Expo Blog

Expo SDK 55 introduces next-generation versions of the MediaLibrary and Contacts libraries, available as `expo-media-library/next` and `expo-contacts/next`. Both libraries are rebuilt around Shared Objects and Shared Refs, making native data interaction more intuitive and performant. MediaLibrary@Next introduces object-oriented `Asset` and `Album` classes, granular property getters (e.g., `getLocation()`, `getShape()`), and a builder-pattern `Query` class for filtering media. Contacts@Next replaces manual ID-passing with instance methods, adds granular update helpers like `addEmail()` and `setImage()`, and introduces a `patch()` method for partial updates that pairs cleanly with `getDetails()` for efficient field-specific fetching. TypeScript types are narrowed based on requested fields, providing compile-time safety.

The next generation of Expo APIs: MediaLibrary and Contacts