Initialize FirebaseApp without google-services.json

[paularius]

• Android Studio version: 3.2
• Firebase Component: Core/Analytics(Database, Firestore, Storage, Functions, etc)
• Component version: 16.0.4

[REQUIRED] Step 3: Describe the problem

I am trying to initialize the FirebaseApp, only by using the FirebaseOptions builder, like this, first thing in my application (I use only applicationId and ApiKey, since I only want the analytics for start) :

FirebaseOptions options = new FirebaseOptions.Builder()
                    .setApplicationId(applicationID) // Required for Analytics.
                    .setApiKey(apiKey) // Required for Auth.
                    .build();
FirebaseApp.initializeApp(context, options);

I do not have a google-services.json file in my project, I have removed the FirebaseInitProvider, like this, in my AndroidManifest.xml:

<provider
    android:name="com.google.firebase.provider.FirebaseInitProvider"
    android:authorities="${applicationId}.firebaseinitprovider"
    tools:node="remove"/>.

When starting the application, while trying to View events in the Android Studio debug log, like this:
adb shell setprop log.tag.FA VERBOSE
adb shell setprop log.tag.FA-SVC VERBOSE
adb logcat -v time -s FA FA-SVC

I get Missing google_app_id. Firebase Analytics disabled. See https://goo.gl/NAOOOI .

[samtstern]

@paularius could you try adding a string entry to your project (in strings.xml)

<!-- Use the same value you used for applicationID above -->
<string name="google_app_id">YOUR_APPLICATION_ID</string>

For a more comprehensive guide on not using the json file, see this blog post:
https://medium.com/@samstern_58566/how-to-use-firebase-on-android-without-the-google-services-plugin-93ecc7dc6c4

[paularius]

@samtstern Thanks for your reply.
I have already tried this, and seems to work. The thing is that I would like to initialize the FirebaseApp more dynamically, since I would like to have different projects within the same apk (so using different flavors for the xml, would not be useful).
I am trying a part of your approach and try to change the resource dynamically, using reflection, before initializeApp, but that doesn't seem to work either.
Moreover, what is the use of the FirebaseOptions, if I have to use a file in my project?

[samtstern]

@paularius you're right that you shouldn't need the XML file at all. Where are you calling InitializeApp() and is it possible you're trying to use FirebaseAnalytics before that happens?

[paularius]

@samtstern I call it first thing in onCreate, in my application class.
Also, before I try to use any firebaseAnalytics call, I check that the FirebaseApp (the "[DEFAULT]" one) exists.
But even if I tried to initialize it in some other place (for example when I get a response from my server), even by losing some events, should it be a problem?

[adityashri7]

I have had the same issue since months now. I have a running thread with the support team, and it doesn't look like this issue is going anywhere. In my scenario, I have the manual Firebase initialization in a library, and I have multiple apps that use that library. So based on the application thats using it, I initialize the Firebase app. Everything initializes well, but Firebase analytics, which complains about "Missing google_app_id".

[kjsingh815]

We're having the same issue, really hope Firebase team moves faster on this as it's impacting many developers and we're considering moving off of Firebase due to it.

[samtstern]

Thanks everyone for chiming in! I filed an internal bug (b/117609738) with the analytics team since they're likely not watching this issue as that SDK is still closed source. Hopefully they can help me get to the bottom of this.

If you'll let me take one more blind stab: what happens if you create a bogus google_app_id string resource just to satisfy the SDK, but then initialize the default FirebaseApp yourself at runtime. Does Analytics send events to the right place?

[adityashri7]

@samtstern if I just add a google app id, Firebase initializes the app on its own, but ofc doesn't add the other parameters like database url etc. So the manual initialization also fails, because it sees that the app has already been initialized. I even tried to add all the items as generated by firebase to my resources, as mentioned in this post: https://medium.com/@samstern_58566/how-to-use-firebase-on-android-without-the-google-services-plugin-93ecc7dc6c4. It works, but then like @paularius mentioned, I wouldn't be able to switch the app environments dynamically during run time.

[dekan1]

Please, I have same problem with initialization app, is this problem solved yet, or exist any workaround?

[renatobenks-zz]

There's no PR yet for that? How is going on the work to solve that?

I'm with the same problem, I want to load dynamically apps on runtime.

[tonyyyrocks39]

Is this issue fixed...I mean can we initialize firebase without this json file..
Also what is the purpose of firebaseoptions.builder if we can intialize firebase without the builder by simply copying the json file in project.