▸Example Google Analytics for Firebase call (the "before")
import com.google.firebase.analytics.ktx.analytics
import com.google.firebase.ktx.Firebase
// GA4 event with user_id and freeform parameters:
Firebase.analytics.logEvent("level_up") {
param("level", 7L)
param("character", "Aragorn")
param("user_id", userId)
}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 Google Analytics for Firebase cleanly
-
1
Remove the Firebase Analytics dependency from your build (CocoaPods / SPM / Gradle / npm / pub)
-
2
Remove the GA4 property's data stream linkage from your Firebase console — the data stops flowing as soon as the SDK is removed, but the property remains until manually deleted
-
3
Replace
Analytics.logEventcall sites withRespectlytics.track("event_name") -
4
Re-audit your
Info.plistandAndroidManifest.xmlfor IDFA / AD_ID surfaces that GA for Firebase contributed -
5
Confirm
play-services-ads-identifieris no longer in the Android runtime classpath
⇋Google Analytics for Firebase vs Respectlytics — faster cold start
| Google Analytics for Firebase | 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.