• Five years with React Native at Shopify: After five years, Shopify's mobile team shares insights on React Native, including what worked, what didn't, and the future.
• Bright spots: React Native can meet performance requirements with the right patterns. Hot reloading reduces preview time. TypeScript offers flexibility and robustness. Blending with native code is crucial for certain features.
• Challenges: Debugging is more difficult than in Xcode and Android Studio. Each React Native update requires significant effort and may need codebase restructuring. Relying on third-party libraries brings maintenance burdens and supply chain risks. Some apps feel low quality in certain aspects, and Flutter is considered superior in tooling and performance.
• Future plans: Shopify plans to increase code contributions and support for React Native across organizations.

In conclusion, while React Native has shown many advantages at Shopify, it also has its challenges and areas for improvement. The team is looking to address these issues and continue to grow their use of React Native in the future.