diff --git a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/LDClientImpl.storage.test.ts b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/LDClientImpl.storage.test.ts
index 8fd27e69c0..c3370e41db 100644
--- a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/LDClientImpl.storage.test.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/LDClientImpl.storage.test.ts
@@ -98,11 +98,10 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
     expect(basicPlatform.storage.get).toHaveBeenCalledWith('org:Testy Pizza');
 
     // 'change' should not have been emitted
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, 'identifying', context);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, defaultFlagKeys);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, 'change', context, defaultFlagKeys);
     expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
-      3,
+      2,
       'error',
       context,
       expect.objectContaining({ message: 'test-error' }),
@@ -135,20 +134,15 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
     );
 
     // 'change' should not have been emitted
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
       1,
-      'identifying',
-      expect.objectContaining(toMulti(context)),
-    );
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
-      2,
       'change',
       expect.objectContaining(toMulti(context)),
       defaultFlagKeys,
     );
     expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
-      3,
+      2,
       'error',
       expect.objectContaining(toMulti(context)),
       expect.objectContaining({ message: 'test-error' }),
@@ -175,8 +169,6 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
     ldc.identify(context).then(noop);
     await jest.runAllTimersAsync();
 
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, 'identifying', context);
     expect(basicPlatform.storage.set).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
       1,
       'org:Testy Pizza',
@@ -207,9 +199,8 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
       'org:Testy Pizza',
       JSON.stringify(putResponse),
     );
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, 'identifying', context);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, defaultFlagKeys);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, 'change', context, defaultFlagKeys);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
   });
 
   test('syncing storage when a flag is added', async () => {
@@ -229,7 +220,7 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
       'org:Testy Pizza',
       JSON.stringify(putResponse),
     );
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, 'change', context, ['another-dev-test-flag']);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, ['another-dev-test-flag']);
   });
 
   test('syncing storage when a flag is updated', async () => {
@@ -239,7 +230,7 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
     const allFlags = await identifyGetAllFlags(false, putResponse);
 
     expect(allFlags).toMatchObject({ 'dev-test-flag': false });
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
   });
 
   test('syncing storage on multiple flag operations', async () => {
@@ -254,7 +245,7 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
 
     expect(allFlags).toMatchObject({ 'dev-test-flag': false, 'another-dev-test-flag': true });
     expect(allFlags).not.toHaveProperty('moonshot-demo');
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, 'change', context, [
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, [
       'moonshot-demo',
       'dev-test-flag',
       'another-dev-test-flag',
@@ -275,8 +266,8 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
       'org:Testy Pizza',
       JSON.stringify(defaultPutResponse),
     );
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, defaultFlagKeys);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, 'change', context, defaultFlagKeys);
 
     // this is defaultPutResponse
     expect(allFlags).toEqual({
@@ -306,7 +297,7 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
 
     // both previous and current are true but inExperiment has changed
     // so a change event should be emitted
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
   });
 
   test('patch should emit change event', async () => {
@@ -324,8 +315,8 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
       expect.stringContaining(JSON.stringify(patchResponse)),
     );
     expect(flagsInStorage['dev-test-flag'].version).toEqual(patchResponse.version);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
   });
 
   test('patch should add new flags', async () => {
@@ -341,8 +332,8 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
       expect.stringContaining(JSON.stringify(patchResponse)),
     );
     expect(flagsInStorage).toHaveProperty('another-dev-test-flag');
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, 'change', context, ['another-dev-test-flag']);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, ['another-dev-test-flag']);
   });
 
   test('patch should ignore older version', async () => {
@@ -395,8 +386,8 @@ describe('sdk-client storage', () => {
       expect.stringContaining('dev-test-flag'),
     );
     expect(flagsInStorage['dev-test-flag']).toMatchObject({ ...deleteResponse, deleted: true });
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
-    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(emitter.emit).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, 'change', context, ['dev-test-flag']);
   });
 
   test('delete should not delete equal version', async () => {
diff --git a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/LDClientImpl.ts b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/LDClientImpl.ts
index df79830f16..af8a873703 100644
--- a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/LDClientImpl.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/LDClientImpl.ts
@@ -299,7 +299,6 @@ export default class LDClientImpl implements LDClient {
 
     const { identifyPromise, identifyResolve } = this.createPromiseWithListeners();
     this.logger.debug(`Identifying ${JSON.stringify(context)}`);
-    this.emitter.emit('identifying', context);
 
     const flagsStorage = await this.getFlagsFromStorage(checkedContext.canonicalKey);
     if (flagsStorage) {
diff --git a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDClient.ts b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDClient.ts
index 4aaa347142..757b55d130 100644
--- a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDClient.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDClient.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export interface LDClient {
    * events. After the client is closed, all calls to {@link variation} will return default values,
    * and it will not make any requests to LaunchDarkly.
    */
-  close(): void;
+  close(): Promise<void>;
 
   /**
    * Flushes all pending analytics events.
@@ -80,6 +80,11 @@ export interface LDClient {
    */
   flush(): Promise<{ error?: Error; result: boolean }>;
 
+  /**
+   * Gets the SDK connection mode.
+   */
+  getConnectionMode(): ConnectionMode;
+
   /**
    * Returns the client's current context.
    *
@@ -196,7 +201,6 @@ export interface LDClient {
    *
    * The following event names (keys) are used by the client:
    *
-   * - `"identifying"`: The client starts to fetch feature flags.
    * - `"error"`: General event for any kind of error condition during client operation.
    *   The callback parameter is an Error object. If you do not listen for "error"
    *   events, then the errors will be logged with `console.log()`.
diff --git a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDEmitter.test.ts b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDEmitter.test.ts
index 6cf6a7593c..eff966efee 100644
--- a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDEmitter.test.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDEmitter.test.ts
@@ -55,13 +55,11 @@ describe('LDEmitter', () => {
   test('eventNames', () => {
     const errorHandler1 = jest.fn();
     const changeHandler = jest.fn();
-    const readyHandler = jest.fn();
 
-    emitter.on('identifying', readyHandler);
     emitter.on('error', errorHandler1);
     emitter.on('change', changeHandler);
 
-    expect(emitter.eventNames()).toEqual(['identifying', 'error', 'change']);
+    expect(emitter.eventNames()).toEqual(['error', 'change']);
   });
 
   test('listener count', () => {
diff --git a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDEmitter.ts b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDEmitter.ts
index 9248f58745..18e4bdab14 100644
--- a/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDEmitter.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/sdk-client/src/api/LDEmitter.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-export type EventName = 'identifying' | 'error' | 'change';
+export type EventName = 'error' | 'change';
 
 type CustomEventListeners = {
   original: Function;