Replace GameAnalytics: faster cold start

Q: How do I measure cold start before / after?

iOS: Xcode Organizer's Launch Time metric (aggregate from real users) or Instruments → App Launch template (synthetic). Android: `adb shell am start -W /. ` or Play Console's Vitals → Startup time. Measure before removing the old SDK, after, and compare on the same device class.

Q: Does Respectlytics block the main thread on init?

No. `Respectlytics.configure(appKey:)` is synchronous but does only in-memory work (allocates the ring buffer). The network flush runs on a background dispatch queue / coroutine.

▸Example GameAnalytics call (the "before")

swift Respectlytics

import GameAnalytics

GameAnalytics.configureBuild("1.0.0")
GameAnalytics.initialize(withGameKey: "YOUR_KEY", gameSecret: "YOUR_SECRET")

GameAnalytics.addProgressionEvent(
    withProgressionStatus: GAProgressionStatusComplete,
    progression01: "world_1",
    progression02: "level_5",
    score: 1200
)
GameAnalytics.addBusinessEvent(
    withCurrency: "USD",
    amount: Int32(priceInCents),
    itemType: "iap",
    itemId: sku,
    cartType: "main_paywall"
)

Heavy analytics SDKs do work at app launch — reading identifiers, initialising queues, network dispatch — that compounds visibly on lower-end devices. Respectlytics's SDK adds typically under 30ms to cold start, vs 100-300ms for Firebase Analytics's full initialisation chain.

☑Remove GameAnalytics cleanly

1
Remove pod 'GameAnalytics' from Podfile
2
Remove implementation 'com.gameanalytics.sdk:gameanalytics-android-sdk:...' from build.gradle
3
Remove GameAnalytics.initialize(...) and GameAnalytics.addBusinessEvent(...) call sites
4
Replace progression and resource event call sites with Respectlytics.track("event_name") using distinct event names per level / resource type
5
If you used GameAnalytics's benchmark comparisons as a product KPI, plan how you'll source those numbers post-migration

⇋GameAnalytics vs Respectlytics — faster cold start

	GameAnalytics	Respectlytics
Typical cold-start contribution (p50)	— see tool note above	< 30ms
Initialisation work on launch	Reads IDFA/AAID, opens SQLite, spins up threads	Allocates ring buffer (RAM-only)
Number of background threads spawned	— typically 2-4	1
Synchronous I/O on init	— typical (SQLite open)	None

❓Frequently asked questions

How do I measure cold start before / after?

iOS: Xcode Organizer's Launch Time metric (aggregate from real users) or Instruments → App Launch template (synthetic). Android: adb shell am start -W <package>/.<activity> or Play Console's Vitals → Startup time. Measure before removing the old SDK, after, and compare on the same device class.

Does Respectlytics block the main thread on init?

No. Respectlytics.configure(appKey:) is synchronous but does only in-memory work (allocates the ring buffer). The network flush runs on a background dispatch queue / coroutine.

What's typical magnitude of improvement?

On a mid-range Android device, removing Firebase Analytics + AppsFlyer typically saves 100-300ms off cold start, depending on Google Play Services init state. On iOS the delta is usually 50-150ms. Effect is more pronounced on cold-start (uncached) than warm-start launches.

Does cold-start improvement actually affect business metrics?

Yes — first-session abandonment correlates with launch latency in published benchmarks. A 100ms improvement on the slowest deciles of your device distribution can show a measurable first-day retention lift.

⇢Related migration guides

Replace GameAnalytics to speed up cold start