React Native is an open-source framework employed widely by mobile app development companies. The framework is usually developed to build iOS, Android, Web, Android TV, Windows, etc. The latest release of React Native is 0.64.2, has made the applications lighter, faster, and quicker. This version also helps to fix several other bugs that were previously found in the applications developed.

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey , React Native stood at the 6th position in terms of usage for the development of apps.

The new version of React Native is all set to benefit developers, especially iOS developers. This version contains enhancements in terms of applications’ performance and specific other bug fixes that the developers have been waiting for a long time! Developers involved in React Native app development have placed their high expectations on this version since it has bought some fantastic new features in the development spectrum.

Without further ado, let us know more about the features of the new version that have some breaking changes.

Hermes Support for iOS:

Hermes is an open-source new Javascript engine optimized for React Native and enhances the startup time of the application developed. Additionally, it also decreases memory usage, cuts the interactive time down, and enables the reduction of app downloading size. It is because of this ability, that the framework was used to develop almost 31 thousand apps .

Initially, Hermes was available with the 0.60.4 React Native (RN) version and for the android platform only. The newly introduced version supports the iOS platform as well. Facebook engineers initially developed Hermes as a lightweight solution for the problems. However, before the release of the new RN version, iOS developers had a hard time maintaining the same quality level.

Hermes has now helped iOS developers build apps with React Native that perform better, making the app lightweight and decreasing the time taken for interaction on the iOS platform.

Proxy Support:

If you have already been using some of the above-stated packages, we have good news for you. The new version of RN has brought proxy support as well for Hermes. The proxy support is compatible with the notable projects of the community like the Mobx and the React Native Firebase. You can now move your project to Hermes to obtain the benefits offered. React Native is also planning to make Hermes the default engine for Javascript, more specifically for the Android platform in their upcoming release.

That said, if you ever encounter a problem while using Hermes for your development project, report it as soon as possible so that it can be solved.

Inline Require Enabling:

Are you aware that the inline requirements come by default, and it doesn’t need any extra configuration to perform? It just requires an option of Metro configuration and is helpful with the application startup time as it allows JS modules as and when required. Traditionally, the execution of Javascript modules begins when the app starts. The feature has prevailed for a few years now as a choice for opt-in configuration.

Earlier, the developers had to import the available modules over the coding files, but now they can do it at the line where required. This, in turn, helps developers establish applications with next-level performance without any extra configuration.

New JSX Transforms:

The JSX transform is vital as the applications developed rely on Babel, Typescript to get the JSX code transformed into the regular JS code. With the release of the new version, you are not required to import React for the developers to use JSX in the code. During the development phase, it occurs by default. This type of support was integrated into React version 17.

Debug with Chrome:

Hermes has the support to debug Javascript using the development tools provided by chrome. This can be done with the implementation of the chrome inspector protocol. For several years now, the contribution of the league hacking fellowship for React Native has been sponsored by Facebook. This league includes the development tools of chrome to visualize the execution process of the app while using Hermes.

The feature prevails for a long time now and is used to find out the solutions during the development process of cross-platform applications. Here you can also choose to profile an application that is working on Hermes. Developers can also transform the Hermes tracing profile to a chrome profile and then pull it to the local machine.

How to Upgrade to React Native 0.64.2?

The process of upgrading the React Native application is a bit tricky. There are several dependencies; sometimes, the core native files can change like AndroidManifest, etc. You can choose to use the React Native Upgrade helper to upgrade all your RN projects with exceptional results. This helps to fast-track the process of upgrading the RN projects to the new version. You will also get to know the files that you need to modify.

If you face any difficulty grading your project to the new version, we recommend consulting the React Native app development team. They will guide you well, and you can easily upgrade your existing application.

Final Words

Though small, the new version of React Native, 0.64.2 has brought in some significant changes in the framework that makes React Native app development easy for the developers. The developers are now looking forward to seeing more growth of the framework. For this, they will have to keep themselves updated with the latest trends.

The framework is a strong contender for the development of mobile applications, and the community was waiting for long for such changes to arrive.