The latest stable version of React Native 0.73 has been released. Key changes in this release include the addition of improvements for debugging with Hermes, symlink support entering the stable phase, Android 14 support, and new experimental features. Legacy debugging functionality has also been deprecated, and the next pillar of the new architecture has been released: Bridgeless Mode.
- Hermes supports viewing console history
console.log()It is the mainstream method for developers to quickly debug JavaScript code. Previously, console logs in React Native applications were not logged until the debugger was connected. This makes it difficult to observe logs of what happens early in the application loading.
React Native 0.73 solves this problem. Hermes now captures all console.log() calls in the background and these calls are sent to the console tab when the debugger is first connected - matching the debugging experience in a web browser. The new feature is available for Flipper, Chrome DevTools connected to Hermes, and the experimental New Debugger.
- Update debugging documentation
- New experimental debugger
- Support for writing Android apps using Kotlin
Starting with 0.73, Kotlin has become the recommended language for building Android apps with React Native. This follows the direction the Android ecosystem has been developing over the years and allows developers to write apps using modern programming languages.
This release updates React Native templates on Android to use Kotlin instead of Java. The newMainActivity.kt andMainApplication.kt files are 36% smaller in size.