React Native's shared codebase covers both iOS and Android — which means one maintenance retainer covers both platforms. But both app stores still enforce their own compliance requirements, and 2026 brings two hard deadlines: Google Play's 16KB memory page size mandate (May 1) and Apple's UISceneDelegate requirement (iOS 26). Our React Native App Care retainer handles the New Architecture migration, Expo SDK lifecycle, npm dependency audits, and platform compliance across both stores. From £675/month for iOS and Android under one agreement.
React Native's biggest maintenance advantage is the same as its development advantage: one codebase covers both platforms. Separate native iOS and Android apps mean two engineering teams, two compliance cycles, and two retainers. Every bug fix is written twice. Every platform deadline is responded to twice. React Native maintenance typically costs 30 to 50% less than equivalent dual-native maintenance because that duplication simply doesn't exist.
The deployment gap is just as significant. Native app fixes wait in Apple's review queue, often for 24 to 48 hours. React Native apps using EAS Update can push a JavaScript bundle fix directly to users' devices in under an hour, with no App Store involvement. We use staged rollouts starting at 10% of users, with Crashlytics and Sentry monitoring before promoting to full rollout. If something looks wrong, we roll back before it reaches the rest of your user base. In a production incident, that difference is meaningful.
The 2026 compliance deadlines (Google Play's 16KB page size requirement and Apple's UISceneDelegate migration) affect both platforms. With React Native, one retainer addresses both simultaneously. You don't pay for the same compliance work twice, and you don't end up with iOS green and Android blocked because two separate teams are moving at different speeds.
We take over React Native apps from version 0.60 onwards, including Expo managed and bare workflow, apps in any state of New Architecture migration, and codebases from other agencies or freelancers. Onboarding takes 3 to 5 working days and starts with a written audit covering New Architecture readiness, dependency health, EAS credentials, and crash telemetry. The retainer starts after that report is agreed. From £675/month, 3-month minimum.
Written by Gareth Reese, Co-founder, Foresight Mobile
An actionable four-week plan with clear deliverables and an unbeatable £3,500 price point, credited against your first development sprint.
Total client time commitment: 5-7 hours across 4 weeks
We meet with your key stakeholders to understand your business goals, user needs, and technical constraints. You'll share any existing research, designs, or documentation you have.
Our engineering team assesses the technical feasibility, identifies integration points with your existing systems, and evaluates architecture options.
We determine whether Flutter, native development, or another approach makes the most sense for your specific requirements.
We create clickable prototypes so you can experience your app before it's built. You'll test navigation flows, validate the user experience, and gather feedback from stakeholders.
Alongside this, we prioritise features based on business value and technical complexity, mapping out a phased delivery plan with a detailed cost estimate.
You receive your complete Gameplan pack, plus a presentation walkthrough with Q&A. Your team walks away with everything needed to make a confident decision.
A named React Native engineer who tracks SDK releases, manages Expo and EAS, keeps your dependency tree healthy, and handles iOS and Android compliance under one agreement.
Taking over a React Native codebase built by another agency or freelancer is one of the most common conversations we have. The typical scenario: the original team is gone, the app hasn't been updated in 12 to 18 months, it's still running the legacy bridge architecture, several npm packages are abandoned, and a Google Play compliance deadline is approaching.
Our onboarding audit covers React Native version and New Architecture readiness, Expo SDK status (if applicable), EAS credential access, npm dependency health, native module audit (C++ dependencies, Objective-C legacy code), crash telemetry baseline from Sentry or Firebase, and App Store/Play Store certificate status. We assess whether the app needs phased migration or emergency remediation first, then produce a written report before the retainer begins. Onboarding takes 3 to 5 working days. We take over from React Native 0.60 onwards, including Expo managed and bare workflow apps, and apps in any state of New Architecture migration.
Legacy Bridge Assessment • New Architecture Readiness Audit • Dependency Health Report • EAS Credential Transfer • 3 to 5 Day Onboarding • Expo and Bare React Native
Native apps wait days for App Store review. React Native apps don't have to. EAS Update pushes compiled JavaScript bundle updates directly to users' devices, bypassing the app store queue entirely. A production crash that would strand users on a broken app for 48 hours pending Apple's review can be resolved in under an hour via a staged OTA rollout.
Done carelessly, OTA updates cause more damage than they fix. Pushing an untested bundle to 100% of your users instantly has bricked production apps. Our OTA protocol uses phased rollouts: 10% of users first, with Sentry and Crashlytics telemetry monitored before promoting to full rollout — or an immediate rollback if something surfaces. From SDK 55, Hermes bytecode diffing means each OTA patch is a small binary diff, not a full multi-megabyte bundle download, which matters for users on slower cellular connections. Emergency hotfixes are deployed the same day on Premium plans.
Staged OTA Rollouts (10% to 100%) • Crash Telemetry Before Full Rollout • EAS Update Rollback Protocol • Hermes Bytecode Diffing • Emergency Hotfix SLA
React Native apps face the same Apple and Google compliance deadlines as native apps — with the additional complexity of a JavaScript layer and a C++ dependency chain. The May 1, 2026 Google Play deadline for 16KB memory page sizes blocks any update that uses C++ native modules compiled without NDK r28 and Android Gradle Plugin 8.5.1. Common culprits include react-native-reanimated (requires v3.15.0+), react-native-screens (requires v3.35.0+), and apps using SQLite drivers or react-native-vision-camera. A non-compliant .so file causes a silent native crash before the JavaScript bundle even loads.
On iOS, Apple's UISceneDelegate requirement lands with iOS 26 and becomes a hard launch failure by iOS 27. React Native apps need the AppDelegate migrated to SceneDelegate, with Objective-C bridging headers updated to Swift. Privacy Manifest requirements for third-party React Native libraries must also be in place for App Store Connect submissions. We handle both compliance tracks on a scheduled basis — before the deadlines, not in response to rejection notices.
16KB Page Size Compliance • UISceneDelegate Migration • Privacy Manifest Updates • App Store + Play Store Rejection Handling • Proactive Compliance Scheduling
A typical React Native app has 50 to 100+ npm dependencies. Some are actively maintained by organisations like Shopify, Callstack, or Software Mansion. Many are not. When a package maintainer goes quiet, the library eventually breaks against an iOS SDK update, a new Android Gradle Plugin version, or a React Native architectural change. The failure is rarely immediate — it surfaces when you're trying to push a compliance update with a Google Play deadline bearing down.
We run monthly dependency audits using npm audit and community indices like reactnative.directory, identifying packages that are deprecated, abandoned, or incompatible with the current React Native version. Where a drop-in replacement exists, we plan the swap. Where it doesn't, we fork and patch. Security advisories are actioned promptly — codebases pinned to React Native 0.72 or older carry documented security vulnerabilities that need immediate remediation, not just a note in a backlog.
Monthly npm Audit • Security Patch Management • Deprecated Package Replacement • Native Module Conflict Resolution • Abandoned Package Forking
Expo ships three SDK releases per year. Each SDK couples to a specific React Native version, and when an SDK reaches end-of-life, your EAS Build compatibility expires — meaning you can no longer compile new native binaries from the cloud. Fall too far behind and EAS Update's OTA mechanism silently breaks, stranding users on obsolete app states without generating a single crash report.
We manage the full Expo lifecycle: SDK version tracking, eas.json build profile maintenance, credential rotation (Keystores, Apple provisioning profiles), and App Store Connect API key management. SDK upgrades are tested in a dedicated EAS Build preview profile before promoting to production. For apps using EAS Update, we configure Hermes bytecode diffing (available from SDK 55), which distributes OTA updates as binary patches rather than full bundles — significantly reducing payload size on cellular connections. As of early 2026, 83% of projects on EAS Build with SDK 54 are already running the New Architecture; we help you get there on a managed schedule.
Expo SDK Tracking • EAS Build Profile Management • Credential Rotation • OTA Staged Rollouts • Hermes Bytecode Diffing (SDK 55+)
The React Native New Architecture — Fabric, TurboModules, and JSI — replaced the legacy asynchronous bridge in React Native 0.82 (October 2025). The bridge is gone. Apps that haven't migrated are running on an unsupported pattern, and the compatibility window is closing as npm packages increasingly drop legacy bridge support.
The practical blocker for most apps isn't the core framework — it's the dependency tree. Any npm package with C++ native modules that hasn't been rewritten for Fabric and TurboModules forces the entire app into a legacy fallback, negating the performance gains entirely. Our retainer includes a full compatibility audit using reactnative.directory indices: we identify blocking packages, plan replacements or internal forks, and execute the migration in a staged branch with no production disruption.
Hermes V1 — default since React Native 0.84 — delivers 7.6% faster time-to-interactive and 9% faster bundle loads once the dependency tree is fully migrated and clean. We handle the migration so you get those gains without the risk.
New Architecture Audit • Fabric + TurboModules Migration • Dependency Compatibility Review • Hermes V1 Optimisation • Staged Branch Testing
Two hard deadlines apply in 2026, and both require React Native-specific remediation beyond standard native compliance work.
May 1, 2026 — Google Play 16KB memory page size: Any app update that uses C++ native modules compiled without NDK r28 and Android Gradle Plugin 8.5.1 will be blocked from Google Play publication. Common culprits are react-native-reanimated (requires v3.15.0+), react-native-screens (requires v3.35.0+), SQLite drivers, and react-native-vision-camera. The failure mode is a silent native crash before the JavaScript bundle loads. Remediation requires upgrading to React Native 0.77+, updating the Android toolchain, and auditing all C++ dependencies for alignment compliance. Apps still on React Native 0.72 or older are at highest risk.
Spring 2026 — Apple iOS 26 UISceneDelegate: Apps built with the iOS 26 SDK must use the UISceneDelegate lifecycle protocol, or they fail to launch. By iOS 27, the absence of this migration becomes a hard crash. React Native apps need AppDelegate migrated to SceneDelegate, Objective-C bridging headers updated to Swift, and the Info.plist Application Scene Manifest declared. Additionally, Privacy Manifest requirements for third-party React Native libraries must be in place for App Store Connect submissions.
Yes — agency and freelancer handovers are a significant part of our work. The most common scenario is an app that hasn't been updated in 12 to 18 months, running an old React Native version, with several abandoned npm packages, missing EAS credentials, and an approaching Google Play compliance deadline.
Our onboarding process starts with a structured code audit: React Native version and New Architecture readiness, Expo SDK status if applicable, npm dependency health, native module audit covering C++ dependencies and Objective-C legacy code, crash telemetry review from existing Firebase or Sentry setup, and EAS credential access verification. Where certificates or Keystores have been lost with the previous team, we work with the client to regenerate them through Apple Developer and Google Play Console. Onboarding takes 3 to 5 working days and produces a written report with a prioritised remediation plan before the retainer begins. We take over from React Native 0.60 onwards, including apps in any state of New Architecture migration.
EAS Update is Expo's over-the-air update service. It allows maintenance teams to push JavaScript bundle updates — bug fixes, content changes, minor UI updates — directly to users' devices without going through App Store or Google Play review. A critical production fix that would otherwise take 24 to 48 hours to clear App Store review can reach users in under an hour.
The maintenance implication is that OTA updates require disciplined operational protocols. Pushing an untested bundle to your entire user base at once has caused production incidents. Our protocol uses staged rollouts: starting at 10% of the user base, with Sentry or Crashlytics telemetry monitored before promoting to full rollout. If issues surface, we execute an EAS Update rollback immediately to revert. We also configure Hermes bytecode diffing (available from SDK 55), which reduces OTA update payload size by distributing binary diffs rather than full bundle downloads — significantly faster for users on cellular connections. This is configured by default for all Expo managed apps on our retainer.
Yes — we maintain both Expo managed workflow apps and bare React Native CLI apps. The maintenance tasks differ significantly. Expo managed apps use Continuous Native Generation (CNG), where upgrades are handled by incrementing the SDK version and regenerating the native directories from your app.config.js. That removes most of the manual CocoaPods and Gradle conflict resolution, typically cutting monthly maintenance hours by 30 to 40% compared to a bare workflow app with equivalent complexity.
Bare React Native requires full ownership of the native layer: Xcode configuration, Podfile management, Android Gradle Plugin alignment, and manual native module linking. It's more flexible for deep OS integrations — custom BLE hardware, proprietary C++ libraries, advanced ARKit — but more fragile when Apple and Google ship toolchain changes. For Expo apps, we also manage EAS Build, EAS Submit, and EAS Update as part of the retainer, including eas.json profile management, credential rotation, and OTA staged rollout protocols. If your Expo SDK version is approaching end-of-life, we assess the migration path as part of onboarding.
The React Native New Architecture comprises three components: Fabric (the renderer), TurboModules (native module loading), and JSI (the JavaScript Interface). Together they replace the legacy asynchronous bridge that React Native used from its launch until 2025. The legacy bridge was removed in React Native 0.82 (October 2025). Apps still relying on it are running on an unsupported pattern.
Migration is not optional for apps with a long-term future on the app stores. If your app uses the legacy bridge, it'll increasingly fail as npm packages drop bridge support and Apple/Google SDK requirements evolve. In practice, migration means auditing your dependency tree for packages that haven't been rewritten for Fabric and TurboModules, replacing or forking those that haven't, then enabling the New Architecture flags. The performance gains are real: Hermes V1 (default since React Native 0.84) delivers 7.6% faster time-to-interactive on Android and 9% faster bundle loads on iOS once the dependency tree is clean. We run New Architecture migrations as part of our onboarding assessment and as part of the ongoing Standard and Premium retainers.
Our React Native App Care retainer starts at £675/month. That covers both iOS and Android under one agreement — one of React Native's key advantages over native development, where each platform typically requires its own retainer. UK agency rates for React Native maintenance range from £60 to £150 per hour depending on location and specialisation. On a time-and-materials basis, a typical React Native app requires 10 to 20 hours per month for baseline maintenance, plus additional time for major platform compliance cycles such as an iOS SDK migration or Android API level upgrade, which typically adds 8 to 15 hours.
Our fixed monthly retainer removes that unpredictability. Industry benchmarks place annual maintenance at 15 to 25% of original development cost. For a £50,000 app, that's £7,500 to £12,500 per year. Our Standard retainer at £995/month (£11,940/year) sits comfortably within that range for a professionally maintained production app. There's a one-off onboarding fee of £500 to £1,000 depending on codebase complexity, with a 3-month minimum term followed by rolling monthly billing.
A React Native maintenance retainer covers: React Native version tracking and upgrades; npm dependency audits and security patch management; Expo SDK management and EAS Build/Update/Submit configuration (where applicable); OTA update staging and rollback protocols via EAS Update; iOS compliance including Privacy Manifests, Xcode SDK adoption, and UISceneDelegate migration; Android compliance including target API level, 16KB memory page size, and Gradle/AGP toolchain; crash monitoring via Firebase Crashlytics or Sentry with a named SLA response time; App Store and Play Store review handling; and monthly health reports covering crash-free rate, ANR rate, and bundle performance.
What it doesn't cover: new feature development (scoped separately), major rewrites, or design changes. Our Essentials retainer at £675/month handles the ongoing compliance and dependency load. Standard (£995/month) adds priority SLA and backend monitoring. Premium (£1,495/month) adds same-day emergency response and quarterly architecture reviews.
React Native ships a new minor version every two months — approximately six releases per year. Once a version is superseded, the preceding one enters an end-of-cycle phase receiving only critical security fixes, and within a few months becomes entirely unsupported. An app that hasn't been updated in six months is operating outside the official security patch window. One that's more than a year behind is statistically likely to fail its next build against an iOS SDK or Android Gradle update.
In practice, active maintenance involves monthly dependency checks, a React Native version review every quarter, and two major platform compliance windows per year: Apple's spring deadline (driven by WWDC announcements) and Google Play's August target API level requirement. On top of the routine cadence, 2026 brings two hard deadlines: May 1 for Google Play's 16KB memory page size compliance, and Apple's iOS 26 UISceneDelegate requirement for apps built against the latest SDK. Both require React Native-specific remediation that goes beyond standard iOS/Android native compliance work.
You've got a working app and nobody reliable to look after it. Maybe your developer handed in their notice. Maybe the offshore team stopped responding. Maybe the freelancer who built it has gone quiet at the worst possible time.
App Care onboarding gets you from that situation to a UK-based team who knows your codebase inside out, with a shared Slack channel and agreed response times. The onboarding fee is typically £500 to £1,000 depending on complexity. After that, you're on a rolling monthly retainer from £675/month with no long-term lock-in after the initial three months.
We start with a short call to understand what your app does, what platforms it runs on, and what the handover situation looks like. Then we request access to the repository (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket), your App Store Connect and Google Play accounts, and any backend infrastructure. If a departing developer is still available, we'll use some of that time to fill in gaps. If not, we work from the code.
We review the architecture, third-party dependencies, security posture, and anything that looks fragile. If there's technical debt that needs fixing before we can support the app properly, we scope that separately so you know what it'll cost. We also build internal documentation covering how the app is structured, where the critical logic lives, and how deployments work.
We instrument the app with Firebase Crashlytics and Sentry for crash reporting, and set up Datadog for backend API monitoring where applicable. We configure CI/CD pipelines, TestFlight distribution for iOS builds, and deployment processes that don't rely on a single developer's laptop. Snyk and SonarQube scans catch dependency vulnerabilities and code-level security issues before they become incidents.
Your retainer covers OS updates, security patches, App Store compliance, crash investigation, and proactive monitoring. Feature work is scoped and priced separately so you always know what you're paying for. The initial commitment is three months, then rolling monthly with no long-term lock-in. You stay because the service is good, not because you're contractually stuck.
Your app, your way. Here's how we make it happen.
Fixed price agreed upfront, with regular progress calls and live demos so you always know where your project stands.
From first build to App Store submission and beyond, we offer App Care retainers from £675/month so your app keeps pace with your business. We're with you all the way.
Real users from your target audience test your app throughout development, not just at the end. Their feedback shapes decisions before they become expensive to undo — so you launch with confidence rather than hope.
You know your business. We know how to build apps that succeed. The two together is where good products come from.
Our founder has been building mobile products since 2003, and our core team has been together since Foresight launched in 2017.
We're based in Manchester with offices in London and Birmingham, and believe face-to-face time makes better products. Drop in whenever you like.
