2026-04-22 · #28
React Native Weekly #28 Expo Series B, React Navigation retain, JSI Array & Buffer APIs and more
Expo Go iOS SDK 55 Submitted for Review#
Expo Go for iOS with SDK 55 has been submitted to App Store review.
The current TestFlight build expires on April 22nd, so if the review doesn’t make it in time, you’re advised to either build your own with eas go or use Expo Go on the simulator.
SDK 54’s Expo Go is not affected.
Update: Expo Go iOS SDK 55 is in App Store review. The current TestFlight build expires Wed April 22. If the review isn't complete by the 22nd you can build your own with `eas go` OR you can run Expo Go in a simulator. Expo Go for SDK 54 is unaffected.
RNSEC v1.3.0 Adds 30+ New Rules#
RNSEC, the security scanner for React Native, has released v1.3.0.
The update adds more than 30 new security rules for React Native / Expo projects.
Coverage now extends to cross-origin attacks and dangerous post-install scripts, and several false positives have also been fixed.
RNSEC v1.3.0 is out! 🔐 30+ new security rules for React Native / Expo apps. New coverage includes: • Cross-origin attacks • Dangerous post-install scripts • More real-world mobile attack paths Also, fixed multiple reported false positives to reduce noise. Try it instantly
react-native-release-profiler v2.0 Teased#
A v2.0 preview has been announced for react-native-release-profiler, a profiling tool designed specifically for React Native release builds.
It looks like it will be able to combine Renders, Hermes samples, and RN systraces into a single Perfetto trace.
FPS and memory are also visible, and the tool is apparently designed with AI agents in mind.
For humans, a --visualise-for-human flag is also available.
Sneak peek: react-native-release-profiler 2.0 • Release-only • Renders + Hermes samples + RN systraces → single Perfetto trace • Built for agents • FPS • Memory • Humans can try --visualise-for-human if they insist 😄
Array and Buffer APIs Added to JSI#
A PR has been opened in the react-native repository to add new JSI methods.
It looks like TypedArray, Uint8Array, Array.push, and ArrayBuffer::tryGetMutableBuffer will all become available.
New JavaScript Interface (JSI) methods have just landed in react-native repo 👀 🆕 𝚃𝚢𝚙𝚎𝚍𝙰𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚢 & 𝚄𝙸𝚗𝚝𝟾𝙰𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚢 🆕 𝙰𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚢.𝚙𝚞𝚜𝚑 🆕 𝙰𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚢𝙱𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛::𝚝𝚛𝚢𝙶𝚎𝚝𝙼𝚞𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎𝙱𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 Kudos to @tsaichien 👏
React Navigation 8 Exploring retain to Keep Screens Alive#
React Navigation 8 is considering a navigation.retain(true) mechanism that would keep a screen mounted — rather than unmounting it — after navigating back.
The idea is that the next time you navigate to that screen, it would animate in using the existing instance.
In React Navigation 8, we're working on a way to "retain" screens: navigation.retain(true) Retained screens stay alive and are not unmounted when you go back from them. Next time you navigate to the screen, it'll animate in the existing instance.
Expo Raises Series B and Doubles Down on Ecosystem#
Expo has announced a Series B funding round, with plans to push further on faster builds, improved native integrations, and an enhanced end-to-end developer experience.
It was also announced that Seth Webster, who previously led the React team at Meta, is joining Expo as Chief Developer Evangelist.
🙌 Expo is the best it's ever been, and it's about to get a lot better. We raised a Series B so we can go faster on the things that matter to you: faster builds, smoother native integrations, and the services to make end-to-end app development a delightful experience. There is
I joined Expo. twitter.com/expo/status/204480…
swmansion Releases react-native-nano-icons#
Software Mansion has published react-native-nano-icons, a fast icon rendering library for React Native / Expo.
It converts SVG files into an icon font (.ttf) at build time, then at runtime each icon is treated as a single character — like an emoji — and rendering is delegated entirely to the OS’s text rendering pipeline.
Because it bypasses the React component tree (unlike react-native-svg), it renders efficiently even on screens with large numbers of icons, such as lists or tab bars.
Introducing react-native-nano-icons! 💎🔬 The ultimate way to handle custom icons in React Native: 🛠️ Integrated SVG-to-font build process ⚡ Blazing fast native components 🎨 Multi-color font icon support 📐 Use icons inline within RN <Text> components 🚀 Expo Go & Web support twitter.com/stachbial/status/2…
Embedding STTextView in React Native#
A demo was shared of STTextView being integrated into React Native to achieve a code-editor-style UI without using a WebView.
The notable aspect is that it uses a native text view based on TextKit 2.
I have imprisoned STTextView inside React Native! It's @krzyzanowskim's superpowered native text view, based on TextKit 2. My aim is to provide a good alternative to embedding a webview when you want a code editor view in your app.
react-native-fast-tflite 3.0.0 Migrates to Nitro Modules#
Version 3.0.0 of react-native-fast-tflite, a library for running TensorFlow Lite inference at high speed in React Native, has been released.
A full rewrite to Nitro Modules brings bridgeless support and performance improvements.
Switching to Nitro’s ArrayBuffer type also fixes a rare SIGSEGV crash.
We just released 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚝-𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎-𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝-𝚝𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎 3.0.0, which has been fully rewritten to a Nitro Module! 🎉 This brings faster performance and bridgeless support for free, and fixes occasional SIGSEV crashes by switching to Nitro's 𝙰𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚢𝙱𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 type! 🥳
Agent React DevTools Now Supports React Native#
Agent React DevTools has been announced, enabling AI agents to inspect a React app’s component tree, state, and rendering performance.
It works with both React Native and React, and provides structured output for debugging.
Introducing Agent React DevTools. AI agents can now inspect React apps beyond the UI: → Component tree and state → Renders and performance → Structured output for debugging Works with React and React Native. Learn more ⬇️
Benchmarking React Native with AI#
A benchmark running Claude Opus 4.7 in a React Native app found it performed worse than 4.6 and cost 30% more.
Cursor’s Composer 2 is currently reported to be the best-performing option.
A day before Claude Opus 4.7 launch we have a benchmark on how it performs in React Native apps. Unfortunately it’s worse than 4.6 and cost 30% more. Hoped for something better twitter.com/callstackio/status…
One More Thing#
react-native-nano-icons looks really promising! Using react-native-svg for icons has always felt a bit clunky, so having something simpler and more performant is definitely worth trying out.
Also, Expo Go for iOS with SDK 55 has entered App Store review. Does this mean we’ll finally be free from having to install it through TestFlight? Here’s hoping!