React Native Mar 4, 2026 Pre-release

v0.85.0-rc.0

What's New

React Native v0.85.0-rc.0 introduces significant architecture improvements with Animation Backend enabled by default, enhanced debugging through multiple CDP connections, and better text input handling with selection data. Breaking changes include Jest preset relocation, removal of deprecated APIs, and stricter console.warn handling. Developers should update Jest configuration, migrate deprecated type aliases, and review accessibility API changes before upgrading.

Highlights

Breaking Changes

  • Deprecated type aliases removed; use types directly instead
  • StyleSheet.absoluteFill API removed
  • Jest preset configuration moved to react-native/jest-preset package
  • Node.js EOL versions no longer supported
  • UIManagerHelper event dispatcher methods deprecated in favor of getEventDispatcher
  • console.error logs starting with 'Warning:' no longer treated as warnings; use console.warn instead

Deprecations

  • AccessibilityInfo.setAccessibilityFocus deprecated in favor of AccessibilityInfo.sendAccessibilityEvent
  • RCTHostRuntimeDelegate deprecated and merged into RCTHostDelegate on iOS
  • NativeViewHierarchyOptimizer deprecated as part of legacy architecture cleanup
  • UIManagerHelper.getEventDispatcherForReactTag and related methods deprecated

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