React Native Weekly #20 React Native 0.84, Hermes V1 Default, AI Agent Testing and more

React Native 0.84 Released — Hermes V1 Now the Default#

React Native 0.84 has officially launched. The headline change in this update is that the JavaScript engine Hermes V1 is now adopted as the default engine. On iOS, precompiled binaries are also enabled by default, which should lead to faster build times.

Upgrading is straightforward if you use Agent Skills.

Michał Pierzchała (@thymikee) on XReact Native 0.84 is out! → Hermes V1 as Default → Precompiled Binaries on iOS by Default → Legacy Architecture Components Removed Upgrade easily with: » npx skills callstackincubator/agent-skillsX (formerly Twitter)

react-native-bottom-sheet-stack 1.8.0 Goes Library-Agnostic#

Version 1.8.0 of react-native-bottom-sheet-stack has been released. Starting with this version, the library is completely library-agnostic — you’re no longer tied to any specific bottom sheet library.

Previously it depended on @gorhom/bottom-sheet, but 1.8.0 introduces a built-in bottom sheet. Using custom adapters, you can still integrate it with any modal or bottom sheet library you prefer, including @gorhom/bottom-sheet.

arekkub (@tsolfitsmexx) on XBig update for react-native-bottom-sheet-stack 1.8.0 - it's now fully library-agnostic. No longer tied to @gorhom/bottom-sheet. You can now create custom adapters to integrate with any modal or bottom sheet library you prefer. Ships with built-in adapters for: -X (formerly Twitter)

react-native-video v7 beta.6 Released — Improved Notification Controls#

v7 beta.6 of the video playback library react-native-video is out. Notification controls have been significantly improved, bringing the experience up to par with the YouTube player.

Users can now intuitively control video playback directly from the notification area, delivering a more polished media playback experience. This is a quality-of-life update worth picking up for any app with video functionality.

Kamil Moskała (@moskalakamil) on Xreact-native-video v7 beta.6 is out! 🚀 notification controls that actually work Left: @YouTube's player, right: react-native-videoX (formerly Twitter)

Rozenite for Web — The Same Debugging Experience on Web#

Rozenite, the plugin framework for React Native Devtools, is coming to the web.

It’s currently being tested internally at Callstack and is expected to be publicly available soon.

Szymon Chmal (@ChmalSzymon) on XIntroducing Rozenite for Web - debug React Native on web with the same great experience you get on native. Fully compatible with existing Rozenite plugins. Plus, it's ready for upcoming agentic features. Currently being tested internally at Callstack - coming soon for everyone 🔥X (formerly Twitter)

Official Agent Skill for React Native Testing Library Released#

An official Agent Skill for React Native Testing Library (RNTL) has been released. With this skill, AI agents can correctly use all of RNTL’s features, automating the application of best practices and detection of anti-patterns.

It supports both v13 and v14 beta, and encourages writing accessibility-first tests. Expect improvements in test code quality and maintainability.

Maciej Jastrzębski (@mdj_dev) on XReact Native Testing Library now has an official agent skill! 🎉 It gives your agent full knowledge of RNTL so it can: - Use every query, matcher, and event APIs correctly - Apply best practices & detect anti-patterns - Support both v13 and v14 beta - Follow a11y-first testingX (formerly Twitter)

Uniwind Pro Launches#

Uniwind Pro — a high-performance, Tailwind-like styling API — has officially launched. Unlike the free version of Uniwind, its rendering engine is implemented in C++, making it even more performant.

Uniwind Skills has also been released, making it easy to follow Uniwind best practices and migrate from Nativewind.

Jacek (@jpudysz) on XUniwind Pro is now publicly available 🥳 After 4 weeks of beta, RC.1 is here. - Battle-tested by dozens of teams - Waitlist is gone - Every early adopter gets their license extended to March 2027 Zero re-renders. Let's push performance to the limit 🚀X (formerly Twitter)

Jacek (@jpudysz) on XIntroducing Uniwind Skills 🔥 You can now one-shot migrate from Nativewind to Uniwind. No extra effort needed. The skill includes best practices, a step-by-step guide, and fixes for all issues previously reported by users. Migrate today: npx skills add uni-stack/uniwindX (formerly Twitter)

Re.Pack Support Added to React Native Storybook#

React Native Storybook v10.2.2-alpha.3 now supports Re.Pack, the module bundler for React Native.

Projects using Re.Pack as their module bundler can now take full advantage of Storybook for component development.

Daniel Williams (@Danny_H_W) on XBeen working on adding @repack_rn support to React Native @storybookjs and the first working version is in v10.2.2-alpha.3 🎉 Use the Storybook plugin to handle configuration, and the agent setup skill now knows how to configure Repack projects too.X (formerly Twitter)

Dynamic UI with json-render × React Native#

A new approach combining json-render with React Native has been introduced. It’s an effort toward achieving UGI (User-Generated Interfaces) powered by Generative UI.

It enables delivering personalized, dynamic UIs for each user without compromising reliability. Pre-defined components and actions ensure safe and predictable output.

Chris Tate (@ctatedev) on XIntroducing json-render × React Native Another step toward UGI (User-Generated Interfaces), powered by Generative UI. Dynamic, personalized UIs per user without sacrificing reliability. Predefined components and actions for safe, predictable output.X (formerly Twitter)

Test AI Agents Directly on iOS/Android Devices#

A new tool has arrived for AI agent development workflows. Using the npx agent-device command, you can directly verify and interact with AI agent output on real iOS and Android devices.

Previously, agent behavior verification was often limited to simulators and emulators, but this tool makes testing on physical devices much easier. Being able to confirm agent behavior on actual devices opens the door to more practical development and testing.

Callstack Engineers (@callstackio) on XYour agents can now "see" and "touch" their generated outcomes directly on iOS and Android devices. » npx agent-device Read more 👇 Link in the comments 👇X (formerly Twitter)

One More Thing#

I hadn’t heard of Rozenite before, but it looks super useful! There are plugins for debugging things like Tanstack Query and React Navigation state, so I’m definitely going to give it a try.