Mobile Engineering Curriculum with React Native & Expo

Leverage your existing React & TypeScript skills to build, publish, and scale production-grade cross-platform mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Zero Objective-C / Swift Barrier

Modern Expo Application Services (EAS) and Expo Prebuild allow you to write 100% TypeScript while accessing native camera, secure hardware storage, and push notification modules.

Real Offline-First UX

Unlike web browsers with persistent network connections, mobile engineering requires handling dead zones, background app refreshes, MMKV local key-value caches, and local SQLite data sync.

Web React vs. React Native Mental Model

Quickly translate your browser DOM instincts into native mobile primitives:

Web React Component	React Native Equivalent	Mobile Specific Behavior
`<div>`	`<View>`	Defaults to `flex-direction: column` instead of row/block.
`<p>` / `<span>`	`<Text>`	All raw strings MUST be enclosed inside `<Text>` or the app crashes.
`<button>` / `<a>`	`<Pressable>`	Provides haptic feedback hooks, hit slop touch expansion, and ripple states.
`overflow-y: scroll`	`<FlatList>` / `FlashList`	Virtualizes views off-screen to preserve limited mobile RAM during long feeds.
`localStorage`	`expo-secure-store` / MMKV	Secure Store encrypts auth tokens inside iOS Keychain & Android Keystore.

Phase 1

Expo Core & Native Mobile Primitives

Timeline: 2 to 3 Weeks

Goal: Set up a modern Expo development environment, learn file-based routing with Expo Router, and master touch and layout primitives.

Core Skills to Master

Modern Expo Setup: Initializing projects with create-expo-app, Expo Go vs. Custom Development Builds (npx expo run:ios / android).
Expo Router v4: File-based routing (tabs, stacks, modal presentations) mirroring Next.js conventions.
Styling with NativeWind: Writing Tailwind CSS in React Native with nativewind v4.
Safe Area & Notches: react-native-safe-area-context handling dynamic island, notches, and software keyboard avoidance.

High-Yield Reading

Video Tutorials

Checkmark Project:Build a cross-platform Expense Tracker mobile app with Stack & Bottom Tab navigation, category filtering, and customized NativeWind styling that respects iOS and Android system notches.

Phase 2

Hardware APIs, Biometrics & Secure Storage

Timeline: 3 to 4 Weeks

Goal: Connect to device hardware capabilities: FaceID/fingerprint scanning, hardware camera for QR scanning, and push notifications.

Core Skills to Master

Biometric Authentication: expo-local-authentication for FaceID / TouchID / Fingerprint lock gates.
Keychain Security: Storing JWTs and sensitive user secrets inside expo-secure-store.
Camera & QR Scanning: expo-camera and BarCode scanner integration for QR payment codes.
Push Notifications: Setting up Expo Push Tokens and handling background notification taps.

Checkmark Project: Build a Biometric Secure Authenticator app that requires FaceID/fingerprint unlock, reads QR codes to authorize mock logins, and stores session tokens inside device Keychain storage.

Phase 3

Performance, Offline Sync & App Store Deployment

Timeline: 3 to 4 Weeks

Goal: Optimize memory, handle offline queues, build production binaries with EAS Build, and submit to Apple TestFlight and Google Play Console.

Core Skills to Master

High-Speed Lists: Replacing FlatList with Shopify's @shopify/flash-list to eliminate frame drops and stuttering.
Offline Data Sync: TanStack Query paired with react-native-mmkv or WatermelonDB / local SQLite for instant UI rendering without network lag.
Over-The-Air (OTA) Updates: Configuring Expo EAS Update so bug fixes deploy instantly without waiting for app store review.
App Store Deployment: Generating iOS certificates, provisioning profiles, Android keystores, and running eas build --platform all.

The Capstone: Production Fintech Mobile Wallet

Architect a production-grade remittance agent / consumer wallet app similar to the ones engineered at enterprise scale:

Deliverables:

Biometric gate (FaceID / Fingerprint) to unlock app and confirm transfer transactions.
Multi-currency wallet balances with pull-to-refresh and real-time offline caching via MMKV.
QR code scanner to initiate instant peer-to-peer money transfers.
Virtual transaction feed powered by FlashList with search, status filtering, and PDF receipt exports.
Compiled and published on Apple TestFlight and Google Play Internal Track using EAS Build.

Free Starter Architecture Pack

Get the Production Boilerplate & Project Files

We are currently preparing full, production-tested GitHub starter repositories and weekly checkmark guides for Mobile Engineering (React Native & Expo). Join the early access circle to receive the code templates when they drop.

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Explore All Learning TracksGran Jefe Engineering Curriculum • 2025