How to fix Analytics: Code 8 - More than 500 unique event types in Firebase

First, see how close you are to the 500-event-type limit. Open Firebase Console and navigate to Analytics > Events to see all registered event types and their volumes.

Look for:
- Total count of event types listed
- Events with very low volume (likely obsolete or debug events)
- Event names with minor variations (like "purchase" vs "Purchase" vs "PURCHASE")

Screenshot or document this list for analysis in the next steps.

Also check your Firestore console or BigQuery (if linked) to spot-check your actual event diversity.

Review the event types in your Firebase Console and identify candidates for removal:

- Events with zero or near-zero volume: Old test events, deprecated tracking, or experiments that ended
- Events from previous app versions: Features that were removed but event logging remains
- Debug events: Events with names like "test_event", "debug_purchase", or "temp_tracking"
- Duplicate names: Events that serve the same purpose but with slightly different names

Document which events you plan to stop logging, then remove the corresponding logEvent() calls from your codebase:

// REMOVE these deprecated event logs:
// firebase.analytics().logEvent('old_feature_click', {...});
// firebase.analytics().logEvent('test_purchase', {...});
// firebase.analytics().logEvent('deprecated_user_action', {...});

Even if you stop logging to these event types in your new code, old app versions may continue to send them. The existing event type names will remain in your Firebase project and count toward the 500 limit, but you'll prevent new ones from being added.

Establish a strict naming convention for new events and consolidate similar events:

// BEFORE: Too many distinct event names
firebase.analytics().logEvent('button_clicked');
firebase.analytics().logEvent('link_clicked');
firebase.analytics().logEvent('menu_opened');
firebase.analytics().logEvent('menu_closed');
firebase.analytics().logEvent('form_submitted');
firebase.analytics().logEvent('form_validation_error');

// AFTER: Fewer event types using parameters
firebase.analytics().logEvent('interaction', {
  interaction_type: 'button_click',
  element_id: 'submit_btn'
});

firebase.analytics().logEvent('interaction', {
  interaction_type: 'link_click',
  element_url: '/pricing'
});

firebase.analytics().logEvent('menu_state_change', {
  action: 'opened' // or 'closed'
});

firebase.analytics().logEvent('form_event', {
  form_name: 'signup',
  event_type: 'submitted' // or 'validation_error'
});

This approach:
- Reduces event type count by ~50%+
- Uses event parameters (max 25 per event, up to 500 distinct parameter names) for variation
- Makes analytics queries more consistent
- Improves data cohesion in reports

Firebase provides a set of recommended event names that work across all app types. Using these standardized events reduces your custom event count and unlocks automatic features:

// Recommended events for most apps
firebase.analytics().logEvent('page_view', {
  page_title: 'Product Details',
  page_path: '/products/123'
});

firebase.analytics().logEvent('view_item', {
  items: [{ item_id: '123', item_name: 'Product' }]
});

firebase.analytics().logEvent('add_to_cart', {
  items: [{ item_id: '456', item_name: 'Widget' }]
});

firebase.analytics().logEvent('purchase', {
  transaction_id: 'tx_999',
  value: 99.99,
  currency: 'USD'
});

firebase.analytics().logEvent('sign_up', {
  method: 'google' // or 'email', 'apple', etc
});

firebase.analytics().logEvent('login', {
  method: 'email'
});

Replace your custom event names with these whenever possible. See the official Firebase documentation for the complete list of recommended events for your app type (ecommerce, gaming, travel, etc.).

Enable Firebase debug mode and verify that your event consolidation is working correctly:

// Web SDK
firebase.analytics().setAnalyticsCollectionEnabled(true);

// Android (via adb)
adb shell setprop debug.firebase.analytics.app <your-package-name>

// iOS (via Xcode scheme arguments)
-FIRDebugEnabled

Steps:
1. Enable debug mode in your app
2. Trigger events from your app (clicks, page views, form submissions)
3. Open Firebase Console > Analytics > DebugView
4. Verify that:
- You see events appearing in real-time
- No error code 8 warnings appear
- Event names match your consolidation scheme
- Event parameters contain the expected data
5. Disable debug mode before deploying to production