterSecureStoragePlugin"))
   PathProviderPlugin.register(with: registry.registrar(forPlugin: "PathProviderPlugin"))
   SharedPreferencesPlugin.register(with: registry.registrar(forPlugin: "SharedPreferencesPlugin"))
diff --git a/pubspec.lock b/pubspec.lock
index 010df98..a92e4df 100644
--- a/pubspec.lock
+++ b/pubspec.lock
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ packages:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
       name: _flutterfire_internals
-      sha256: "8a1f5f3020ef2a74fb93f7ab3ef127a8feea33a7a2276279113660784ee7516a"
+      sha256: "37a42d06068e2fe3deddb2da079a8c4d105f241225ba27b7122b37e9865fd8f7"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "1.3.64"
+    version: "1.3.35"
   analyzer:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
@@ -237,74 +237,74 @@ packages:
     dependency: "direct main"
     description:
       name: firebase_core
-      sha256: "1f2dfd9f535d81f8b06d7a50ecda6eac1e6922191ed42e09ca2c84bd2288927c"
+      sha256: "26de145bb9688a90962faec6f838247377b0b0d32cc0abecd9a4e43525fc856c"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "4.2.1"
+    version: "2.32.0"
   firebase_core_platform_interface:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
       name: firebase_core_platform_interface
-      sha256: cccb4f572325dc14904c02fcc7db6323ad62ba02536833dddb5c02cac7341c64
+      sha256: "8bcfad6d7033f5ea951d15b867622a824b13812178bfec0c779b9d81de011bbb"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "6.0.2"
+    version: "5.4.2"
   firebase_core_web:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
       name: firebase_core_web
-      sha256: ff18fabb0ad0ed3595d2f2c85007ecc794aadecdff5b3bb1460b7ee47cded398
+      sha256: eb3afccfc452b2b2075acbe0c4b27de62dd596802b4e5e19869c1e926cbb20b3
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "3.3.0"
+    version: "2.24.0"
   firebase_performance:
     dependency: "direct main"
     description:
       name: firebase_performance
-      sha256: "437ab1b317db59ac220553345f60042d6585b561e1a4ea75f2f59f7573ca9bcd"
+      sha256: dbcfc300755c4bb866988de20a491f0b53e1a0d14c375a2c31aa53ca82174c5b
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "0.11.1+2"
+    version: "0.9.4+7"
   firebase_performance_platform_interface:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
       name: firebase_performance_platform_interface
-      sha256: "0e84f5a885f0c9ac8e6796ce2ff61488632beb99645b9429560e694bde2a4352"
+      sha256: "191c9945c2ea4359cb57dc086463b2a25b0f9d8d42f66a0be4c1a7133e26ebc8"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "0.1.6+2"
+    version: "0.1.4+35"
   firebase_performance_web:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
       name: firebase_performance_web
-      sha256: d13aa3546858107dec8b92b2eb2de56e53c940a1a5a0bb2451a6eadb65486450
+      sha256: "9f03a53f55697b206393366bf138e382cbd845d5021b5be6f7fc97b338da2cb5"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "0.1.8"
+    version: "0.1.6+7"
   firebase_remote_config:
     dependency: "direct main"
     description:
       name: firebase_remote_config
-      sha256: "5d23c7021e69fbc9ef489ebcf4b1b941575e34ebacc7f20173c2a97f37f45b74"
+      sha256: "653bd94b68e2c4e89eca10db90576101f1024151f39f2d4e7c64ae6a90a5f9c5"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "6.1.2"
+    version: "4.4.7"
   firebase_remote_config_platform_interface:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
       name: firebase_remote_config_platform_interface
-      sha256: b9c80a6cbc43367fdb2d4f441546e7c5330e5dc256659b58f5c0ab67cd332f43
+      sha256: "24a2c445b15de3af7e4582ebceb2aa9a1e3731d0202cb3e7a1e03012440fa07d"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "2.0.5"
+    version: "1.4.35"
   firebase_remote_config_web:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
       name: firebase_remote_config_web
-      sha256: "2a465562d7d35c3a7f4956d440d5ac171e6ce65974b2225fd17b45303f88aa94"
+      sha256: "525aa3000fd27cd023841c802010a06515e564aab2f147aa964b35f54abbf449"
       url: "https://pub.dev"
     source: hosted
-    version: "1.10.1"
+    version: "1.6.7"
   fixnum:
     dependency: transitive
     description:
diff --git a/pubspec.yaml b/pubspec.yaml
index af9ed03..9e010dd 100644
--- a/pubspec.yaml
+++ b/pubspec.yaml
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ dependencies:
   equatable: ^2.0.7
 
   # Firebase - Remote Config for feature flags
-  firebase_core: ^4.2.1
-  firebase_performance: ^0.11.1+2
-  firebase_remote_config: ^6.1.1
+  firebase_core: ^2.24.2
+  firebase_performance: ^0.9.3+8
+  firebase_remote_config: ^4.3.6
 
   # Flutter SDK - Core Flutter framework
   flutter:
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ dependencies:
   intl: ^0.20.2
 
   # Code Generation - Runtime annotations for JSON serialization
-  # Used for @JsonSerializable annotations (Group 7 implementation)
+  # Used for @JsonSerializable annotations
   json_annotation: ^4.9.0
 
   # Logging - Comprehensive logging solution with multiple outputs
@@ -81,11 +81,11 @@ dev_dependencies:
     sdk: flutter
 
   # Code Generation - Generates immutable classes, unions, and more
-  # Used for @freezed code generation (Group 7 implementation)
+  # Used for @freezed code generation
   freezed: ^3.2.3
 
   # Code Generation - Generates JSON serialization/deserialization code
-  # Used for @JsonSerializable code generation (Group 7 implementation)
+  # Used for @JsonSerializable code generation
   json_serializable: ^6.11.1
 
   # Testing - Mocking library for unit tests (no code generation required)
@@ -95,8 +95,7 @@ dev_dependencies:
   very_good_analysis: ^10.0.0
 
   # REMOVED UNUSED DEV DEPENDENCIES:
-  # go_router_builder: ^4.1.1 - Not used (go_router removed), can add back when implementing routing
-  # retrofit_generator: ^10.1.4 - Not used (retrofit removed), can add back when implementing type-safe HTTP client
+  # retrofit_generator: ^10.1.4 - Not used, can add back when implementing type-safe HTTP client
   # riverpod_generator: ^3.0.3 - Not used (using manual providers), can add back when using code generation
 
 # For information on the generic Dart part of this file, see the