React Native Adopts TypeScript-First Approach
Article Summary
React Native just made TypeScript the default. No more @types/react-native dependency, no more version lag, and a completely TypeScript-first developer experience starting with version 0.71.
The React Native team announced a major shift in their TypeScript support strategy with the 0.71 release. After years of relying on community-maintained type definitions, React Native now ships with built-in TypeScript declarations and a TypeScript-first approach across the entire framework.
Key Takeaways
- New React Native apps now generate with App.tsx and TypeScript by default
- TypeScript declarations now ship with React Native, eliminating @types/react-native dependency
- Over 170 documentation examples updated to pass TypeScript type-checking
- @types/react-native will be deprecated for versions 0.73 and beyond
Critical Insight
React Native 0.71 marks the end of community-maintained type definitions and establishes TypeScript as the framework's primary language with built-in declarations and tooling.
