Gergely Orosz · 13 min read · Product Strategy
Why has Shopify dropped React Native?
Read the original on newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com →
Shopify has abandoned React Native in favor of native mobile development, a significant reversal from its 2020 decision to go all-in on RN. The primary driver is AI's improved ability to write native mobile code, making the abstractions of React Native less necessary. Shopify demonstrated this shift by rewriting its Shop app in native code in just 12 weeks.
Key Takeaways
- Shopify originally adopted React Native in 2020 to solve slow Android development cycles and ensure consistency across iOS and Android platforms
- AI coding agents have advanced to the point where writing native mobile code is now highly efficient, eliminating one of React Native's key advantages
- Shopify rewrote its Shop app in native code in just 12 weeks, validating the viability of AI-assisted native development
- This pattern mirrors Airbnb's experience — adopting React Native in 2016 then reverting to native in 2018 due to performance issues
- Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) is emerging as a relevant alternative, allowing shared business logic across iOS and Android while maintaining native UI layers
Excerpt
Before we start: given this article is about native mobile development, I want to offer my 2021 ebook , ‘Building Mobile Apps at Scale: 39 engineering challenges’ , for free to all readers. (normally costs $20). The book remains relevant on the challenges to solve for large-scale mobile applications, and lists the technologies covered below in this article, Kotlin Multiplatform included. Claim your free copy here This offer is valid until Friday, 2 October. On checkout, simply select “The ebook: PDF & EPUB versions of the book.” No credit card required! Feel free to share the link with colleagues who…