As businesses grow and user expectations evolve, maintaining separate native apps for Android and iOS can become expensive and time-consuming. That’s where React Native comes in—a powerful cross-platform framework developed by Meta (Facebook) that allows you to use a single codebase for both platforms.
If you already have native apps built in Swift, Objective-C, or Java, converting them to React Native can help you save time, reduce costs, and simplify updates—all while maintaining high performance and a seamless user experience.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to convert your existing native Android and iOS apps to React Native, the benefits, and key considerations for a smooth migration.
1. Why Switch to React Native?
Before jumping into the conversion process, it’s essential to understand why React Native is worth it.
- Cross-Platform Development: Write once, deploy on both Android and iOS—saving development effort and cost.
- Native Performance: React Native bridges JavaScript with native APIs, delivering near-native speed and experience.
- Faster Updates: Update both platforms simultaneously, ensuring consistent features and UI.
- Rich Ecosystem: With thousands of open-source libraries and community support, React Native accelerates development.
- Cost Efficiency: Partnering with an iOS App Development Company USA Experience in React Native can reduce long-term maintenance costs.
2. Evaluate Your Existing Native App
Before starting the conversion, you need to analyze your existing app thoroughly.
Identify:
- Core functionalities and modules that can be reused.
- Native APIs or custom integrations (camera, GPS, notifications).
- Third-party libraries or SDKs that need React Native equivalents.
- UI/UX components that need to be redesigned for cross-platform compatibility.
This step helps determine what parts of your app can be migrated directly and what needs to be rewritten.
3. Set Up Your React Native Environment
Once your evaluation is complete, it’s time to set up your React Native development environment.
You’ll need:
- Node.js (for running React Native commands)
- Watchman (for file watching and optimization)
- Android Studio and Xcode (for platform emulators and builds)
- React Native CLI or Expo (for project setup and testing)
Create a new React Native project using the CLI command:
npx react-native init YourProjectName
This generates a clean codebase ready for integration with your existing native modules.
4. Reuse Business Logic and APIs
If your native app already uses REST APIs, GraphQL, or Firebase for backend communication, the good news is—you can reuse them directly.
React Native supports popular libraries like Axios or Fetch API for backend calls, so there’s no need to rebuild your API layer.
For instance:
- Authentication, data fetching, and state management can easily be migrated.
- Use libraries like Redux or Recoil for managing global states efficiently.
This approach minimizes rewriting efforts and ensures feature parity between the old and new versions.
5. Migrate UI Components and Navigation
UI is the most visible part of your app—and also the most challenging when moving from native to React Native.
You’ll need to redesign your UI using React Native components such as
- View, Text, Image, TouchableOpacity, etc.
- For navigation, use libraries like React Navigation or Native Stack Navigator.
Ensure that your new design maintains visual consistency with the original app but follows cross-platform UI best practices for a unified experience.
6. Integrate Native Modules
Some features—like camera access, biometric authentication, and push notifications—rely on native code.
React Native allows you to bridge existing native modules written in Swift, Objective-C, Java, or Kotlin into your React Native project.
This means you don’t have to rebuild everything from scratch—you can reuse your old native components alongside React Native’s new interface.
7. Test Across Platforms
Testing is crucial to ensure your converted app performs smoothly on both Android and iOS devices.
Use tools like
- Jest and React Native Testing Library for unit and component testing.
- Appium or Detox for end-to-end testing.
Also, perform real-device testing to check responsiveness, animations, and hardware integrations. Partnering with an experienced iOS app development company in the USA can streamline the testing and optimization process.
8. Optimize Performance and Deploy
Once testing is complete, focus on performance tuning:
- Minimize bundle size using code splitting and lazy loading.
- Optimize images and animations for smoother performance.
- Ensure consistent UI across various screen sizes.
Finally, configure the build settings in Xcode and Android Studio to deploy your new React Native app to the App Store and Google Play Store.
Conclusion
Converting your existing native apps to React Native is a strategic move toward efficiency, scalability, and faster delivery. With a single codebase managing both Android and iOS platforms, you’ll reduce maintenance efforts while providing users with a seamless experience.
If you’re planning this transition, partnering with an expert iOS app development company in the USA like DigiAuxilio can ensure a smooth migration process—from architecture planning to final deployment.
React Native is not just a technology choice—it’s a business decision that sets the foundation for faster growth, lower costs, and a future-ready mobile presence.
