From React Web to Native in One Week
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A React/Next.js web developer shares their experience building a real iOS app called Sun Buddy in one week using Expo, Claude Code, and Expo Skills. The post covers what React skills transfer directly to React Native (components, hooks, flexbox, routing), what doesn't (permissions, config plugins, code signing, native modules), and practical lessons from hitting real bugs like Skia crashes, stale Metro bundler, and Apple code signing issues. Key takeaway: React web developers don't need to become mobile experts to ship a native app — Expo bridges the gap, and EAS Build simplifies the path to TestFlight and App Store distribution.
Table of contents
The idea: Sun BuddyThe setup: Expo first, Claude Code secondThe surprise: my React skills transferred almost immediatelyThe part that did not transfer automaticallyThe native capabilities I addedWhere things actually brokeEAS is probably the path I would recommend firstThe moment it clickedWhat I would tell another React web developerSort: