React Native Roadmap 2026-W24

Week of June 8–June 14, 2026

Items This Week

#	Title	Label	Link
1	Moving away from @expo/vector-icons	🟧 EXPO	Read
2	How a Kotlin compiler plugin cut Android time to first render by 30%	🟧 EXPO	Read
3	Faster iOS Builds with Precompiled XCFrameworks	🟧 EXPO	Read
4	Best CI/CD for mobile apps in 2026: a practical comparison	🟧 EXPO	Read
5	React Native 0.86.0 released	🟦 RN	Read
6	React Native Runtimes — multi-threading innovation	🟦 RN	Read
7	React Compiler ported to Rust (PR merged)	⚛️ REACT	Read
8	The React.Foundation website & repo migration	⚛️ REACT	Read

5-Day Action Plan

🟧 Chunk 1 — Migrate from @expo/vector-icons to @react-native-vector-icons

Goal: Reduce app bundle size by up to 4 MB and eliminate unnecessary aliasing complexity by replacing the deprecated @expo/vector-icons wrapper with the direct @react-native-vector-icons packages.

Scope:

Run the official codemod: npx @react-native-vector-icons/codemod
Update package.json to remove @expo/vector-icons and add specific @react-native-vector-icons/* packages
Remove any Metro/Babel aliasing configuration for react-native-vector-icons
Run npx expo doctor to verify clean state
Verify expo-font is installed and properly configured
Test icon rendering on iOS and Android

Out of scope:

Migrating custom icon sets created with IcoMoon or Fontello (flag for a separate task)
Updating design system documentation

Dependencies:

Expo SDK 56 installed in the project
Existing usage of @expo/vector-icons in the codebase

Acceptance criteria:

All icons render correctly on iOS and Android
npx expo doctor passes with no warnings about icon packages
Bundle size reduced (verifiable with npx expo export --dump-assetmap)
No Metro/Babel aliasing config for vector icons remains in metro.config.js or babel.config.js

Estimated effort: S

Copy/paste this prompt:

Implement the following React Native chunk for your mobile app : Migrate from @expo/vector-icons to @react-native-vector-icons to reduce bundle size by ~4 MB and remove aliasing complexity.

Goal: Replace the deprecated @expo/vector-icons wrapper with the direct @react-native-vector-icons packages, saving up to 4 MB in bundle size and removing unnecessary Metro aliasing.

Files to create or modify:

package.json — remove @expo/vector-icons, add specific @react-native-vector-icons/* packages
metro.config.js or babel.config.js — remove any react-native-vector-icons aliasing
All files importing from @expo/vector-icons — auto-updated by codemod

Step-by-step instructions:

Run npx @react-native-vector-icons/codemod in the project root
Review and commit the auto-updated imports
Remove @expo/vector-icons from package.json dependencies
Remove any react-native-vector-icons aliasing from metro.config.js / babel.config.js
Ensure expo-font is in package.json and properly configured
Run npx expo doctor — confirm no icon-related warnings
Run the app on iOS simulator and Android emulator — verify all icons render correctly

Acceptance criteria checklist:

All icons visible and correct on iOS and Android
npx expo doctor passes with no warnings
@expo/vector-icons absent from package.json
No vector-icons aliasing in Metro/Babel config
App bundle asset size reduced compared to before

🟧 Chunk 2 — Enable Expo SDK 56 XCFrameworks for Faster iOS Builds

Goal: Reduce iOS clean build times by up to 65% by upgrading to Expo SDK 56 and validating that precompiled XCFrameworks are working correctly, skipping source recompilation of 70+ packages on every build.

Scope:

Upgrade to Expo SDK 56 via npx expo upgrade
Confirm XCFrameworks are linked by default (no manual config needed)
Run a clean iOS build locally and via EAS Build — record build duration
Compare build times before and after upgrade

Out of scope:

Migrating from CocoaPods to Swift Package Manager (future work, CocoaPods deprecated December 2026)
Third-party non-Expo library precompilation (handled automatically where supported)

Dependencies:

Xcode 16+ installed locally
Access to EAS Build for comparison metrics

Acceptance criteria:

App builds and runs successfully on iOS simulator and device
EAS Build iOS clean build time shows measurable reduction (target: ≥30% vs SDK 55)
No CocoaPods or XCFramework errors in build log
npx expo doctor passes on SDK 56

Estimated effort: S

Copy/paste this prompt:

Implement the following React Native chunk for your mobile app : Upgrade to Expo SDK 56 and validate precompiled XCFrameworks are reducing iOS build times by up to 65%.

Goal: Move to Expo SDK 56 so that iOS builds skip recompiling 70+ Expo packages from source, using prebuilt XCFrameworks instead.

Files to create or modify:

package.json — bump Expo SDK and peer dependency versions
app.json / app.config.js — update sdkVersion if hardcoded

Step-by-step instructions:

Run npx expo upgrade to migrate to SDK 56
Run npx expo doctor and fix any reported issues
Delete the ios/ folder and node_modules/, then run npm install
Run npx expo run:ios and record build duration
Check build logs for .xcframework references (confirms precompiled linking is active)
Trigger an EAS Build: eas build --platform ios --profile development
Compare EAS Build duration against the last SDK 55 build in the dashboard

Acceptance criteria checklist:

App launches on iOS simulator without errors
No build errors related to missing headers or framework slices
EAS iOS build duration reduced vs last SDK 55 build
npx expo doctor passes on SDK 56
.xcframework files visible in Xcode build log

🟧 Chunk 3 — Validate Android Kotlin Compiler Plugin for Reduced Time-to-First-Render

Goal: Achieve a ~30% reduction in Android time-to-first-render (TTR) and ~70% faster module initialization by ensuring the Expo SDK 56 Kotlin compiler plugin is active and measurable in your Android project.

Scope:

Verify Expo SDK 56 is configured (may follow Chunk 2)
Confirm Kotlin 2.0+ is set in android/build.gradle
Measure cold-start time before and after upgrade using adb shell am start -W
(Optional) Add the @ExpoModule annotation to custom Expo modules to enable Record speedup

Out of scope:

Writing new Expo modules from scratch
Deep profiling with Systrace or Android Studio Profiler (flag for a dedicated performance sprint)

Dependencies:

Expo SDK 56 installed (Chunk 2)
Android Studio with Gradle 8.x
A physical Android device or emulator for accurate TTR measurement

Acceptance criteria:

App cold-start time on Android is ≥20% faster vs SDK 55 (measured via adb shell am start -W)
Build succeeds without Kotlin K2 compilation errors
Gradle output references ExpoModulesPlugin (confirms the IR plugin is active)

Estimated effort: S

Copy/paste this prompt:

Implement the following React Native chunk for your mobile app : Validate the Expo SDK 56 Kotlin compiler plugin is active on Android to reduce time-to-first-render by ~30%.

Goal: Confirm the Kotlin IR compiler plugin shipped with Expo SDK 56 is running, then measure the TTR improvement on a real Android device or emulator.

Files to create or modify:

android/build.gradle — ensure kotlinVersion = '2.0.0' (or higher)
android/app/build.gradle — verify Expo Gradle plugin is applied

Step-by-step instructions:

Confirm Expo SDK 56 is installed (cat package.json | grep expo)
Open android/build.gradle and verify kotlinVersion = '2.0.0' or higher
Run cd android && ./gradlew clean
Measure cold-start BEFORE: adb shell am start -W com.yourapp/.MainActivity
Build release variant: npx expo run:android --variant release
Measure cold-start AFTER: adb shell am start -W com.yourapp/.MainActivity
Check Gradle logs for ExpoModulesPlugin to confirm the IR plugin ran

Acceptance criteria checklist:

App launches on Android without crash
Kotlin version is 2.0+ in android/build.gradle
Cold-start TTR measurably reduced vs before SDK 56
No Kotlin K2 compilation errors in Gradle output
ExpoModulesPlugin present in Gradle build log

🟦 Chunk 4 — Upgrade React Native to 0.86.0

Goal: Keep the app on a supported and current React Native release by upgrading to 0.86.0, benefiting from the latest bug fixes, performance improvements, and the new animation backend.

Scope:

Update react-native to 0.86.0 in package.json
Apply the diff from the React Native upgrade helper for android/ and ios/ native files
Verify app builds and passes basic smoke tests on both platforms

Out of scope:

Adopting new 0.86-specific APIs (schedule as a follow-up task)
Migrating to the New Architecture if not already enabled

Dependencies:

React Native upgrade helper: https://react-native-community.github.io/upgrade-helper/
Existing test suite (unit + E2E smoke tests)

Acceptance criteria:

App builds on iOS and Android without errors
Existing navigation and core screens render correctly
Metro bundler starts without version incompatibility warnings
package.json shows "react-native": "0.86.0"

Estimated effort: M

Copy/paste this prompt:

Implement the following React Native chunk for your mobile app : Upgrade React Native from the current version to 0.86.0 following the official upgrade helper diff.

Goal: Move to React Native 0.86.0 to stay on a supported release and gain the new animation backend and latest fixes.

Files to create or modify:

package.json — update react-native to 0.86.0 and adjust peer deps
android/ — apply diff from upgrade helper (Gradle, manifest, MainApplication changes)
ios/ — apply diff from upgrade helper (Podfile, AppDelegate, project settings)

Step-by-step instructions:

Go to https://react-native-community.github.io/upgrade-helper/ and select current version → 0.86.0
Download or copy the diff and apply changes to android/ and ios/ files manually
Update package.json: set react-native to 0.86.0, adjust react and other peer deps
Run npm install (or yarn)
Run npx pod-install for iOS
Run npx react-native run-ios — verify build and app launch
Run npx react-native run-android — verify build and app launch
Navigate through 3–5 key screens to confirm no visual regressions

Acceptance criteria checklist:

package.json shows "react-native": "0.86.0"
App builds on iOS simulator without errors
App builds on Android emulator without errors
Metro bundler starts with no version mismatch warnings
Navigation between main screens works without crashes

⚛️ Chunk 5 — Enable React Compiler (Rust-powered) in Your Project

Goal: Adopt the newly merged React Compiler Rust port to get automatic memoization across your React Native codebase, reducing unnecessary re-renders without manual useMemo / useCallback calls.

Scope:

Install the latest babel-plugin-react-compiler (now backed by the Oxc Rust compiler)
Configure babel.config.js to enable the compiler for the project
Run the app and fix any components that need the "use no memo" opt-out directive
Validate memoization is active using React DevTools Profiler on one key screen

Out of scope:

Fixing all compiler violations in one go (use "use no memo" as a per-file escape hatch)
Integrating with Rolldown or Bun (Rust integrations not yet stable for React Native)

Dependencies:

React 19+ installed in the project
Babel config accessible (babel.config.js or babel.config.ts)

Acceptance criteria:

babel-plugin-react-compiler present and active in babel.config.js
App builds and runs without compiler errors
React DevTools Profiler shows the ⚛ memoization badge on at least 3 components
No new console errors about React Compiler rule violations in dev mode

Estimated effort: S

Copy/paste this prompt:

Implement the following React Native chunk for your mobile app : Enable the React Compiler (now with Rust backend via Oxc) to get automatic memoization and reduce unnecessary re-renders.

Goal: Install and configure babel-plugin-react-compiler so the React Compiler automatically memoizes components and hooks, eliminating the need for manual useMemo/useCallback in most cases.

Files to create or modify:

package.json — add/update babel-plugin-react-compiler to latest version
babel.config.js — add the plugin with target: '19' configuration

Step-by-step instructions:

Install: npm install babel-plugin-react-compiler@latest
Add to babel.config.js:

plugins: [
  ['babel-plugin-react-compiler', { target: '19' }]
]

Clear Metro cache: npx expo start --clear (or npx react-native start --reset-cache)
Check terminal for any React Compiler warnings or rule violations
For any component that errors, add "use no memo"; at the top as a temporary opt-out
Open React DevTools Profiler, record interactions on a list or navigation screen, verify the ⚛ memoization badge appears on components
Run your existing test suite to confirm no regressions

Acceptance criteria checklist:

babel-plugin-react-compiler present in package.json
Plugin active in babel.config.js with target: '19'
App builds and runs without compiler errors
React DevTools Profiler shows automatic memoization on at least 3 components
Existing tests pass without new failures