React Native Radio RNR 357 - React Native 0.82–0.84 & Expo 55
Mar 20, 2026
Five months of React Native and Expo releases, covering the shift to the new architecture and Hermes V1 becoming the default. They highlight React 19.2 additions, faster builds with precompiled iOS binaries, and the move to Swift Package Manager. New DevTools, web API compatibility improvements, Expo SDK 55 features like native tabs and brownfield support, and emerging AI tooling are discussed.
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Use Expo Updates Byte Diffing For Faster OTA
- Use Expo Updates byte diffing to speed OTA (over-the-air) updates for testers and users.
- Mazen reported noticeably faster push testing flows after Expo Updates started using byte diffing.
Adopt React 19.2 Hooks For Cleaner Lifecycle
- Upgrade to React 19.2 features like useEffectEvent and activity to simplify lifecycle and improve performance.
- Use useEffectEvent for one-off events instead of overloading useEffect, and try useDeferredValue to defer UI updates.
Debugging Experience Reached Desktop Parity
- Developer tooling improved with a standalone React Native DevTools desktop app and better in-tool tracing and network inspection.
- These tools reduce reliance on browser windows and bring debugging closer to browser-level capabilities.