▸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)
}App-binary size affects download conversion (especially on lower-end devices and cellular networks) and storage pressure for users with full phones. Heavy analytics SDKs (Firebase Analytics, AppsFlyer, Branch) routinely add several MB to the binary; Respectlytics's per-platform SDK is under 100 KB.
☑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 — smaller app binary
| Google Analytics for Firebase | Respectlytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical contribution to IPA size | — see tool note above | < 100 KB |
| Typical contribution to APK / AAB size | — see tool note above | < 100 KB |
| Transitive dependencies | — see tool note above | None (zero third-party) |
❓Frequently asked questions
How much do these SDKs typically add to my binary?
Varies by SDK. The cleanest way to see for your specific app is to build the release AAB twice — once with the SDK, once without — and diff the artefact sizes. Google's Android App Bundle Explorer or bundletool does this directly. Order-of-magnitude on a fresh Android app: heavy attribution SDKs and Firebase Analytics each add several megabytes once you account for transitive dependencies; lighter SDKs that ship as a single thin library may add a few hundred KB once shared deps are de-duplicated.
Does binary size actually affect downloads?
Yes — particularly past Apple's 200 MB cellular-download cap and on lower-end Android devices with limited storage. Google's Play Console has internal metrics showing measurable install-rate differences when AAB size crosses common thresholds (50 MB, 100 MB).
How does the size reduction work in practice?
Removing a single ~3 MB SDK from your release build shrinks the binary by roughly that amount. Multiplied by user installs, the cellular-data savings compound. iOS App Thinning handles per-device variants; Android AAB delivers size-optimised installs by ABI / density / language.
Does the smaller SDK come at a feature cost?
Respectlytics intentionally doesn't bundle features it considers separate concerns: no ads, no attribution, no in-app messaging, no A/B testing, no crash reporting. Each of those is a dedicated tool's job. The smaller surface is the deliberate design — you add only what you actually use.