🚀 Expo SDK Upgrade Guide (from SDK 51 ➝ 53 / 54)

This guide walks you through upgrading your Expo project to SDK 53 or SDK 54 with clean native rebuild.

✅ Tested and works for both managed and prebuild workflows.

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📦 Steps to Upgrade

1️⃣ Update Expo version in package.json

Open package.json and update the Expo SDK version:

"expo": "^53.0.0"
// or
"expo": "^54.0.0"

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2️⃣ Remove dependency lock files

Delete one of these depending on your package manager:

yarn.lock
package-lock.json

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3️⃣ Delete existing node_modules

rm -rf node_modules

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4️⃣ Install dependencies again

yarn install
# or
npm install

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5️⃣ Auto-fix Expo dependencies

Ensures that all Expo + React Native dependencies match the SDK version.

npx expo install --fix

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6️⃣ (Optional) Check for dependency issues

npx expo-doctor

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7️⃣ Clean native build (Important!)

Delete native folders:

rm -rf android ios

Generate clean native code:

npx expo prebuild --clean

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8️⃣ Run the app

npx expo start

or run directly on devices:

npx expo run:android
npx expo run:ios

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⚠️ Breaking Changes — Manual Updates Required

Some libraries need updates due to breaking changes in SDK 53/54:

Package	Action Required
react-native-reanimated	Upgrade to latest version
react-native-unistyles	Upgrade to latest version
Gesture handler / router libraries	Update if prompted during expo install --fix

Use:

npx expo install <package-name>

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✅ You’re Done!

Your project is now upgraded to the latest Expo SDK with fresh native folders.

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Feel free to fork this repo, star it ⭐, or contribute improvements!