React Native has been my go-to framework for cross-platform mobile development. After building several production applications, I've learned valuable lessons about what works well and what challenges to expect.

The Promise of Cross-Platform Development

React Native delivers on its promise of "write once, run anywhere" for most use cases. You can share:

  • Business logic
  • Navigation structures
  • API integrations
  • State management
  • Most UI components

Platform-Specific Considerations

However, some things still require platform-specific implementations:

iOS Specific Features

  • Native modules for hardware access
  • Platform-specific UI patterns
  • App Store guidelines compliance

Android Specific Features

  • Material Design components
  • Android-specific permissions
  • Play Store requirements

Performance Optimization

Key performance considerations include:

Navigation

Use native navigation libraries like @react-navigation/native with proper screen optimization.

const Stack = createNativeStackNavigator();


function AppNavigator() {
	return (
		<Stack.Navigator
			screenOptions={{
				headerShown: false,
				animation: 'slide_from_right'
			}}
		>
			<Stack.Screen name="Home" component={HomeScreen} />
			<Stack.Screen name="Profile" component={ProfileScreen} />
		</Stack.Navigator>
	);
}

List Performance

For large lists, always use FlatList or VirtualizedList:

const renderItem = ({ item }) => <ItemComponent item={item} />;


<FlatList
	data={items}
	renderItem={renderItem}
	keyExtractor={(item) => item.id}
	windowSize={10}
	maxToRenderPerBatch={5}
/>;

Development Workflow

Hot Reloading

React Native's hot reloading significantly speeds up development, but be aware of state preservation issues.

Debugging

Use Flipper for debugging - it provides excellent insights into:

  • Network requests
  • AsyncStorage contents
  • Performance metrics
  • Crash logs

Testing Strategy

Implement a comprehensive testing strategy:

  1. Unit Tests: Jest for business logic
  2. Integration Tests: Testing Library for component interactions
  3. E2E Tests: Maestro or Detox for full app flows

Deployment Considerations

Code Push

Use CodePush for over-the-air updates:

import codePush from 'react-native-code-push';


const App = () => {
	useEffect(() => {
		codePush.sync({
			updateDialog: true,
			checkFrequency: codePush.CheckFrequency.ON_APP_RESUME
		});
	}, []);


return &lt;YourApp /&gt;;



};


export default codePush(App);

Conclusion

React Native remains an excellent choice for cross-platform mobile development. While it requires platform-specific knowledge and careful performance optimization, the development speed and code sharing benefits make it worthwhile for most projects.

The key is understanding when to use shared code and when to implement platform-specific solutions.