iOS Package 400MB With No Content

Development Platform & Builds Mobile
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1

When attempting to build a package for iOS in 2.25.0, we’re running into a problem with the package size. We have just started developing the app, and there are maybe 10 sprites in one level with a handful of blueprints. However, when we tested packaging it was over 400MB.

We tested a few things so far:

  • Started new blank project with no starter content and packaged.
  • Saved the starter map and set it to all maps listed under maps and modes per documentation.
  • Packaged for shipping instead of dev.
  • Selected compressed paks and no editor content.
  • Disabled plugins until we got build errors.
  • Included manual PakBlacklist-Shipping under Build\IOS

The lowest we could get the final .ipa was 398MB. We ran across mentions of the Tappy Chicken project in our research, but could not find any copies of the project files still online or any documentation on the specific optimizations that were made.

Is there something simple we’re missing that is causing more to be packaged than is needed, or is 400MB the new baseline for all Unreal projects in 2.25?

2

I believe we have found a solution to our problem. We were able to reduce the package size a couple of different ways depending on what version of UE4 we were using.

In 4.25 we disabled all plugins were knew for sure we were not using.For some reason this caused the project not to be able to be built in windows for iOS, even though it is a blueprints only project. We have hooked up a mac and are doing remote builds.

In 4.24 disabling the plugins didn’t seem to have the same impact. The package size only reduced after disabling both “fast math” options (“intrinsics” and “optimisations” as listed in the iOS project settings).

With both of those done, the project went from 400MB to 70MB even with our core gameplay code and artwork. There is another 40MB that can be recovered if you aren’t using bloom in your game by removing the bloom material the engine includes, but we are planning to use the effect and have left it in.