What's New in Expo SDK 56 (and Why Your Next App Should Start Here)

By Rafat Saqqa · 4 min read

A plain-English rundown of Expo SDK 56 React Native 0.85, React 19.2, Hermes v1 by default (40% faster Android cold starts), production ready Expo UI, inline modules, and what to watch when upgrading.

What's New in Expo SDK 56 (and Why Your Next App Should Start Here)

Expo SDK 56 is here, and it's one of the most consequential releases in a while. It ships React Native 0.85 and React 19.2, turns on a faster engine by default, and graduates a few long-awaited features out of beta. If you're starting a new mobile app or thinking about upgrading an existing one here's what actually matters, in plain terms.

Hermes v1 is now the default and it's fast

The headline is performance. SDK 56 makes Hermes v1 the default JavaScript engine, and the numbers are real: Android cold starts are roughly 40% faster, time-to-interactive is about 1.5× quicker, and onCreate is around 1.7× faster. Lower memory use, faster startup, snappier runtime with no code changes required on your side.

For a real product, that's the difference between an app that feels instant and one that feels sluggish on mid-range Android devices, which is exactly where most of your users are.

Expo UI is production-ready (real SwiftUI + Jetpack Compose)

This is the one a lot of developers have been waiting for. As of SDK 56, @expo/ui is stable and production-ready. A single import renders true SwiftUI components on iOS and Jetpack Compose on Android native platform UI, not a JavaScript re-creation of it.

That means native-feeling controls, menus, and effects that match each platform automatically, without dropping into Swift or Kotlin yourself. It's a genuine step toward apps that feel like they belong on the device.

Inline modules: native code without leaving your project

Previously, writing a custom native module meant a separate package and a fair bit of ceremony. SDK 56 introduces inline modules you can define Expo modules directly inside your project structure. Experimenting with a bit of native code is now a quick, low-friction thing instead of a weekend project.

Fewer dependencies to babysit

SDK 56 ships drop-in replacements for a pile of community libraries everyone installs anyway, including:

  • @gorhom/bottom-sheet
  • @react-native-community/datetimepicker
  • @react-native-community/slider
  • react-native-pager-view
  • @react-native-picker/picker
  • @react-native-segmented-control/segmented-control
  • @react-native-masked-view/masked-view
  • @react-native-menu/menu

Fewer third-party packages means fewer version conflicts, fewer breaking changes at upgrade time, and a smaller surface area to maintain. Less dependency sprawl is quietly one of the best things about this release.

Faster iOS builds

SDK 56 ships prebuilt XCFrameworks for the heaviest Expo modules on iOS. If you've ever watched a cold iOS build crawl, this trims real minutes off your build times and your CI bill.

Upgrading? A few things to watch

If you're moving an existing app to SDK 56, it's mostly smooth, but keep an eye on:

  • React 19.2 / React Native 0.85. Most apps upgrade transparently, but double-check any library that touches the native bridge or older lifecycle patterns. Run npx expo install --fix to align your versions.
  • Audit your community libraries. Before adding the usual suspects, check whether SDK 56 now offers a built-in replacement you may be able to delete a dependency entirely.
  • Test on a real mid-range Android device. The Hermes v1 gains are biggest there, and it's the best place to feel the improvement (and catch any surprises).
  • iOS build cache. After upgrading, do one clean build so the new prebuilt frameworks are picked up correctly.

Start current, not behind

Here's the practical reality: most templates and starter kits you'll find are a major SDK version (or three) behind. Starting there means your "day one" is already an upgrade chore.

Every NativeKit Studio template is built on Expo SDK 56 from the ground up React Native 0.85, React 19.2, TypeScript, Expo Router, and a clean architecture so you start on the newest foundation instead of inheriting someone else's tech debt. You get the performance wins, the modern APIs, and code that's ready to ship today.

Browse the collection and ship your next iOS, Android, and web app on the latest, not the legacy.

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*Building on Expo SDK 56? Explore our production-ready React Native templates at nativekitstudio.com.*