Cordova-plugin-firebase: Build error for android

Cordova 7.0.1
[email protected]

I needed to upgrade my app from [email protected] to @6.3 - during the rebuild I am add a plugin, recompile, verify errors or warnings, then go on to next plugin.

With about 30 plugins successfully installed, I start to get to the ones that require specific versions of Android-SDKs and play-services version.

I install these first:

cordova plugin add cordova-android-play-services-gradle-release  --variable PLAY_SERVICES_VERSION=15.+  //REM (ver 1.4.3)
cordova plugin add cordova-android-support-gradle-release //REM (ver 1.4.4)

Next I install the following and get warnings, but it still compiles successfully:
cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-request-location-accuracy //REM 2.2.3
Compile Warnings:

C:\Users\RPO\dev\Whipster_0.2.5\platforms\android\build\intermediates\exploded-aar\com.google.android.gms\play-services-base\15.0.1\jars\classes.jar(com/google/android/gms/common/api/GoogleApiClient.class): warning: Cannot find annotation method 'value()' in type 'GuardedBy': class file for javax.annotation.concurrent.GuardedBy not found

Finally, I install cordova-plugin-firebase (v1.0.5) and get the following warnings which cause the build to fail:

C:\Users\RPO\dev\Whipster_0.2.5\platforms\android\build\intermediates\exploded-aar\com.google.firebase\firebase-common\16.0.1\jars\classes.jar(com/google/firebase/FirebaseApp.class): warning: Cannot find annotation method 'value()' in type 'GuardedBy'
C:\Users\RPO\dev\Whipster_0.2.5\platforms\android\build\intermediates\exploded-aar\com.google.firebase\firebase-iid\17.0.0\jars\classes.jar(com/google/firebase/iid/FirebaseInstanceId.class): warning: Cannot find annotation method 'value()' in type 'GuardedBy'
C:\Users\RPO\dev\Whipster_0.2.5\platforms\android\build\intermediates\exploded-aar\com.google.firebase\firebase-iid\17.0.0\jars\classes.jar(com/google/firebase/iid/FirebaseInstanceId.class): warning: Cannot find annotation method 'value()' in type 'GuardedBy'
C:\Users\RPO\dev\Whipster_0.2.5\platforms\android\build\intermediates\exploded-aar\com.google.firebase\firebase-config\16.0.0\jars\classes.jar(com/google/firebase/remoteconfig/FirebaseRemoteConfig.class): warning: Cannot find annotation method 'value()' in type 'GuardedBy'
C:\Users\RPO\dev\Whipster_0.2.5\platforms\android\build\intermediates\exploded-aar\com.google.firebase\firebase-crash\16.0.1\jars\classes.jar(com/google/firebase/crash/FirebaseCrash.class): warning: Cannot find annotation method 'value()' in type 'UsedByReflection': class file for com.google.android.apps.common.proguard.UsedByReflection not found
C:\Users\RPO\dev\Whipster_0.2.5\platforms\android\build\intermediates\exploded-aar\com.google.firebase\firebase-crash\16.0.1\jars\classes.jar(com/google/firebase/crash/FirebaseCrash.class): warning: Cannot find annotation method 'value()' in type 'UsedByReflection'
Note: Some input files use or override a deprecated API.
Note: Recompile with -Xlint:deprecation for details.
Note: Some input files use unchecked or unsafe operations.
Note: Recompile with -Xlint:unchecked for details.
7 warnings

And then the build fails on:

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':transformClassesWithDexForDebug'.
> com.android.build.api.transform.TransformException: com.android.ide.common.process.ProcessException: java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException: com.android.dex.DexException: Multiple dex files define Lcom/google/android/gms/internal/measurement/zzkt;