Expo SDK 55 Upgrade Guide: New Architecture Required
Key Points
- New Architecture adoption mandatory for SDK 55
- expo-av package removed, use expo-audio/expo-video
- Claude Code plugin available for automated upgrades
Summary
Expo SDK 55 introduces React Native 0.83.2 and React 19.2 support, but requires New Architecture adoption as Old Architecture support has been discontinued. The upgrade includes significant package changes and new tooling recommendations.
Key Points
- New Architecture mandatory: SDK 54 was the last to support Old Architecture
- Package migration required:
expo-avremoved, replaced byexpo-audioandexpo-video - Hermes v1 available: Opt-in performance improvements with potential build time trade-offs
- Development builds recommended: Better upgrade experience than Expo Go dependency
- Claude Code integration: New AI-powered upgrade assistance via
/plugin install upgrading-expo - Staged upgrade approach: Migrate to New Architecture on SDK 54 first, then upgrade to SDK 55
- Transition period: Expo Go remains on SDK 54 temporarily for consistency
Migration Steps
- Upgrade to New Architecture on SDK 54
- Test thoroughly with development builds
- Upgrade to SDK 55 after New Architecture is stable
- Replace
expo-avusage withexpo-audio/expo-video - Consider enabling Hermes v1 for performance gains