The Peacock app just made the switch from ReactNative to iOS & Android and had a significant change in size and startup time
Article Summary
Peacock just ditched React Native for fully native iOS and Android. The performance gains? Significant.
NBCUniversal's streaming app made the switch in April 2023, removing all React Native dependencies. Emerge Tools analyzed the before and after using their X-Ray tooling to measure the real impact on app size and startup performance.
Key Takeaways
- Android app size dropped 26% (7.6 MB smaller)
- iOS app shrank 13% (12.6 MB reduction)
- Android launch time improved 18.2% by removing React Native initialization
- Peacock wasn't even using RN for UI, just business logic
- Team plans to eliminate JavaScriptCore next for full native implementation
Critical Insight
Going native delivered double-digit improvements in both app size and startup time by eliminating React Native overhead.
