2026-03-04 · #22
React Native Weekly #22 Expo SDK 55, State of React Native 2025, CSS Grid Yoga and more
Expo SDK 55 Released: React Native 0.83, Expo Router v7, and Many New Features#
Expo SDK 55 has been released with support for React Native 0.83 and React 19.2. The legacy architecture has been deprecated, and New Architecture is now the default.
A notable change is that diff delivery for Hermes bytecode reduces OTA update download sizes by up to 75%.
The release also bundles Expo Router v7 and includes AI tooling powered by MCP and agent skills.
Additionally, iOS dev builds can now automatically detect a dev server on the local network, letting you start development without scanning a QR code.
Expo SDK 55 is here😅 React Native 0.83. React 19.2. Legacy Architecture dropped. New Architecture is the default. ◆ 75% smaller update downloads with Hermes bytecode diffing ◆ Expo Router v7 🤯 ◆ Brownfield isolation via expo-brownfield ◆ AI tooling: MCP + agent skills
quality of life feature in @expo 55, iOS dev builds using expo-dev-client will discover devservers on the local network automatically ✨📡 qr codes are finally fully optional now 😄
State of React Native 2025 Survey Results Published#
The State of React Native 2025 survey results have been published. It’s a great resource for getting a clear picture of where React Native stands today.
The State of React Native 2025 results are here! 💥 Browse through them yourself or watch how @aleqsio & @tomekzaw_ analyse what's changed and what's stable in React Native. 👉 Find the links in the comment & let us know what the biggest surprise for you was!
Unistyles 3.1.0 Preparing for Release: react-native-edge-to-edge Now Optional#
A major release of Unistyles 3.1.0 is in the works.
In line with Expo SDK 54’s migration to React Native’s built-in enableEdgeToEdge Gradle property, the dependency on react-native-edge-to-edge is becoming optional.
The user base continues to grow, and more features are planned as well.
Preparing a bigger release for Unistyles (3.1.0). From now on react-native-edge-to-edge is optional. This aligns with Expo SDK 54's transition away from this dependency in favor of React Native's built-in `enableEdgeToEdge` Gradle property. github.com/jpudysz/react-nativ…
@native-html/render Released: The Successor to react-native-render-html#
Software Mansion has released @native-html/render.
It is the successor to the now-unmaintained react-native-render-html, preserving the same API while adding support for modern React Native.
Ongoing maintenance is planned, so existing users should consider migrating.
We've just released @native-html/render! 📣 It's a successor to react-native-render-html with the exact same API, but it now supports the latest @reactnative. We will maintain it going forward, so we highly recommend switching, as the previous package is no longer maintained.
RNRepo Now Supports iOS for Faster Builds#
Software Mansion’s open-source plugin RNRepo now supports iOS, enabling build acceleration using pre-built artifacts on both Android and iOS.
You can get started by copying just a few lines of code into your project.
RNRepo now supports iOS! 🫱🏼🫲🏻 Our open-source plugin speeds up React Native builds using pre-built artifacts, available for both Android and iOS. 🍎 ⬇️ Just copy-paste a few lines into your project to get started.
react-native-enriched-markdown 0.3.0 Released: GFM Support, RTL, and More#
react-native-enriched-markdown 0.3.0 has been released, adding support for GFM (tables, task lists, auto-links) and full RTL layout support.
react-native-enriched-markdown 0.3.0 is out! 🚀 📝 GFM support (tables, task lists, and autolinks) 🌍 Full right-to-left (RTL) layout support ✨ New inline style properties for link, strong, and emphasis 🛠️ Many bug fixes for better stability Check 🧵for full release notes
A future update is also planned to support LLM streaming.
Need to show LLM output in your RN app? 🤖 Here's a fully native component from 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚝-𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎-𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍-𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 with support for streaming Markdown. Let us know if you find this useful for your project.
CSS Grid Support PR for Yoga Moved Out of Draft#
Nick Gerleman’s nine-part PR adding CSS grid support to Yoga has been moved out of draft.
If it lands, it will bring CSS grid to React Native’s layout system, significantly expanding what you can express in your layouts.
Nick Gerleman's nine-part PR to add CSS Grid support to Yoga. Seems like all parts are based onto main and independently mergable 😲
React Tokyo Fes 2026 Event Report#
React Tokyo Fes 2026 was held, featuring poster sessions on the React ecosystem including React Native.
The Expo team made their first appearance in Japan, and many developers from both Japan and abroad attended.
It was an event where you could really feel the growing interest in React Native firsthand.
React Tokyo フェス2026、無事閉幕です！ お越しいただいた皆様、本日は大変にありがとうございました！ #ReactTokyo
昨日開催されたReact Tokyo フェス2026でポスターセッションをしました👏 1日中話してる感じになり、みんなReact Nativeに興味あるんだな〜と嬉しくなりました🥹 わりと雑に入門できるので、ぜひ勉強会にも遊びに来てください！🤟 react-native-meetup.connpass.c… #ReactTokyo #ReactNativeJP twitter.com/mrtry_/status/2021…
Me presenting a poster at React Tokyo Festival! Talking about the new tool I’ve been making to bolster the React Native Desktop ecosystem. Hopefully more on this (and in English) at a conference in future!
At React Tokyo Festival! @expo making their first(?) appearance in Japan with Juwan (and Jesse interpreting!) 🤩
One More Thing#
I attended React Tokyo Fes as a member of the React Native Japan poster session team! I heard from a lot of web frontend developers that they’re interested in React Native, and I could really feel the growing enthusiasm here in Japan. It was a great reminder of how much I’d love to see React Native spread even further across the country.
Also, the CSS grid support PR for Yoga is finally moving! It’s been a long-awaited feature, and the finish line is finally in sight — we’re almost there!