How to Build and Distribute React Native Apps with Expo Services
Article Summary
Dominik Sokal from Software Mansion shows how Expo's EAS Build changed the game: you can now build iOS apps from Windows, no Mac required. The React Native vs Expo debate just got a lot simpler.
Software Mansion has contributed to Expo's infrastructure since 2017, helping build the EAS Build service that reached General Availability in November 2021. This article walks through building and distributing a Bluetooth-enabled React Native app using only EAS commands, demonstrating how the new tooling eliminates traditional mobile build complexity.
Key Takeaways
- EAS Build supports any React Native project with custom native code
- Development Builds create custom Expo Go clients with your specific modules
- Internal Distribution bypasses TestFlight's 30 minute processing delays
- Automatic submissions: run one command to build and upload to both app stores
- No credentials expertise needed: EAS manages keystores and provisioning profiles automatically
EAS Build and Submit let any team member build and deploy React Native apps to both platforms from any OS using a few CLI commands, with zero native tooling or credentials management required.
About This Article
Getting iOS apps onto TestFlight was slow. Builds took up to 30 minutes to process, and teams could only have one active build at a time.
Software Mansion built EAS Build with Internal Distribution, which uses QR codes for device registration. Apps can now be shared in minutes instead of waiting half an hour.
Teams distribute preview builds to registered devices in minutes using shareable URLs and QR codes. This removes the delays TestFlight adds and lets them skip the one-build-at-a-time restriction for internal testing.