Expo Upgrading

Expo SDK Upgrade Guide

Guidelines for upgrading Expo SDK versions and fixing dependency issues. Based on official Expo skills.

Step-by-Step Upgrade Process

1. Upgrade Expo and Dependencies

# Upgrade to latest SDK
npx expo install expo@latest

# Fix peer dependencies
npx expo install --fix

2. Run Diagnostics

npx expo-doctor

3. Clear Caches and Reinstall

# Clear Expo cache
npx expo export -p ios --clear

# Clean install
rm -rf node_modules .expo
watchman watch-del-all
npm install  # or bun install

Breaking Changes Checklist

• Check for removed APIs in release notes
• Update import paths for moved modules
• Review native module changes requiring prebuild
• Test all camera, audio, and video features
• Verify navigation still works correctly
• Test push notifications
• Verify deep linking

Prebuild for Native Changes

If upgrading requires native changes:

npx expo prebuild --clean

This regenerates the ios and android directories. Only run on managed workflow projects.

Clear Caches for Bare Workflow

iOS

# Clear CocoaPods cache
cd ios && pod install --repo-update

# Clear derived data
npx expo run:ios --no-build-cache

# Full clean
rm -rf ios/Pods ios/Podfile.lock
cd ios && pod install

Android

# Clear Gradle cache
cd android && ./gradlew clean

# Full clean
rm -rf android/.gradle android/build android/app/build

Deprecated Packages

Migration Examples

expo-av to expo-audio/expo-video

// Before
import { Audio, Video } from 'expo-av';

// After
import { Audio } from 'expo-audio';
import { VideoView } from 'expo-video';

AsyncStorage to expo-sqlite

// Before
import AsyncStorage from '@react-native-async-storage/async-storage';

// After
import { localStorage } from 'expo-sqlite/localStorage';
await localStorage.setItem('key', 'value');
const value = await localStorage.getItem('key');

Housekeeping

Remove from package.json

These are now implicit dependencies:

• @babel/core
• babel-preset-expo
• expo-constants

Delete Redundant Config Files

If babel.config.js only contains 'babel-preset-expo', delete it.

If metro.config.js only contains expo defaults, delete it.

app.json Cleanup

• Delete sdkVersion - let Expo manage it automatically
• Remove "newArchEnabled": true in SDK 53+ (it's the default)

SDK-Specific Changes

SDK 54+ (React 19)

React 19 Changes

// Before - useContext
const value = React.useContext(MyContext);

// After - use
const value = React.use(MyContext);

// Before - Context.Provider
<MyContext.Provider value={value}>

// After - Context directly
<MyContext value={value}>

// Before - forwardRef
const Component = React.forwardRef((props, ref) => { ... });

// After - ref in props
const Component = ({ ref, ...props }) => { ... };

React Compiler (Recommended)

Enable in app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "experiments": {
      "reactCompiler": true
    }
  }
}

Required Dependencies

# Required for react-native-reanimated in SDK 54+
npx expo install react-native-worklets

SDK 53+ (New Architecture)

The new architecture is enabled by default. Expo Go only supports new architecture.

Metro Config

Remove redundant options (now defaults):

• resolver.unstable_enablePackageExports
• experimentalImportSupport (SDK 54+)
• EXPO_USE_FAST_RESOLVER=1 (removed in SDK 54)

PostCSS

• autoprefixer isn't needed in SDK 53+
• Use postcss.config.mjs (not .js)

SDK 50+

• cjs and mjs extensions supported by default
• Expo Webpack deprecated - migrate to Expo Router + Metro web

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Cannot find module" errors

# Clear Metro cache
npx expo start --clear

TypeScript errors after upgrade

# Reinstall types
npx expo install --fix
npm install @types/react@latest @types/react-native@latest

Native module not found

# Rebuild native projects
npx expo prebuild --clean
npx expo run:ios  # or run:android

CocoaPods issues

# Full pod reinstall
cd ios
rm -rf Pods Podfile.lock
pod install --repo-update

Verifying the Upgrade

# Check for issues
npx expo-doctor

# Verify TypeScript
npx tsc --noEmit

# Run tests
npm test

# Start development
npx expo start

Removing Patches

Check patches/ directory for outdated patches that may no longer be needed after upgrade. Remove and test.

Resources

• Release notes: https://expo.dev/changelog
• Upgrade helper: https://docs.expo.dev/workflow/upgrading-expo-sdk/
• Breaking changes: https://docs.expo.dev/versions/latest/