Best of Simon Grimm — 2025

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   Simon Grimm·26w

   I Built a Mobile Farming Game in 6 Days (with AI + Expo)

   A developer shares their experience building a mobile farming game in six days using React Native, Expo, and AI tools. The workflow involved using ChatGPT for planning, Cursor for coding, and various AI models for different tasks. Key learnings include leveraging Expo Application Services (EAS) for automated builds and deployments, the challenges of game design versus development, and the limitations of AI when debugging complex state management issues. The developer emphasizes that while AI dramatically accelerated development, understanding the underlying technology remains essential for solving critical bugs.

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   Simon Grimm·23w

   I Reviewed 3 REAL React Native Apps (Here's what I thought)

   A video review of three React Native applications (District walking game, Zyotes note-taking app, and Rail Ruckus dice game) analyzing their UI/UX design, user onboarding flows, and implementation quality. The reviewer provides specific feedback on improving native feel, visual consistency, animation patterns, paywall design, and emotional engagement in game interfaces. Key takeaways include the importance of native UI components, proper haptic feedback, smooth transitions with reanimated, and making games feel alive with animations and visual effects.

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   Simon Grimm·1y

   Finally React Native UI Components

   The post highlights the release of Expo SDK 53, featuring updates like the new Expo UI package, which includes Swift UI and Jetpack Compose components, and improvements in background tasks, audio, maps packages, and more. Developers are advised to be cautious of breaking changes and new defaults, such as the edgetoedge support for Android and React 19. The post shares strategies for handling new architecture, package deprecations, and introduces web support for Expo SQLite. Enhancements in Expo CLI and EAS, including web worker support and faster startup times, are also discussed, along with new features in Expo Router like guarded groups and prefetching routes.

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   Simon Grimm·51w

   Is React Native the Future of Mobile Apps?

   React Native has reached a tipping point where it can build high-quality mobile applications comparable to native apps. Key improvements include better keyboard management with React Native Keyboard Controller, enhanced list performance with Legend List, advanced animation capabilities, and improved brownfield application support. The legacy architecture is now frozen, pushing developers toward the new architecture. Major companies like NFL and Starlink successfully use React Native, and AI integration is becoming increasingly important for development workflows.

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   Simon Grimm·1y

   Build Your Own AI Caption Editor with React Native (Convex, ElevenLabs, NativeWind, Expo)

   The post provides a detailed guide on building an AI-powered video caption editor using React Native. It covers the setup and configuration of various tools and libraries, including Expo, Native Wind, Convex, and integration of ElevenLabs API for text-to-speech functionalities. The post highlights the use of Clerk for authentication and shows how to organize project structure and manage dependencies. The backend is managed using Convex, which offers real-time data updates and TypeScript support, making the development process efficient and enjoyable.

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