React Native 0.87 and the latest version

React Native’s public JavaScript API is now limited to what react-native exports at its root, with types generated from the source code instead of maintained by hand. Imports from internal paths such as react-native/Libraries/* are now type errors, refs have dedicated types like ViewInstance and TextInputInstance, and the old *Properties aliases give way to *Props. The team says many apps will upgrade with few or no errors, and the migration guide covers each change. If you can’t migrate yet, add "react-native-legacy-deep-imports" to customConditions in tsconfig.json; this opt-out stays through 0.88, and the legacy types are due to be removed in the release after.

0.87 is the first React Native release that supports AGP 9. For now the team recommends turning off two AGP 9 behaviors in android/gradle.properties: android.builtInKotlin=false and android.newDsl=false, and notes these opt-outs disappear in AGP 10. What those flags control is explained in the AGP 9 migration, and the Gradle side in the Gradle 9 upgrade. The minimum Kotlin is now 2.0, and compileSdk and build tools moved to 37. Raising compileSdk doesn’t change your target API level; Play’s rule for that is in Google Play’s target API level requirement.

iOS: experimental Swift Package Manager support lets you replace CocoaPods with npx react-native spm --deintegrate in the ios folder; the team says not to use it in production yet, and npx react-native spm deinit reverses it. New header-only XCFrameworks mean bare includes need their namespace, for example #import <React/RCTAppDelegate.h>. Metro 0.87 generates source maps twice as fast with half the memory, and drops YAML and .es6 config files. Removed: InteractionManager (use requestIdleCallback), the Modal animated prop, StatusBar backgroundColor and translucent, the useTurboModules flag, and the standalone react-devtools WebSocket connection. useColorScheme() no longer returns unspecified. ImageBackground and DrawerLayoutAndroid are deprecated.

Use the React Native Upgrade Helper to see the template diff between your version and 0.87, and read the upgrading docs. With 0.87 released, 0.84.x is no longer supported. Expo ships React Native versions through its SDKs; for where SDK 58 and React Native 0.88 stand, see Expo SDK 58. On iOS, also plan for the iOS 27 UIScene requirement.

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