Complete guide to setting up iOS development environment for React Native (macOS only)

iOS Development Setup

macOS Required: iOS development requires a Mac computer. Windows and Linux users can use EAS Build to build iOS apps in the cloud without local setup.

Official Reference: This guide follows the official Expo environment setup for Development Builds.

Prerequisites

macOS: Latest version recommended (macOS Sonoma or later)
Disk Space: ~20GB free disk space (Xcode is large)
Apple ID: Required to download Xcode

Step 1: Install Node.js & Watchman

We recommend installing Node.js and Watchman using Homebrew.

Install Homebrew

If you haven't installed Homebrew yet, open your Terminal and run:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install Node.js & Watchman

Run the following commands:

brew install node
brew install watchman

Verify installation:

node -v
watchman -v

Step 2: Install Xcode

Xcode is the integrated development environment (IDE) for macOS, needed to compile the iOS app.

Download from App Store

Open the Mac App Store.
Search for Xcode.
Click Get / Install.

Xcode App Store Page

Install Command Line Tools

Open Xcode.
From the top menu, select Xcode → Settings... (Cmd + ,).
Click the Locations tab.
Ensure the Command Line Tools dropdown has the latest version selected.

Xcode Locations Settings

Step 3: Install iOS Simulator

To run the app on your Mac, you need to install the iOS Simulator.

Add Simulator

In Xcode Settings (Cmd + ,), go to the Platforms tab.
Click the + (plus) icon.
Select iOS and click Download.

Xcode Platforms Settings

Step 4: Install CocoaPods

CocoaPods manages the native library dependencies for your iOS project.

sudo gem install cocoapods

Verify installation:

pod --version

iOS Development Setup

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