One useful side effect of our React Native app being written in JavaScript is that the code is loaded at runtime, which is similar to how Cordova hybrid applications work. We can leverage this functionality to push updates to our application using Over-The-Air (OTA). This allows for adding features and bug fixes without having to go through the App Store approval process. The only limitation to OTA updates for React Native is that we cannot push compiled (Objective-C or Java) code, which means the update code must be in the JavaScript layer only. There are a few popular services that provide cloud-based OTA app updates. We will be highlighting CodePush, a service by Microsoft.
This recipe will cover setting up and pushing updates using CodePush for our React Native app on both iOS and Android.
