Expo SDK 57 Changelog: What's New (and Why It Matters for React Native Developers)

By Rafat Saqqa · 5 min read

Expo SDK 57 ships React Native 0.86 with zero breaking changes possibly the easiest Expo upgrade yet. Here's what's new and whether it's worth doing now.

Expo SDK 57 is a small but meaningful release for React Native development. It ships with React Native 0.86 (React itself stays at 19.2, unchanged from SDK 56), and — unusually for an Expo SDK release — it's intended to have zero breaking changes.

If you're maintaining an existing Expo app, or deciding when to upgrade, SDK 57 is worth understanding.

Official changelog: https://expo.dev/changelog/sdk-57

🚀 React Native 0.86 Upgrade

SDK 57 bumps React Native from 0.85 to 0.86 while keeping React itself unchanged at 19.2. That's a deliberate choice: there are 601 commits touching over 1,500 files between the two React Native versions, and the Expo team wanted developers to pull that in as an intentional decision rather than a routine dependency bump inside SDK 56.

What that upgrade brings:

  • Fixes and improvements to edge-to-edge support on Android
  • Light/dark mode emulation inside React Native DevTools
  • A batch of rendering, layout, and animation fixes across the New Architecture pipeline

The New Architecture remains mandatory, as it has been since SDK 55 — there's no opt-out.

⚡ A New, Lighter Release Cadence

The bigger story behind SDK 57 isn't a single feature — it's a shift in how Expo plans to ship going forward.

React Native has been releasing roughly six times a year, aiming for a genuinely non-breaking release about every other version. Expo has historically bundled one React Native version per SDK release, three times a year, which left a gap between what React Native shipped and what reached Expo developers.

SDK 57 is Expo testing whether it can pass those non-breaking React Native releases straight through as low-effort, optional upgrades — instead of waiting for the next full SDK cycle. If it works out, upgrades like this one could become routine rather than something to brace for.

🧩 Other Improvements Worth Knowing

A handful of smaller changes landed alongside the React Native bump:

  • expo-dev-client: the iOS launcher can now auto-launch your most recent project instead of always showing the launcher screen
  • expo prebuild: now clears and fully regenerates your native android and ios directories by default (pass --no-clean to keep the old incremental behavior)
  • expo-image: added writeToCacheAsync / readFromCacheAsync for direct control over the image cache by key
  • expo-router: Stack.Toolbar.Badge now works in header placements and Android toolbar menu icons
  • expo-navigation-bar: setStyle and setHidden now apply correctly to React Native <Modal> windows on Android
  • Bumped animation/gesture libraries: react-native-reanimated (4.3 → 4.5), react-native-worklets (0.8 → 0.10), react-native-gesture-handler (2.31 → 2.32)

📱 Expo Go Status

A new Expo Go build for SDK 57 was still pending App Store / Play Store approval at launch. In the meantime, you can run SDK 57 apps via eas go on iOS, or through the Expo CLI on Android and iOS simulators.

🏁 Should You Upgrade to Expo SDK 57?

You should strongly consider upgrading if:

  • You're already on SDK 56 / React Native 0.85 and want the latest fixes with minimal risk
  • You rely on DevTools for debugging and want light/dark mode emulation
  • You use expo-image, expo-router, or the animation/gesture libraries and want their latest improvements
  • You want to stay current without waiting for the next full SDK cycle

For most SDK 56 apps, this is one of the lowest-risk Expo upgrades available.

⚠️ Upgrade Notes

Before upgrading:

  • Run npx expo install expo@^57.0.0 --fix to align dependencies
  • Run npx expo-doctor@latest to catch common issues
  • If you use Continuous Native Generation, delete your local android/ios directories — they'll regenerate on your next build
  • If you don't use CNG, run npx pod-install and apply the relevant diffs from Expo's Native project upgrade helper
  • Rebuild any expo-dev-client development builds — don't reuse an old one
  • Keep this upgrade isolated: avoid combining it with a navigation rewrite, styling overhaul, or unrelated dependency cleanup in the same pass, so it's easy to verify nothing broke

📌 Final Thoughts

Expo SDK 57 isn't a flashy release — it's a narrow, low-risk upgrade that brings React Native 0.86 into the Expo ecosystem with no breaking changes, plus a handful of genuinely useful fixes. It also signals a possible shift toward faster, lighter Expo releases going forward.

If you're on SDK 56, this is a safe one to take now rather than wait for the next major release.

FAQ

Does Expo SDK 57 include a new version of React? No. Both SDK 56 and SDK 57 run on React 19.2 — only the React Native runtime moved, from 0.85 to 0.86.

Is the New Architecture optional in SDK 57? No, it's been mandatory since SDK 55.

Will my Expo Go app work with SDK 57? A dedicated Expo Go build for SDK 57 was pending store approval at launch — use eas go (iOS) or Expo CLI (Android/iOS simulators) in the meantime.

How long will Expo SDK 56 keep receiving updates? Expo SDKs are supported for roughly a year after release, so SDK 56 will keep getting critical fixes until the next full SDK release.