React Native Radio

Evan Albert, engineering manager at Meta who enables Android and React Native apps on Meta Quest, explains how familiar React Native tools now target Horizon OS. He covers Expo integration and the Expo Horizon Core plugin. He explores Quest-specific UX: resizable panels, multitasking, new input patterns, the Meta Spatial Simulator, and developer workflows for building and testing VR apps.

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.

Fernando Rojo, Head of Mobile at Vercel and creator of Solito, explains building V0 with React Native and Expo. He discusses choosing a tech stack, tradeoffs between React Native and SwiftUI, and upstreaming fixes to improve native tooling. The conversation covers performance tuning, shared web-mobile code strategies, and contributions to open source libraries.

William Candillon, an independent engineer known for React Native graphics demos and tutorials. He explores how React Native Skia enables smooth animations, shaders, and advanced UI effects. The conversation also covers WebGPU, compute shaders, and the future of 3D and high-performance graphics on mobile.

Krzysztof Magiera, software engineer and co-founder of Software Mansion who built key React Native libraries, discusses react-native-screens and its origins as a fix for memory and resource issues. He explains screens as native primitives powering navigation UI. They cover the V5 rewrite for the new architecture, platform limits, and why the library stays separate from navigation frameworks.

Kræn Hansen, a developer who built SDKs and native integrations at Realm and MongoDB and now works on ElevenLabs' developer experience, breaks down Node-API for React Native. He explains what Node-API is and is not. He compares Node-API to JSI and TurboModules. He covers Rust and multi-language bindings, ABI stability, tooling benefits, and what still needs to be done for wider support.

Mazen and Robin welcome back Cedric van Putten to discuss Expo Launch, a new tool that automates deploying React Native apps to the App Store. Learn how Expo is streamlining certificates, screenshots, and submission workflows.Show NotesExpo LaunchCedric van Putten's blog post: Introducing Expo LaunchMatt Palmer's blog post: From idea to app with Replit and ExpoExpo's AI StrategyConnect With Us!Cedric van Putten: @cedric_devRobin Heinze: @robinheinzeMazen Chami: @mazenchamiReact Native Radio: @ReactNativeRdioThis episode is brought to you by Infinite Red!Infinite Red is an expert React Native consultancy located in the USA. With over a decade of React Native experience and deep roots in the React Native community (hosts of Chain React and the React Native Newsletter, core React Native contributors, creators of Ignite and Reactotron, and much, much more), Infinite Red is the best choice for helping you build and deploy your next React Native app.

In this episode of React Native Radio, Robin and Mazen are joined by Marc Rousavy to break down transforming packages to Nitro and why it’s a big deal for high-performance native modules. They dig into Nitro’s origins, how it stacks up against TurboModules and Expo, and what’s coming next for VisionCamera. Show NotesNitroModulesChatGPT Nitro Module BuilderMarc's screencast: How to build a Nitro ModuleFrank Calise's Awesome Nitro ModulesRNR 310 - Nitro with Marc RousavyMargelo's Discord Connect With Us!Marc Rousavy: @mrousavyRobin Heinze: @robinheinzeMazen Chami: @mazenchamiReact Native Radio: @ReactNativeRdio This episode is brought to you by Infinite Red!Infinite Red is an expert React Native consultancy located in the USA. With over a decade of React Native experience and deep roots in the React Native community (hosts of Chain React and the React Native Newsletter, core React Native contributors, creators of Ignite and Reactotron, and much, much more), Infinite Red is the best choice for helping you build and deploy your next React Native app.

In our popular year-end recap, our hosts are all back tother and joined by guest Josh Yoes to review the biggest React Native developments of 2025! They cover major releases, the shift to the new architecture, React 19 support, and how tooling and performance evolved across the ecosystem. Show NotesBlog Post | React Native Wrapped 2025 by Joshua Yoes Connect With Us!Josh Yoes: @JoshuaYoesJamon Holmgren: @jamonholmgrenRobin Heinze: @robinheinzeMazen Chami: @mazenchamiReact Native Radio: @ReactNativeRdio This episode is brought to you by Infinite Red!Infinite Red is an expert React Native consultancy located in the USA. With over a decade of React Native experience and deep roots in the React Native community (hosts of Chain React and the React Native Newsletter, core React Native contributors, creators of Ignite and Reactotron, and much, much more), Infinite Red is the best choice for helping you build and deploy your next React Native app.

Mazen and Robin are joined by fan-favorite Taylor Desseyn to discuss how the React Native job market has shifted in 2025 and why community matters more than ever. They break down what skills companies want now and how developers can stand out in a tighter market. Show NotesRNR 302 - Landing a Job with Taylor DesseynThelma & James (The band Taylor worked with that went viral on TikTok)TorcTorc's Community (Discord)Infinite Red Community (Slack)Taylor’s Keynote  Connect With Us!Taylor Desseyn: @tdesseynMazen Chami: @mazenchamiRobin Heinze: @robinheinzeReact Native Radio: @ReactNativeRdioThis episode is brought to you by Infinite Red!Infinite Red is an expert React Native consultancy located in the USA. With over a decade of React Native experience and deep roots in the React Native community (hosts of Chain React and the React Native Newsletter, core React Native contributors, creators of Ignite and Reactotron, and much, much more), Infinite Red is the best choice for helping you build and deploy your next React Native app.